Title: Carbon Fiber Composites Recycling Technology Enabled by the TuFF Technology

Authors: Dirk Heider, Shridhar Yarlagadda, Chris Blackwell, Roger Crane, Mark Davis, Rebecca Emmerich, Joseph Deitzel, Tekin Ozdemir

DOI: 10.33599/nasampe/s.22.0871

Abstract: Carbon Fiber Composites (CFCs) recycling is in its infancy as an industry in the US with the key challenges being 1) the ability to recover both the fiber and polymer content, and 2) conversion of the recycled material into high-value CFCs. The opportunity is to reduce material cost and lifetime-embodied energy through reclamation of CFCs at the end of product life with improved properties and cost compared to competing technologies. Under a current DOE project recycled fibers from Vartega are converted into high-performance composites at high fiber volume fraction and good composite property retention. The paper describes the processing steps, summarizes the key properties for recycling and demonstrates composite mechanical properties. A CFC strength of 184 ksi has been achieved exceeding any previous reported tensile strength with recycled short fibers by a factor of 3x. In addition, modulus retention in the composite is near 100% with a low coefficient of variation which would allow use in stiffness critical applications with the current recycling process. The approach presents a compelling pathway to save energy and cost allowing recycling and not down-cycling of high-performance composite material for the first time.

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Conference: SAMPE 2022

Publication Date: 2022/05/23

SKU: TP22-0000000871

Pages: 9

Price: $18.00