Every year, thousands of pounds of high strength carbon fiber composites are scrapped into landfills all around the United States. Regardless of the Composite Industry's demonstrated innovative nature, the lost value and environmental impact of these waste streams have continued to be a burden, until recent years. New developments to reclaim these high value materials for re-introduction to new markets have proven to be both challenging and feasible. These fibers have applications enhancing product lubrication, electrical conductivity, and have recently been implemented in engineered materials for fabrication of composite materials. To evaluate the potential of products manufactured from recycled fibers these raw material sources were compounded, molded and tested to characterize their physical and mechanical properties. These results were compared to the results of virgin fibers compounded, molded and tested through an identical process. Additionally, a variation in fiber weight content was included in this evaluation of properties and processing capability. With this data, the feasibility of utilizing these recycled fibers for transportation applications may be understood.
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