DFG collaborative project DeHyb: Design for recycling by dehybridization (DeHyb)
Material and life cycle analysis of the circulation processes of fibre-metal laminates
| Partner: | Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Applied Materials - Materials Science (IAM-WK) University of Augsburg, Institute of Materials Resource Management, Chair of Hybrid Composite Materials |
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Funding: |
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) |
| )Duration: | August 2024 - July 2026 |
| Contact: | M.Sc. Maximilian Barth M.Sc. Isla Hodgkinson |
Project description:
In the recycling process for carbon fibre-reinforced plastics, downcycling is currently unavoidable: the plastic matrix is lost in the commonly used pyrolysis process, the fibres are weakened and the processability becomes more complicated. Hence, it is reasonable to use consolidated composites as long as possible to give due consideration to the energy- and cost-intensive production as well as ecological aspects. To allow the reuse of the composites components or the transfer to fibre reclamation processes, it is necessary to develop separation concepts for fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) components. The aim of this project is therefore to develop a novel, sustainable design-for-recycling concept for hybrid fibre-metal laminates (FML) with an activatable interlayer.
Two designs are being investigated as part of the project: a thermoplastic-based, nonreactive intermediate layer and an activatable, reactive adhesive layer between the metallic and the fibre-reinforced, duromer-based component. These novel concepts not only enable the implementation of a weight-optimised, high-performance hybrid material, but also open up a new opportunity for the end-of-life use. For this, the intermediate layer can be thermally or chemically weakened so that the two laminate constituents can be detached with low resistance at the end-of-life. This allows for the material to be re-used in its original production process.
With the help of comprehensive material characterisation, the mechanical material properties, damage behavior and influence of the interlayers on the use phase is investigated and the performance of recycling-optimsed FMLs can be assesed. In parallel, the research on the production, use and end-of-life will be accompanied by a life cycle assessment. The purpose will be to analyse and identify hot spots of the material cycles of the FRP and metal components as well as showing up wheter or not improvements could be achieved through the separability. In this context, the classical procedure of life cycle assessment is critically reviewed and further developed to meet the requirements for composite and hybrid materials. Using the new insights an optimised assessment procedure for these materials can be devised.