Abstract
This research validates the viability of a recycling and reusing process for end-of-life glass fiber reinforced wind turbine blades. Short glass fibers from scrap turbine blades are reclaimed and mixed with polylactic acid (PLA) through a double extrusion process to produce composite feedstock with recycled glass fibers for fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printing. Reinforced filaments with different fiber contents, as high as 25% by weight, are extruded and used to 3D print tensile specimens per ASTM D638-14. For 25 wt% reinforcement, the samples showed up to 74% increase in specific stiffness compared to pure PLA samples, while there was a reduction of 42% and 65% in specific tensile strength and failure strain, respectively. To capture the level of impregnation of the non-pyrolyzed recycled fibers and PLA, samples made from reinforced filaments with virgin and recycled fibers are fabricated and assessed in terms of mechanical properties and interface. For the composite specimens out of reinforced PLA with recycled glass fibers, it was found that the specific modulus and tensile strength are respectively 18% and 19% higher than those of samples reinforced with virgin glass fibers. The cause for this observation is mainly attributed to the fact that the surface of recycled fibers is partially covered with epoxy particles, a phenomenon that allows for favorable interactions between the molecules of PLA and epoxy, thus improving the interface bonding between the fibers and PLA.
Highlights
The extensive disposal of composite products is leading to undesirable environmental impacts due to their high organic content such as resin and wood [1,2]
The focus of this work is on the recycling of end‐of‐life wind turbine blades and reusing them in in a sustainable 3D printing process
It was shown that the recovered short glass fibers from scrap a sustainable 3D printing process
Summary
The extensive disposal of composite products is leading to undesirable environmental impacts due to their high organic content such as resin and wood [1,2]. Recent reports have revealed that the total global production of composites has exceeded 10 million tonnes per year, which, at the end of life, will require over 5 million cubic meters for disposal [3]. The superior mechanical properties of glass fiber reinforced polymers (GFRP) combined with low cost have made them an attractive alternative for solid materials, resulting in 90% use in all of composites currently produced [4]. Automotive parts, pipes, and sports equipment are some examples of application sectors for GFRPs [5,6]. Among GFRP products, wind turbine rotor blades serve as one of the major application sectors of GFRPs, which has undergone a significant growth since the year 2000 [7,8,9]. A wind turbine blade generally consists of two glass fiber composite shells, which are adhesively
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
