Abstract
Aramid fiber is an important polymer applied as reinforcement in high-performance composites, which, due its exceptional properties, becomes an excellent impact absorption material. It has been broadly utilized in aeronautic industry and ballistic protection. In aircrafts, it is mainly used in secondary structures, such as fairings, floor panels, and bullet proof structures in helicopters, whereas, in ballistic protection industry, it is applied in automotive armor and bullet proof vest. Under environmental perspective, it is worrying the development and application of composites, which generate proportional discards of these materials, whether originated from manufacturing process, spare parts or end of life cycle. High-performance composite materials like those using aramid fiber are generally difficult to recycle due to their properties and the difficulty for the separation of the components, making their recycling economically unviable. From the characteristics of composite materials and environmental viewpoint, this paper presents a new aramid fiber recycling process. The main objective of this research was to study different recycling methods in aramid fibers/Neoprene® composites. To promote the Neoprene® degradation, it was used a pyrolysis oven with controlled atmosphere and CO2 injection. For the degraded separation, it was designed a mechanical washing machine in which the most degraded separation occurred. To complete the materials separation, it was employed a manual cleaning process, and, at least to prove the efficacy of the process, it was applied a tensile test in the yarns.
Highlights
The usage of composite materials is increasing with the development of new technologies due to the necessity of materials that match the needs for strength and lightness (Chawla 2012)
PYROLYSIS After the first stage of pyrolysis, it was observed that the weight of the samples decreased 21.0% compared to the original material; in the second stage, after the delamination, the samples were weighed, and it was observed that they lost 0.20 kg, weighing at last 1.60 kg
TENSILE TEST Through the analysis of the tensile tests results, it was observed that the pyrolysis process employed in recycling degraded the fibers
Summary
The usage of composite materials is increasing with the development of new technologies due to the necessity of materials that match the needs for strength and lightness (Chawla 2012). Aramid composites have been used worldwide in production of ballistic protection due to their high capacity to absorb energy mainly on armor components in aeronautic and automotive industries (Lopes et al 2007). One of those composite armors is a combination of aramid fiber (Kevlar®) with a polychloroprene resin (Neoprene®). The aramid is responsible for the mechanical and thermal endurance, and the polychloroprene provides elasticity modulus, keeping the materials united, acting as a connection element
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