Method and apparatus for recycling waste composite material
First Claim
1. A method of recycling waste hard composite materials formed of reinforcing fibers cured in a resin system into a recycled composite part comprising:
- (a) reducing the cured hard composite materials into small strips of composite material;
(b) conditioning the strips of composite material with a rotating blade to form resin particulate and separate short loose reinforcing fibers;
(c) mixing the resin particulate and loose reinforcing fibers with an uncured resin to form a composite mixture;
(d) placing the composite mixture into a mold having a forming surface in the shape of the recycled composite part; and
(e) allowing the composite mixture to cure and form the recycled composite part.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for recycling waste composite materials. The method includes prechopping cured waste composite materials into manageably sized strips, conditioning the prechopped strips into resin particulate and loose fibers having a length of approximately one-half to one and one-half inches, mixing the resin particulate and loose fibers with an uncured resin, and placing the resultant mixture into a mold having a forming surface contoured to form a composite part. The strips of the composite material are conditioned by running them through a conditioner that includes a high-speed rotating blade. The rotating blade includes a plurality of angled cutting tips that chop up the waste composite material into loose fibers and resin particulate. The resin particulate and loose fibers pass through holes in a cylindrical screen that surrounds the cutting blade and cutting tips.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method of recycling waste hard composite materials formed of reinforcing fibers cured in a resin system into a recycled composite part comprising:
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(a) reducing the cured hard composite materials into small strips of composite material; (b) conditioning the strips of composite material with a rotating blade to form resin particulate and separate short loose reinforcing fibers; (c) mixing the resin particulate and loose reinforcing fibers with an uncured resin to form a composite mixture; (d) placing the composite mixture into a mold having a forming surface in the shape of the recycled composite part; and (e) allowing the composite mixture to cure and form the recycled composite part. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An apparatus for conditioning waste composite materials into loose fibers and resin particulate for use in forming recycled composite parts, the apparatus comprising:
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(a) a housing having an inlet through which waste composite materials are introduced and an outlet through which loose fibers and resin particulate exit the housing; (b) a screen having a plurality of holes located within the housing; and (c) a high-speed rotating blade mounted within the housing adjacent the screen so that waste composite material introduced through the inlet is contacted and conditioned by the blade to produce loose fibers and resin particulate that passes through the holes in the screen and out of the housing through the outlet. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An apparatus for recycling waste composite materials, formed of reinforcing fibers cured in a resin system, into a recycled composite part, the apparatus comprising:
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a cutter that reduces the waste composite materials into manageable sized strips; a conditioner that reduces the strips of composite material into resin particulate and short loose fibers using a rotating blade mounted within a screen; a mixer that mixes the resin particulate and loose fibers with an uncured resin to form a composite mixture; a mold having a forming surface contoured to form the recycled composite part; and means for filling the mold with the composite mixture from the mixer. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of recycling waste composite materials formed of reinforcing fibers cured in a resin system into a recycled composite part, comprising:
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conditioning the composite materials with a rotating blade mounted adjacent a screen to produce resin particulate and separate short loose reinforcing fibers; mixing the loose reinforcing fibers with an uncured resin to form a composite mixture; placing the composite mixture into a mold having a forming surface in the shape of the recycled composite part; and allowing the composite mixture to cure to form the composite part. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23)
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Specification