Abstract
An investigation into the mechanical response of pneumatically-spliced carbon fibre yarns as a potential reinforcing material for polymer composites is presented. High strength mechanical connections between carbon fibre yarns are produced by joining short discontinuous tows into longer lengths via fibre entanglement. The effect of altering the number of high-pressure air pulses fired by a commercially available (Airbond 701H) splicing machine, to form the tow-tow connection, on load bearing capacity and linear stiffness is first evaluated on splices between virgin T700SC-24K-50C carbon fibre tows. The best performing spliced configuration is subsequently utilised in reinforcing unidirectional epoxy laminates, which are mechanically characterised, and their properties compared to those of various continuous fibre and chopped strand mat panels. Results presented in this study demonstrate that pneumatic splicing provides a high strength and sustainable solution for reinforcing polymers with discontinuous (approx. >50 mm in length) virgin, off-cut or waste carbon fibre yarns. It is speculated that with further research, quasi-continuous yarns remanufactured by splicing waste fibres could provide a novel material for weaving, braiding, non-crimp fabrics, or use in 3D printing applications.
Highlights
Fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) materials exhibit exceptional specific strength, sti↵ness, and corrosion resistance properties
Popular reinforcing materials include glass fibres, which dominate the industry with a global demand volume (GDV) of 5.3M tonnes and carbon fibres with a GDV of 0.1M tonnes per annum [1]
To confront uncertainties associated with pneumatic splicing techniques, studies have been carried out relating to these splicing conditions for materials used in the textiles industry, alongside fluid-structure 45 interaction models [14, 15, 16]
Summary
Fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) materials exhibit exceptional specific strength, sti↵ness, and corrosion resistance properties. Composite materials can actively help limit CO2 emissions by reducing the weight of 5 structural components, thereby lowering fuel consumption and emissions, as well as improving longevity in corrosive environments [2, 3]. By overlapping two separate yarn ends, placing them together and agitating the fibres with turbulent air, a consistent 25 and strong mechanical bond is created [9] This involves passing high-speed air through a small hole and into a specially designed chamber containing the overlapped tows. In filament migration, spiralized bundles are produced with steep helix angles, leading exterior fibres to become highly stressed. These external fibres are continually forced inwards, whist inner fibres are pushed outwards, due to loading equilibrium requirements. To confront uncertainties associated with pneumatic splicing techniques, studies have been carried out relating to these splicing conditions for materials used in the textiles industry, alongside fluid-structure 45 interaction models [14, 15, 16]
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