Method for the manufacturing of yarns from recycled carbon fibers

Abstract

A method for the manufacturing of textile products in the form of a yarn, web or tow starting from recycled carbon fibers in the form of tuft, cloth or the like, comprising the steps of: • (a) discontinuous cutting of the fibers to obtain dimensionally homogeneous fibers of selected length; • (b) enzyming of the fibers cut in step (a), wherein the latter are additioned with one or more substances; • (c) blending of the fibers treated in step (b) with auxiliary fibers; • (d) double carding of the blended fibers obtained in said step (c); and • (e) feeding a pair of wicks to a spinning machine.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention refers to a method for the manufacturing of a semi-finished product starting from recycled carbon fibers, in particular a semi-finished product suitable for the subsequent obtainment of a yarn or of a so-called “tow”.BACKGROUND [0002]The high ratio between mechanical properties and weight causes Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Plastics (CFRPs) to be ever more successful, in terms both of variety of applications and of volumes of sale.[0003]However, though it is true that composite materials using reinforcement carbon fibers and the related technical fabrics are increasingly considered as the materials of the future, the problem of disposal of components manufactured therewith at the end of their service life has not yet been posed nor addressed adequately.[0004]For instance, to date CFRP and CF yarn manufacturing waste disposal occurred in a dump or by incineration. However, such solutions are very onerous, from both an economical ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0020]Instead, as mentioned above, in the semi-finished product of the invention the fibers are already in discontinuous form. Therefore, the resulting fabric exhibits a “pseudo-ductility”, similar to that of metals, which greatly facilitates the formability of complex-shape components, by accelerating lay-up operations and remarkably reducing wrinkling in the reinforcement of the composite material.

[0021]Therefore, the method of the invention allows to attain substantially the same features of discontinuity and alignment of the known virgin fiber yarns, but at a remarkably reduced cost and with a good control of fiber length.

[0022]Moreover, pre-forms obtained starting from the method of the invention can effectively be dimensional...

Problems solved by technology

However, though it is true that composite materials using reinforcement carbon fibers and the related technical fabrics are increasingly considered as the materials of the future, the problem of disposal of components manufactured therewith at the end of their service life has not yet been posed nor addressed adequately.

In general, fibers recovered with this method, taken individually, retain a fair part of the starting physical properties, but appear entangled and possibly contaminated by other materials and dusty residues.

Moreover, the problem of the effective re-use of recycled fibers in an industrial field, i.e. of the manufacturing of semi-finished products directly usable in a primary production...

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