TENSILE CHARACTERISATION OF HIPERDIF PLA/CARBON FIBRE TAPE UNDER PROCESSING CONDITIONS

Although composite materials can, through lightweighting, play a role part in the decarbonisation of transport, they are inherently challenging in terms of sustainability. This is because high-performance composites used in the aerospace and automotive sector are often made of carbon fibres and thermosets resins that are difficult to recycle. The HiPerDiF (High-Performance Discontinuous Fibre) method invented at the University of Bristol offers a way to remanufacture composites from reclaimed fibres. The method allows the production of composites comprising high volume fractions of highly aligned discontinuous fibres, with high processability and performance. Still, greater sustainability credentials can be gained by using thermoplastic matrices which have a greater potential for recycling. In this study, the tensile properties along the fibre direction of a HiPerDiF PLA/carbon fibre tape under process conditions (high temperature below the melting point of the matrix) are investigated. This allows to create a formability database that can be used as a basis for the development of process models that can help in the development of a robust manufacturing process for the highly formable HiPerDiF thermoplastic matrix tapes.