Optimizing design and process parameters for recycled thermoplastic natural fiber composites in automotive applications

Abstract

Factors such as governmental legislation, environmental concerns, and curiosity amongst researchers are fueling the need to find novel applications for the utilization of recycled thermoplastic waste. One of the exciting fields for such plastics is fiber-reinforced polymer composites. Even though polymer composite material has been in use for decades, the use of recycled thermoplastic waste in composites is still in its infancy. Indeed, most of the research on recycled thermoplastic waste composites focuses on recycling and the properties of the material. Meanwhile, there is an apparent lack of knowledge in their field of application.

The dissertation investigates the application of recycled thermoplastic waste extracted from automotive waste back into the automotive sector as a natural fiber reinforced polymer composite (NFPC). The optimal natural fiber type and content were initially studied. A simple and low-cost compression mold for manufacturing a demonstration NFPC automotive part was designed, and the design considerations and challenges were documented. Finally, the processing parameters for manufacturing the demonstration NFPC automotive part were optimized and reported.

The result shows that the NFPC automotive part produced using the newly designed compression mold exhibited decent part quality and properties, especially the rigidity of the part, which was significantly increased by the addition of fibers to the polymer matrix. The challenges of using such a simple and low-cost compression mold were mainly related to the heating of the mold, improper filling of material in the mold, and uneven level of horizontal surfaces of the lower mold. It was also observed that temperature was the most crucial processing parameter, and by using optimal processing parameters, the productivity of the process increased by 50%.