Reducing down-cycling of carbon fibre by fibre architecture preservation: Multi-layer fibre surface quality investigation

Di He*, Paul Compston, Evgeny Morozov, Matthew Doolan

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

    3 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Carbon fibre has a high mechanical reinforcement capability associated with fibre architectures. However, it is significantly down-cycled in the current recycling practice as a result of a loss of fibre architecture. Without the use of chopping/shredding process, the architecture of carbon fibre can be preserved, but the surface cleanliness of recycled carbon fibre (rCF) is not clear. In this study, an investigation is carried out on the surface quality of architecture-preserved rCF obtained from multiple layers of a carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP). Carbon fibre woven fabrics are manufactured into CFRP, recycled using a pyrolysis technique, and inspected using visual and microscopic techniques. The results indicate a good preservation of fibre architecture in all five layers of CFRP. Nonetheless, the residue from the pyrolysis of resin is increased in the internal layers (4thand 5th) of rCF in comparison to the external layers (1stto 3rd). The results suggest that fibre architecture preservation has a potential to reduce the down-cycling of carbon fibre, but the impact is limited in internal fibre layers due to reduced fibre surface cleanliness. The insights from this study provide a further understanding on the approach to reduce the down-cycling of carbon fibre and move the carbon fibre industry towards circular economy.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)637-641
    Number of pages5
    JournalProcedia CIRP
    Volume105
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2022
    Event29th CIRP Conference on Life Cycle Engineering, LCE 2022 - Leuven, Belgium
    Duration: 4 Apr 20226 Apr 2022

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