Large Scale Carbon Fiber Hybrid Composite Automotive Parts from Recycled Material

Halil Tekinalp, Jeremy Malmstead, Mitchell Rencheck, Vipin Kumar, Brian Knouff, Soydan Ozcan, Vlastimil Kunc, Shane Skop, Patrick Blanchard

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

In recent years, many industries that heavily rely on composites have pushed to become more sustainable in their practices, including the wind energy, aerospace, and automotive industries. For the automotive industry, many composite materials utilized are thermoplastic-based composites. Thermoplastic composites offer the opportunity to be directly recycled back into existing parts through mechanical recycling and re-manufacturing. However, to date, there has been only a limited effort in incorporating recycled materials into large thermoplastic automotive parts and understanding the effects on performance. Here, we investigate the changes in performance and manufacturability of a large-scale carbon fiber (CF) thermoplastic hybrid composite part injection molded from i) virgin material, ii) 20% recycled material, and iii) 100% recycled material. The processing conditions were captured and analyzed to assess the ease and difficulty with manufacturing large automotive components from recycled material and a decrease in injection pressure was observed as recycled content increased. Additionally, the mechanical properties were characterized in several sections of the part to identify changes in the mechanical performance due to inclusion of recycled content. Previous data shows an increase in recycled content causes a decrease in mechanical performance, but the extent to which it decreases across sections of a large part is the focus of this study. Based on the results, we aim to elucidate the impact of utilizing recycled thermoplastic composite materials on the performance and manufacturability of large scale automotive parts to help recycled thermoplastic composites become more widely accepted by the industry.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationComposites and Advanced Materials Expo, CAMX 2023
PublisherThe Composites and Advanced Materials Expo (CAMX)
ISBN (Electronic)9781934551448
DOIs
StatePublished - 2023
Event9th Annual Composites and Advanced Materials Expo, CAMX 2023 - Atlanta, United States
Duration: Oct 30 2023Nov 2 2023

Publication series

NameComposites and Advanced Materials Expo, CAMX 2023

Conference

Conference9th Annual Composites and Advanced Materials Expo, CAMX 2023
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityAtlanta
Period10/30/2311/2/23

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