110 - SUSTAINABLE HYBRID COMPOSITES WITH RECYCLED CARBON FIBERS (CompTest 2025)
The increasing demand for sustainable materials and circular economy has driven significant research into the recycling and the reuse of carbon fibers. Recycled carbon fiber (rCF) reinforced polymers (rCFRP) offer a promising solution by utilizing short rCF to create high-performance composites at a reduced cost compared to polymers reinforced with virgin carbon fibers (vCF). Currently, as a consequence of the recycling processes used by the industry, long and continuous carbon fibers from manufacturing waste and structures reaching end-of-life become short, recycled fibers. These rCF still possess rather high mechanical properties which however, are slightly lower than properties of vCF [1]. This study aims to show potential of using these discontinuous rCF to design high performance sustainable composites by combining rCF with vCF and/or other reinforcements to produce hybrid composites. To achieve this, the traditional paper-making technique is adapted to manufacture non-woven mats out of short rCF, vCF, and a combination of both. The fibers used in this study have an average length of 12 mm. Mats are produced one at a time by mechanically dispersing the fibers in a container with a solution of water and binding agent, and with the aid of a stirrer. This process promotes the opening of the fiber bundles and transforms them into a network of two-dimensional “dandelion” like architecture.
Pieteikuma datums
21.05.2025.
Atslēgas vārdi
Polymer Composites, Recycled Carbon Fiber, Compression Moulding, Mechanical properties, Hybrid Composites
