Mechanical properties of carbon fiber paper reinforced thermoplastics using mixed discontinuous recycled carbon fibers

Abstract

Market demand for carbon fiber (CF) increases annually. Therefore, owing to the growing amount of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) waste, CFRP manufacturers are attempting to develop and design materials and products by paying greater attention to ecological and economic factors. In this report, recycled CF (rCF) varieties with differing mechanical properties are mixed to determine the possibility of rCF application in future structural materials. 1, 3, 5, 8 and 10 MPa are investigated for proper compression molding pressure. The range of 5–8 MPa is recommended. Mixing different rCFs can control the mechanical properties of the material, which is valuable for current rCF applications. A modified rule of mixture (ROM) is used to discuss flexural modulus and flexural strength. The coefficients for ROM are given for different rCF.

Keywords:

• recycled carbon fibers
• discontinuous reinforcement
• carbon fiber paper
• thermoplastic resin

Acknowledgement

Part of this study was conducted as the Japanese METI project ‘the Future Pioneering Projects/Innovative Structural Materials Project’ since 2013. The authors would like to express sincere appreciation to the project members, who have provided valuable information and useful discussions.