Speaker
Description
As environmental regulations tighten and the demand for lightweight materials increases, the utilization of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) in high value-added industries such as automotive, aviation, and space is on the rise. However, there is a lack of recycling systems to cope with the growing use of CFRP, resulting in a significant amount of waste. Specifically, the recycling of epoxy-based CFRP proves to be challenging, leading to its predominant disposal in landfills or through incineration, causing substantial environmental degradation and social costs.
To address this issue, researchers have developed methods to recover and recycle carbon fibers from CFRP waste. Nevertheless, most studies on carbon fiber recycling processes have been conducted on a small scale and used scrap waste. It is crucial to undertake large-scale research utilizing end-products to confirm the feasibility of replacing regular carbon fiber with recycled carbon fiber. Moreover, recycled carbon fibers (rCF) pose challenges in their application to conventional composite manufacturing processes due to their irregular and unstructured properties resulting from the recycling process.
This study presents a method for fabricating rCFRP using 3D printing technology based on fused deposition modeling (FDM). Initially, carbon fibers were collected through the recycling of actual hydrogen tanks, and their mechanical and structural properties were analyzed to assess their quality for filament fabrication. Subsequently, these carbon fibers were utilized to produce rCFRP filaments, and their thermal and mechanical properties were analyzed in relation to the carbon fiber content for the printing process. Finally, the filaments were applied to the FDM process to manufacture rCFRP composites, and tensile and bending tests were conducted to verify their mechanical robustness
The study showcases the superiority of recycled carbon fibers, highlighting their potential to replace conventional carbon fiber in numerous applications. As a result, this work holds significant relevance and applicability in carbon fiber production research, offering a solution to both environmental and economic challenges.
References
Deng, Jianying, et al. "Efficient method of recycling carbon fiber from the waste of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites." Polymer Degradation and Stability 182 (2020): 109419.
Chen, Cheng-Ho, et al. "A circular economy study on the characterization and thermal properties of thermoplastic composite created using regenerated carbon fiber recycled from waste thermoset CFRP bicycle part as reinforcement." Composites Science and Technology 230 (2022): 109761.
Hanaoka, Takuma, et al. "Recovery of carbon fiber from prepreg using nitric acid and evaluation of recycled CFRP." Composites Part B: Engineering 231 (2022): 109560.
Lebedeva, E. A., et al. "Novel approach to recycled carbon fiber suitability assessment for additive technologies." Applied Surface Science 602 (2022): 154251.
| Keywords | Recycle Carbon Fiber, FDM, Mechanical Characterization, rCFRP |
|---|
