Thesis
Life cycle and ultrasonic based non-destructive analysis of recycled and remanufactured carbon fibre reinforced plastic composite
- Creator
- Rights statement
- Awarding institution
- University of Strathclyde
- Date of award
- 2018
- Thesis identifier
- T14889
- Person Identifier (Local)
- 201385852
- Qualification Level
- Qualification Name
- Department, School or Faculty
- Abstract
- Carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) is composite material with a wide variety of applications. Typically, the industries in which CFRP is predominately used are the aerospace, wind turbine, automotive and sports equipment industries, noting that CFRP is lighter than traditional materials while at the same time able to be used in critical safety applications (airline travel for instance.). With a backdrop of climate change, sustainability, a growing CFRP market, and with CFRP being a relatively expensive material to construct, much attention has been directed towards end-of-life (EOL) options for CFRP to avoid landfill, in particular, recycling and remanufacturing. This thesis investigates two areas of recycled and remanufactured CFRP; a) an analysis of the terminology surrounding recycled and remanufactured CFRP and b) a non-destructive evaluation of recycled and remanufactured CFRP. In the case of the terminology surrounding CFRP, this thesis documents the importance of correct terminology, conducts a literature survey of current recycling and remanufacturing practices, identifies that remanufacturing is not occurring and indeed not possible, and that recycling terminology is in some cases not applicable. Further new terminology to describe products manufactured using fibres obtained via recycling is presented, this terminology being rf-CFRP. Additionally, a novel tool focused upon identifying whether a product is recycled, remanufactured, reconditioned, repaired or re-used is also presented. The tool, which was endorsed by industry and academia via two round of independent stakeholder review, and compared to existing tools via literature survey, serves as a means for researchers, the public and industrialists to better articulate recovered EOL products. Given the desire to re-use CFRP, it is imperative that the materials are evaluated in order to determine future applications. Thus, this thesis also documents the determination of the elastic constants of rf-CFRP via an immersion based ultrasonic wave velocity technique. A full derivation of the governing equation, the Christoffel equation, from first principles is presented, along with a relatively thorough literature review outlining the current way the technique is used on virgin CFRP (v-CFRP). The experimental section of thesis finds that for a stated experimental and manufacturing process, ultrasound through transmission will in general provide a larger % difference between ultrasonic Young's modulus and mechanically derived Young's Modulus for rf-CFRP when compared to v-CFRP. It was also found that % difference values for one sample of rf-CFRP were in keeping with the results of virgin CFRP, along with a possible indication of transverse waves being more stable than longitudinal waves in rf-CFRP; both of which gives credence to the argument of further investigation in this area. Lastly, bespoke Matlab programs which return the wave velocity in terms of the elastic constants for solids, facilitate the determination of elastic constants from phase velocity data and which also may be used as future teaching aids are further presented.
- Advisor / supervisor
- Ijomah, Winifred
- Resource Type
- DOI
- Funder
- Embargo Note
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