An Overview of the Usability of Recycled Carbon Fiber (rCF)- Based Composites in Aerospace Engineering Applications

Abstract

Recently, significant progress has been made in the composite technology based on polymericbased materials reinforced with carbon fibers, in parallel with the advances in aerospace technology. Polymeric composites reinforced with carbon fibers have significant advantages such as being much lighter and easier to process compared to the metals they replace. However, the intensive use of carbon fiber reinforced composites brings some problems. Considering the time elapsed since the first use of carbon fiber reinforced composites, it is estimated that the predicted useful life of these materials will begin to expire in the near future, and thus large amounts of solid waste will be generated. It is clear that if these wastes are stored in landfills, they will create a significant storage cost. On the other hand, the interest in carbon fiber-based products is increasing rapidly around the world. While this increase brings along supply problems for this material, it also causes the emergence of many new wastes during processing. Moreover, it is inevitable that this increased consumption will greatly increase the amount of waste that will emerge after a while. Considering all these situations, the most rational method is to recycle composites that have completed their economic life. If recycling applications are successful, it is expected that the costs of carbon fiber reinforced composites will decrease significantly and the problems experienced in carbon fiber supply will disappear. Thus, the recycling of carbon fiber reinforced composite waste becomes an important target for scientists, considering both the prevention of waste generation, its positive effects on costs and its contribution to energy consumption. In this study, an overview of the studies on the solution of this problem up to now and the possible benefits expected from these studies is presented.