ORIGINAL ARTICLE The durability of basalt fibres reinforced polymer (BFRP) panels for cladding Giuseppe Alaimo . Antonino Valenza . Daniele Enea . Vincenzo Fiore Received: 19 February 2015 / Accepted: 11 May 2015 Ó RILEM 2015 Abstract The study focuses on two basalt composite laminate panels for cladding, produced by means of vacuum bagging technique. In particular, unidirec- tional and random basalt fabrics, with different areal weights, using epoxy resin as matrix, were used. According to the ISO 15686 methodology for the evaluation of durability, samples were subjected to cycles of artificial aging in climatic chamber and outdoor exposure, carrying out mechanical (i.e. quasi- static and dynamic) and calorimetric tests. The results show the effectiveness over time of produced basalt composite laminates and the initial increase of the mechanical performances after the first steps of accelerated aging. Keywords Durability Á Laminated composite panels Á Basalt fibres Á Mechanical performance 1 Introduction The technology of dry assembly for the production of multi-layer panels has evolved over the past 30 years, becoming an efficient alternative to traditional systems. The direction taken by the market has been increasingly drawn to eco-sustainable systems and in this way, the interest in the use of laminated composite panels for cladding. This technology focuses on the introduction of multi-layer composite panels where new materials can be introduced in the construction process, minimiz- ing the interactions between the various layers [17]. The tendency is to use as much as possible eco-friendly fibres like lignocellulosic ones (hemp, flax, curaua ´, etc.) and mineral ones, such as basalt, not only as structural reinforcements [13], but also as insulating materials. Basalt is a natural rock, silica based, which is produced through a variety of industrial processes into filaments, wool, chopped strands and fabrics. The basalt fibre has a chemical composition very similar to the traditional glass fibre but, differently from the latter, it is obtained by a simple process of spinning from basalt rock, volcanic effusive nature, containing from 42 to 55 % SiO 2 [10, 11, 19]. It is used as an insulation material in constructions due to its remarkable attitude for thermal and acoustic insulation, having an average thermal conductivity equal to 0.035 W/(mK). It is widely used as reinforcement of polymer, cementicious and metal based composites [16]. It is also not a flammable material, chemically inert, resistant to corrosion and biologically stable [27]. G. Alaimo Á D. Enea (&) Department of Architecture, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy e-mail: daniele.enea@unipa.it G. Alaimo e-mail: giuseppe.alaimo@unipa.it A. Valenza Á V. Fiore Department of ‘‘Ingegneria Civile, Ambientale, Aerospaziale, dei Materiali’’, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy e-mail: antonino.valenza@unipa.it V. Fiore e-mail: vincenzo.fiore@unipa.it Materials and Structures DOI 10.1617/s11527-015-0633-3