Mechanical performance of glass fibers reinforced polymer composites obtained from microwave assisted chemical recycling

This study investigates the feasibility of using recycled glass fibers (RGFs) woven mats as reinforcing materials in composites. The RGFs were recovered from glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite waste using microwave assisted chemical recycling (MACR) process. A tungsten wire mesh was used during recycling process to preserve structural integrity and alignment of fibers in RGFs woven mats. The RGFs woven mats were used to manufacture composites using vacuum assisted resin infusion microwave curing (VARIMC) process. Two types of composites were manufactured: one using virgin glass fibers (VGFs) woven mats and other with RGFs woven mats. Mechanical tests, such as universal tensile, flexural, short beam shear, and fiber fragmentation test, were conducted. Mechanical performance parameters, including tensile strength, flexural strength, interfacial shear strength (IFSS), and fracture toughness index, were found less by 5.4%, 2.4%, 4.1% and 11.4%, respectively for rGFRP composites. The slight reduction in mechanical performance was attributed to higher void content and residual epoxy traces on RGFs surface. Nevertheless, the overall performance supports the feasibility of using RGFs woven mats in composites, aligning with the principles of circular economy.