RECYCLED CARBON FIBER IN AEROSPACE, INDUSTRIAL AND CONSTRUCTION APPLICATIONS
Topic(s) : Special Sessions
Co-authors :
Vanessa OVERHAGE (GERMANY), Marcus WELSH , Rebecca EMMERICH (GERMANY), Lars WOLLERT (GERMANY), Theodosia KOURKOUTSAKI (GERMANY), Thomas GRIESAbstract :
The demand for carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) has grown over the past 10 years due its desirable mechanical properties (high specific strength and stiffness) which allow for lighter, more efficient structures to be designed. However, the production of carbon fibre is energy and cost intensive. In order to reduce the total carbon footprint of CFRP going forward, carbon fibre recycling methods are being developed. At the moment one can either thermally, mechanically, or chemically recycle/ recover carbon fibre, each approach affecting the recycled fibre quality differently.
During recycling, fibres are typically broken down into short fibres, which are then processed into different textile products such as non-woven, sliver or yarns. Once these intermediate products are obtained, one can use them again with conventional composite machinery to manufacture various products. However, it is important to select a suitable recycling method, such that the desired properties are obtained.
In this abstract, three different applications of recycled carbon fibre (rCF) under development at ITA are presented: the manufacturing of non-crimp rCF based fabrics for aerospace applications, winding of paper rollers for the paper industry, and the production of rCF based concrete reinforcement.
The use of rCF to make environmentally friendly and impact resistant floor panels for civil aircraft is under investigation.
Additionally, the use rCF to extend the effective lifetime of paper rollers is being investigated. Here, the goal is to manufacture a hybrid paper roller - using an end of life steel roller with an rCF overwrap- which achieves the same deflection and surface quality as a traditional steel roller. Preliminary Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) shows that from an ecological perspective refurbishing steel rollers with a fibre composite laminate can reduce its CO2 footprint by 65% compared to decommissioning and manufacturing new rollers. Here we discuss the development of an inline impregnation and filament winding process to do so using recycled Carbon Fiber/PA6 hybrid yarns and a bio-based epoxy resin to refurbish such rollers. Material and CFRP/Metal interface optimization and Lifecycle Assessments are part of the development work.
In addition, the use of rCF in the construction industry is investigated as well. The aim is to identify the fields of application for different variants of textile structures made from rCF. These include the use as short fibres, nonwovens and textile grid structures made from hybrid yarns of recycled carbon fibres as reinforcement material in concrete.
During recycling, fibres are typically broken down into short fibres, which are then processed into different textile products such as non-woven, sliver or yarns. Once these intermediate products are obtained, one can use them again with conventional composite machinery to manufacture various products. However, it is important to select a suitable recycling method, such that the desired properties are obtained.
In this abstract, three different applications of recycled carbon fibre (rCF) under development at ITA are presented: the manufacturing of non-crimp rCF based fabrics for aerospace applications, winding of paper rollers for the paper industry, and the production of rCF based concrete reinforcement.
The use of rCF to make environmentally friendly and impact resistant floor panels for civil aircraft is under investigation.
Additionally, the use rCF to extend the effective lifetime of paper rollers is being investigated. Here, the goal is to manufacture a hybrid paper roller - using an end of life steel roller with an rCF overwrap- which achieves the same deflection and surface quality as a traditional steel roller. Preliminary Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) shows that from an ecological perspective refurbishing steel rollers with a fibre composite laminate can reduce its CO2 footprint by 65% compared to decommissioning and manufacturing new rollers. Here we discuss the development of an inline impregnation and filament winding process to do so using recycled Carbon Fiber/PA6 hybrid yarns and a bio-based epoxy resin to refurbish such rollers. Material and CFRP/Metal interface optimization and Lifecycle Assessments are part of the development work.
In addition, the use of rCF in the construction industry is investigated as well. The aim is to identify the fields of application for different variants of textile structures made from rCF. These include the use as short fibres, nonwovens and textile grid structures made from hybrid yarns of recycled carbon fibres as reinforcement material in concrete.