Comparison between the mechanical properties and environmental sustainability of basalt and carbon fiber reinforced polymers hoop filament wound components

Filament Winding (FW) is one of the most effective composites manufacturing processes used to produce structural axisymmetric components in fiber reinforced polymers (FRPs), such as pipes, tubular parts and vessels. Among FRPs, basalt fibers (BFs) reinforced composites are gaining an increasing interest in many industrial fields, such as aerospace, automotive and nautical ones, since BFs are natural fibers characterized by good mechanical properties, thermal and chemical stability, as well as reduced costs, compared to synthetic carbon fibers (CFs). In this context, the present research aims at evaluating and comparing the mechanical properties, in terms of hoop tensile strength and compressive strength, of Basalt Fiber Reinforced Polymer (BFRP) and Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) tubular components obtained by FW process. Furthermore, a Life Cycle Assessment analysis was performed to evaluate the environmental impacts associated to the different composite materials. The comparison between the impacts obtained using BFRCs and CFRPs has highlighted the ecological benefits of BFRPs.