Development of high performance recycled carbon fibre composites with an advanced hydrodynamic fibre alignment process

Abstract Carbon fibre composites have great potential for vehicle lightweighting but the high cost and environmental impact of their production tends to largely undermine advantages in non-aerospace applications. Recycled has significantly reduce both yet it not been widely accepted by industry due reduced mechanical performance components as well difficulties handling processing caused fluffy discontinuous form which is quite unlike any current material formats suit existing methods. The developed alignment process allows random recycled carbon be processed into tapes with a highly aligned orientation distribution. This content manufactured at lower moulding pressures added benefit keeping length degradation minimum. To evaluate effects factors on orientation, two-level full factorial experimental plan was designed. represents first time systematic study input parameters final part published open literature. With further improvements process, shown that possible manufacture composite achieving volume (46%) under 7 bar pressure an autoclave, exhibiting competitive properties almost 100 GPa tensile modulus over 800 MPa strength.