Investigation of the recycling of continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastics

Abstract

There is limited information on the recycling of continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (FRTPs). Furthermore, existing research has been conducted in laboratories on a very small scale. In this article, we propose an effective and simple technology for recycling of FRTPs, which can be conducted on a large scale. To accelerate the rate of resin dissolution, prepared FRTPs were cut into small pieces. The obtained pieces were used to manufacture recycled chopped fabric tape-reinforced thermoplastics (R-CTTs). The feasibility of the recycling technology was confirmed by comparing the mechanical properties of the composites made from virgin materials (virgin chopped fabric tape-reinforced thermoplastics (V-CTTs)) and recycled materials. There was a significant improvement of the tensile properties with the increase of the specimen thickness. The strength of the materials was more sensitive to the length of the chopped tape than the modulus. Fibers in both V-CTT and R-CTT were well connected with the resins, as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy.