SBIR Phase I: Use of Recycled Carbon Fibers in Sheet Molding Compounds (SMC)

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目将开发材料加工技术，以有效利用从碳纤维增强聚合物（CFRP）热固性废料中提取的再生碳纤维（RCF）作为结构板材成型化合物（SMC）的纤维增强材料。由于再生碳纤维与目前用于SMCs的原始碳纤维具有不同的形态和性能，因此RCF通常不容易在用于配制具有高体积分数纤维负载的热固性SMCs的商业工艺设备中加工。因此，有必要开发新的工艺和表面处理，以促进RCF在SMCs中的再利用。此外，还需要研究碳纤维填充热固性SMC的全生命周期和可回收性，以便在不损失性能的情况下，将碳纤维回收再利用于新的SMC产品中。在该项目的第二阶段，第一阶段开发的实验室规模的工艺和处理方法将扩大到试点预生产规模。该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力涉及回收目前在垃圾填埋场处置的有价值的碳纤维废料，以创造可回收的原材料产品，可用于板材成型化合物的运输应用。通过将废弃碳纤维从垃圾填埋场转移到交通运输行业的有用应用中，可以生产出大量可持续工程的原材料，从而有利于国家对高性能、绿色结构材料的需求。轻质rcf填充的SMCs可以取代用于运输的金属或玻璃纤维填充的复合材料/树脂，从而减轻重量并提高汽车应用的燃油效率。此外，生产和再利用RCF所消耗的能量比生产原生碳纤维要少得多，因此开发RCF作为原生碳纤维的替代品将为经济带来净能源节约。该研究项目将促进SMC配方剂广泛使用再生碳纤维制成结构部件，从而提高这一宝贵资源的利用率。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase 1 project will develop materials processing technologies to effectively utilize recycled carbon fiber (RCF) derived from carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) thermoset wastes as fiber reinforcement in structural sheet molding compounds (SMC). As recycled carbon fibers have different morphologies and properties than the virgin carbon fibers currently used in SMCs, RCF is usually not readily processible in commercial process equipment used to formulate thermoset SMCs with high volume fraction fiber loadings. Therefore, it is necessary to develop new processes and surface treatments that facilitate the reuse of RCF in SMCs. In addition, the full life cycle and recyclability of carbon-fiber-filled thermoset SMCs need to be investigated, so that the carbon fibers can be reclaimed and reused in new SMC products without a loss of performance. In Phase 2 of this project, the lab-scale process and treatment methods developed in Phase 1 will be scaled up to a pilot pre-production scale. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project involves recycling valuable carbon fiber wastes that are currently disposed in landfills to create a recycled raw material product that can be used for transportation applications in a sheet molding compound. By diverting waste carbon fibers from landfills toward useful applications in the transportation industry, substantial quantities of a raw material for sustainable engineering can be produced, benefiting the nation's need for high-performance, green structural materials. Lightweight RCF-filled SMCs can be substituted for metal or fiberglass-filled composites/resins used for transportation, thereby decreasing weight and improving fuel efficiency in automotive applications. In addition, the energy to produce and reuse RCF is much less than that of producing virgin carbon fibers, so the development of RCF applications as a substitute for virgin carbon fibers will provide a net energy savings to the economy. This research project will facilitate the widespread use of recycled carbon fibers by SMC formulators for molding into structural components, thereby increasing utilization of this valuable resource.