Properties of second life carbon fibre reinforced polymers

In this study different materials made out of cut-off as well as reclaimed carbon fibres (rCF) are described and compared. Therefore, nonwovens, compounds, sheet moulding compounds (SMC), bulk moulding compounds (BMC), and also standard lightweight materials like high-alloy steels, aluminium and magnesium are taken into account. Specific mechanical properties such as tensile modulus and strength are used to show the lightweight potential of recycled carbon fibre materials in Ashby charts. It is shown that rCF can substitute glass fibre reinforced products and are also comparable to some metals and alloys.