Development of prepregs from sustainable materials for automotive applications

Abstract

The tasks and conclusions presented in this article have been developed in the C2CC - "Cradle to Cradle Composites" project implemented in the framework of the EIT-Raw Materials program. This project proposes the replacement of metallic components in automobiles by using composites made from raw materials with lower environmental impact: (i) basalt fibers of mineral origin, (ii) furanic resin systems of natural origin and (iii) bio-based epoxy resin systems recyclable through the use of cleavable hardeners. In this article, the raw material characterisation tasks and the prepreg manufacturing process are discussed, using two manufacturing processes and their corresponding equipment. The tasks of obtaining thermoplastic matrices from the cleavable epoxy systems will also be documented, showing the demonstration prototypes developed in the project, both from the thermoset composites and from the recovered thermoplastic composites resulting from the recycling process.

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