Machining Approach for Recycling of CFRP Laminates

The use of carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRPs) is gaining more and more importance in many industrial fields in which the structures must guarantee high performance and lightness. As a consequence, it is necessary to develop sustainable and efficient recycling solutions to manage them at the end of their life. In light of this, a machining approach for the recycling of CFRP laminates is presented in this work; in particular, the cutting strategies were investigated for the effective reuse of composite structures after their end of life. CFRP laminates were obtained by unidirectional carbon fibre prepregs and, then, were worked through the peripheral down-milling process for different spindle speed and feed rate values. The cutting power and the specific cutting energy were estimated through the recording of the cutting forces and the chips from the milling process were classified as a function of their dimensions. This study sets the stage for a later idea of using this recycling strategy for the manufacture of chip-based composite materials.