Recycling of Uncured Prepreg Waste via Long Discontinuous Fibre Compression Moulding: A Study of Flow Phenomena Interaction

摘要

The future of composites in aerospace rests on the industry's ability and willingness to recycle composite waste. The time for new recycling technologies and know-how is now, as the production of composite structures is at its highest point in history and shows no signs of slowing down. The study presented here proposes a method of recycling discarded carbon fibre prepregs by conversion in to a long discontinuous fibre compound and subsequent processing via compression moulding. Both flat and rib stiffened panels were successfully manufactured and the relationship between resin loss through percolation, bulk material flow through shear, and resulting quality is discussed.