Design of Composite Structures for Sustainability and Recyclability

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The long term objective is the incorporation of sustainability into all composite manufacturing processes. Recycling, sustainability and environmental friendliness are relatively new to the world of composite materials. Both aerospace and automotive industries are realizing the need for a more balanced approach to design and manufacturing with these materials. There are 3 main ways to make composites more environmentally friendly. One is to use more sustainable base materials in the making of composites, such a renewable natural fibers. The second is to make use of the waste that is inherent to many composites manufacturing processes, typical of the aerospace industry: prepreg cutoffs, rejected parts and part trimmings. Finally there is the question of how to recycle end-of-life structures made of composite materials.***There are thus two fronts where important research should be conducted: (1) sustainable design can be achieved by using more sustainable base materials, and (2) for those materials that are not sustainable, find a way to recycle and reuse them during and after the manufacturing cycle. The science involved is to adapt current modeling and testing methods to improve the design and manufacturing of recycled and sustainable materials, which may not be quite in the same basic form as regular composite materials. The approach will use advanced material models, material and process characterization and an overall sustainable design approach.***Over the next 5 years, this research program will develop methods to achieve a more complete recycling processes Waste material will be extracted in different forms, from fine short fibers to larger chips and pieces, and each form will lead to a different recycling process. The recycling processes involve several steps:***(1) low cost processes will be used to break down the composite waste, ***(2) material characterization techniques such microscopy, DSC and rheology will determine the consistency of recycled materials, ***(3) multi-scale modeling and multi-objective optimization will be used to design the final recycled materials and structures (supported by testing).***It is essential for engineers and researchers to do their part in this type of research for the sake of the environment. The future benefits of this research will provide science and HQP that are directly aimed at improving the environment.********