Method and Device for Recycling Thermoplastic Fibre-Reinforced Composite Material

Abstract

In a method and a device for recycling a thermoplastic fibre-reinforced composite material, which is in at least one deposition layer in a component (1), it is suggested that said fibre-reinforced composite material should be pulled off from the remaining component (1), in the direction of a main fibre direction, in at least one pull-off layer (10) comprising fibres and matrix material.

Claims

1. A method for recycling thermoplastic fiber composite material which is arranged in at least one deposition layer in a component, in which, in the direction of a main fiber direction, fiber composite material is pulled off the remaining component in at least one pull-off layer comprising fibers and matrix material.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one pull-off layer is pulled off a further layer of the fiber composite material or off a base element of another material.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fiber composite material is heated, at least in a detachment area.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fiber composite material is pulled off in tape form.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the detached fiber composite material is collected on a storage element, in particular on a storage roll.

6. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the detached fiber composite material is collected on a storage element, in particular on a storage roll.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a separating tool is used to separate the at least one pull-off layer from the component.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the separating tool is heated.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the at least one pull-off layer is guided by means of a guide roller arranged opposite the separating tool.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein during the production of the component, component data, in particular relating to the fiber layer and/or laying direction, is stored and is used to assist the recycling method, in particular for determining a pull-off direction and/or a starting point for the pull-off process.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the component data is stored in readable form in or on the component.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, by means of at least one non-destructive material testing method, the fiber composite material is examined before, during and/or after the detachment from the rest of the component, and the result of the examination is used to control or regulate the pull-off process or stored for documentation purposes.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that wherein markers for position determination are applied to the component.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shape of the pull-off layer is changed, in particular by pressing, e.g. by means of at least one calender, or by means of at least one pultrusion tool and/or by material application.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein fibers and matrix material are separated from each other after being pulled off the component.

16. A device for recycling thermoplastic fiber composite materials which is arranged in at least one deposition layer in a component, comprising means for pulling off at least one pull-off layer of the fiber composite material from the remaining component.

17. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the pulling-off means comprise a separating tool.

18. The device as claimed in claim 16, further comprising means for heating the fiber composite material, at least in a detachment area.

19. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the separating tool is heated.

20. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the pulling-of means comprise at least one guide roller arranged opposite the separating tool and guiding the pull-off layer.

21. The device as claimed in claim 20, wherein the at least one guide roller or at least one of the guide rollers is heated.

22. The device as claimed in claim 16, further comprising a storage element, in particular a storage roll, and means for collecting the detached fiber composite material on the storage element.

23. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the pull-off means comprise at least one, preferably tongs-like, gripping unit.

24. The device as claimed in claim 16, further comprising means for acquiring, evaluating and providing data stored in or on the component and by means for controlling and/or regulating the recycling process or part steps of the recycling process by using the acquired data.

25. The device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the device is simultaneously set up for the production of new components from the recycled fiber composite material.

Description

[0031] In the figures, schematically

[0032] FIG. 1: shows the recycling of fiber composite material from a component with a round surface, and

[0033] FIG. 2: shows the recycling of fiber composite material from a plate-like component.

[0034] FIG. 1 shows a component 1 in cylindrical form, the surface of which is produced from a tape 2 of a fiber composite material. Usually, multiple layers of the tape 2 are deposited on such a component 1, whereinnot illustrated herethe tape 2 can have different orientations in the different layers. Here, merely for simpler illustration and recognizability, the tape 2 is illustrated in a single layer and with a distance between the turns.

[0035] For the detachment of the fiber composite material, by using a gripper, not illustrated here, a pull-off layer 10 is lifted off the component 1 and supplied to a storage roll 3. The shape of the pull-off layer 10 corresponds to the tape 2 found on the component 1 or, in the ideal case, is identical thereto. In order to facilitate the detachment of the pull-off layer 10, a wedge-shaped separating tool 4 is provided, which acts between the already detached part of the pull-off layer 10 and the component 1. The pull-off layer 10 is guided by means of a guide roller 5, which prevents possible kinking of the pull-off layer 10 and of the fibers, not illustrated separately here, contained in the pull-off layer 10. Before being wound onto the storage roll 3, the pull-off layer 10 also passes through a roller pair 6, which, for example, can be used for shaping as a calender for the pull-off layer 10 and/or for stabilizing the orientation of the pull-of layer 10 in space. In the way illustrated, the complete tape 2 located on the component 1 can be wound onto the storage roll 3 as a pull-off layer 10 and then supplied to a recovery process. The pull-off layer 10 can contain unspoiled endless fibers.

[0036] FIG. 2 shows the detachment of a further pull-off layer 7 of a fiber composite material but here in strip form, which is located on a plate-like component 8, the extent of which in its plane restricts the length of strips 11 of the fiber composite material. By using a tongs-like gripping unit 9, of which only two tongs elements can be seen schematically in FIG. 2, the pull-off layer 7 has been gripped and lifted off the component 8. A wedge-shaped separating tool 4 is used to assist the detachment process. Thus, over its entire length, the pull-off layer 10 can be lifted off the component 1 without destroying the fibers contained therein. The strip-like pull-off layers 7, which, in the ideal case, correspond to the strips 11 originally located on the component, can be collected and supplied to recycling.

LIST OF DESIGNATIONS

[0037] 1 Component [0038] 2 Tape [0039] 3 Storage roll [0040] 4 Separating tool [0041] 5 Guide roller [0042] 6 Roller pair [0043] 7 Strip [0044] 8 Component [0045] 9 Gripping unit [0046] 10 Pull-off layer [0047] 11 Strip