Recycling
The enormous amount of plastic waste is a global problem. One of the advantages of thermoplastics over thermosetting materials is their recyclability. The Lightweight Structures Research Group is involved in research looking at the processing and properties of recycled thermoplastic composite.
Key themes
This line of research examines the development of recycling routes for (fibre-reinforced) thermoplastic waste from consumer products and industrial processes. The entire cycle is considered: from grinding to mixing, to pressing new products.
The first phase of recycling composite materials usually involves making waste products smaller. However, how do we ensure that fibre lengths remain long enough? How do we achieve a consistent division of recyclate size? We can investigate this using our extensive lab facilities.
Thermoplastic composite can be remelted and mixed into a homogeneous mass, which can then be used as a semi-finished product. We conduct research into how the material can be mixed properly, and what adjustments need to be made to machines to achieve this.
The final step in the recycling process is the pressing of products using the semi-finished product. We conduct research into how we can make the best possible use of this material to make complex and lightweight products, by means of simulations and experiments with the machines in the lab.