Effects of Emulsifier and Lubricant Formulation on Basalt Fiber Sizing Emulsions and Fiber Performance
- 1Basalt Fiber and Composite Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, School of Modern Industry for Basalt Fiber Composite Materials, Dazhou Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Fiber Materials, Sichuan University of Arts and Science, Dazhou 635000, China
- 2School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Zigong 643000, China
- 3Dazhou Market Supervision and Administration Bureau, Dazhou 635000, China
Abstract
Basalt fibers are prone to friction-induced damage during drawing and processing, while sizing emulsion properties significantly affect coating uniformity and fiber protection. This study aimed to optimize basalt fiber sizing formulations by evaluating the effects of emulsifier and lubricant combinations on emulsion characteristics and fiber performance. An industrial sizing formulation was selected as the reference, and three nonionic emulsifiers, namely poly(ethylene glycol) dibasic acid diester (DAPE), poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide) block copolymer (L44) and sorbitan monolaurate (S20) with two lubricants including polyoxyethylene esters of saturated (M) and unsaturated fatty acids (N) were investigated using independent L9(33) orthogonal experiments. A total of 27 formulations were prepared and evaluated based on solids content, viscosity, particle size, centrifugal stability, and surface tension. Six optimized formulations were further validated through fiber drawing tests. The results showed that sizing performance was controlled by the synergistic effects of emulsifier type, dosage, and lubricant ratio. Compared with the original sizing, the optimized formulations increased single-filament tensile strength by 4.46–20.82% and yarn breaking strength by 10.87–34.78%, with RA-1 (1.8% DAPE, 1.0% M, 1.6% N) exhibiting the best performance. After acid exposure, the optimized formulations maintained higher absolute yarn breaking strength than O-2, although relative strength retention varied only slightly among formulations. In contrast, alkaline exposure caused substantial strength loss, with retention rates of 50.94–53.70% and no significant differences among formulations.
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BibTeX
@article{yuan2026effects,
title = {{Effects of Emulsifier and Lubricant Formulation on Basalt Fiber Sizing Emulsions and Fiber Performance}},
author = {Jiajia Yuan and Junlan Li and Simin Zhuo and Jiahao Wu and Jianhui Wu and Like Zou and Yuanfang Deng and Chuan Lai},
journal = {Polymers},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/polym18212645},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/18/21/2645},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Effects of Emulsifier and Lubricant Formulation on Basalt Fiber Sizing Emulsions and Fiber Performance
AU - Jiajia Yuan
AU - Junlan Li
AU - Simin Zhuo
AU - Jiahao Wu
AU - Jianhui Wu
AU - Like Zou
AU - Yuanfang Deng
AU - Chuan Lai
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/25
JO - Polymers
DO - 10.3390/polym18212645
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/18/21/2645
AB - Basalt fibers are prone to friction-induced damage during drawing and processing, while sizing emulsion properties significantly affect coating uniformity and fiber protection. This study aimed to optimize basalt fiber sizing formulations by evaluating the effects of emulsifier and lubricant combinations on emulsion characteristics and fiber performance. An industrial sizing formulation was selected as the reference, and three nonionic emulsifiers, namely poly(ethylene glycol) dibasic acid diester (DAPE), poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide) block copolymer (L44) and sorbitan monolaurate (S20) with two lubricants including polyoxyethylene esters of saturated (M) and unsaturated fatty acids (N) were investigated using independent L9(33) orthogonal experiments. A total of 27 formulations were prepared and evaluated based on solids content, viscosity, particle size, centrifugal stability, and surface tension. Six optimized formulations were further validated through fiber drawing tests. The results showed that sizing performance was controlled by the synergistic effects of emulsifier type, dosage, and lubricant ratio. Compared with the original sizing, the optimized formulations increased single-filament tensile strength by 4.46–20.82% and yarn breaking strength by 10.87–34.78%, with RA-1 (1.8% DAPE, 1.0% M, 1.6% N) exhibiting the best performance. After acid exposure, the optimized formulations maintained higher absolute yarn breaking strength than O-2, although relative strength retention varied only slightly among formulations. In contrast, alkaline exposure caused substantial strength loss, with retention rates of 50.94–53.70% and no significant differences among formulations.
SN - 2073-4360
ER -