PHYSICAL, MORPHOLOGICAL, AND MECHANICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF RECYCLED HYBRID NON-WOVEN MATS AS A CONTINUOUS FIBROUS REINFORCEMENT FOR NOVEL ECO-SUSTAINABLE PMMA THERMOPLASTIC COMPOSITES FABRICATION

Nowadays, global objectives have given special attention to sustainability and circular economy in every sector, such as the composite industry. Therefore, the popularity of thermoplastic composites reinforced with recycled non-woven fabrics has been intensified for lightweight material fabrication. Particular attention has been given to hybrid tissues obtained from recycled Glass and Carbon fibers. In this paper, primarily the properties of dry TNT made from recycled Glass (GFs) and Carbon fibers (CFs) were evaluated. Afterward, these mats were impregnated with two different types of Elium resin (Arkema Co.) and were utilized to fabricate thermoplastic composite via vacuum infusion system in order to distinguish better impregnation. Finally, the polymeric composites were characterized from physical, morphological, and mechanical points of view. ELIUM® C 040 and ELIUM® 158 O were purchased from Arkema Co. with peroxide polymerization using two various components, BENZOCLEAN and PERKADOX. CarbonTask Co. supplied GF/CF non-woven fabrics. In the first phase, dry hybrid GF/CF non-woven mats were analyzed to indicate their areal density, morphology, and tensile behavior. Density measurements were performed with METTLER TOLEDO Balance for 4cm2 samples. Tensile analysis of dry hybrid non-woven mats was done by Zwick-Roell Z10 machine longitudinally and transversally. In the second experimental phase, dry hybrid GF and CF non-woven reinforcements were impregnated with two diverse types of Elium resin to produce thermoplastic composites via vacuum infusion method. At last, the composites were cut and examined to indicate their morphology, tensile characteristics, and flexural properties. As dry non-woven mats were analyzed mechanically, it was revealed that due to the CF content enhancement, the mechanical performance of the non-woven fabrics was improved. GFs and CFs were distributed randomly through the non-woven fabrics. In the last phase of the experimental work, the fabrics will be impregnated with two kinds of PMMA resins with various viscosity to investigate higher reinforcement content with superior mechanical properties. Tensile properties, flexural behavior, and morphological observations will be demonstrated. In this work, hybrid recycled non-woven mats based on GF and CF were impregnated with two different kinds of Elium thermoplastic resins (Arkema Co.) to investigate the composite fabrication process and the corresponding properties. The focus of the project in the next step is to refine the vacuum infusion method for composite production, an autoclave system to maximize vacuum pressure will be utilized. Another option is to fabricate composites through Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM)