Recycled Carbon Fibre Composites in Automotive Manufacturing

Article Recycled Carbon Fibre Composites in Automotive Manufacturing Jean-Baptiste R. G. Souppez 1, * , and Geethanjali S. Pavar 2 1 Department of Mechanical, Biomedical and Design Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, UK. 2 Institute for Energy Systems, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JW, UK. * Correspondence: j.souppez@aston.ac.uk Received: 9 January 2023 Accepted: 22 February 2023 Published: 6 March 2023 Abstract: The contemporary need for lightweight and sustainable materials in automotive manufacturing has made recycled carbon fibre an attractive option. Yet, aspects such as the mechanical properties of short fibre composites need to be characterised to fully identify the capabilities and opportunities for recycled carbon fibre in the automotive industry. Consequently, this paper aims to ascertain the potential of recycled carbon fibre materials for automotive manufacturing by considering mechanical properties, design implications, and resulting costs and sustainability. Destructive testing is employed to characterise the mechanical properties of virgin carbon fibre (VCF), recycled carbon fibre (RCF) using pyrolysis, and blended recycled carbon fibre (BRCF) comprising 50% polypropylene fibre. Here we quantify (i) the reduction in mechanical properties, namely the tensile modulus and breaking strength, (ii) the resulting increase in required thickness and therefore mass for manufactured parts and (iii) the reduction in cost and embodied energy achieved for RCF and BRCF compared to VCF, based on both a stiffness- and a strength-driven design criterion. Furthermore, we present a decision-making methodology revealing BRCF as the most cost-effective solution, while RCF proves to be the most sustainable alternative. These results provide a novel quantitative assessment of recycled carbon fibre for automotive manufacturing and may contribute to future developments in sustainable composite manufacturing in the automotive industry.