Experimental investigation of the recycling of carbon fiber polyetherketoneketone thermoplastic composite

Abstract

The increasing usage of composite materials due to their lightness and high strength came along with a problem which is the accumulating waste of this material. Recycling is one of the sustainable waste management methods for composites. However, recycling of composite materials is a complicated process due to the complex nature of these materials where reinforcement and matrix are different components with different characteristics. In the evaluation of recycling methods for thermoplastic composites, many factors such as environmental effects and economic efficiency are taken into consideration. In this study, mechanical recycling of carbon fiber polyetherketoneketone (CF/PEKK) thermoplastic composite is carried out to show the feasibility of recycling by comparing the recycled and unprocessed material in terms of mechanical and thermal properties. Waste CF/PEKK materials are shredded and consolidated in a press and samples taken from the final product to carry out mechanical and thermal tests such as tensile, three-point bending test, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Results indicate unprocessed thermoplastic composite shows 61% higher tensile strength and 79% fracture strength where recycled material shows a loss of 33% in flexural modulus.