Fibreshape and research projects

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The description of ongoing research projects give you some examples of different applications of the Fibreshape system.

Research project: Recycling technologies for recycled carbon fibers

Research project: Methods of wood particle size measurement - From the technological question to informative statistics

Research project: Recycling technologies for recycled carbon fibers (Faserinstitut Bremen)

The recycling of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CRP) and production waste has despite of an increasing production so far only poorly been implemented. This project "Recycling technologies for recycled carbon fibers" is a collaboration of three institutes and five industrial partners. One of the institutes is the Faserinstitut Bremen  e.V.

Fig. 1: Recycled carbon fibres

Fischer-Recycled carbon fibres

The project has the following five goals:

  • the development of textile processing technologies in order to obtain novel properties that open up new applications and markets,
  • the development of process technologies for processing recycled carbon staple fibre into textile fleece with new properties,
  • the development of equipment for the assembly of residual bobbins of carbon fiber roving into a continuous carbon fiber ribbon,
  • developing the technology of long fiber processing into "Organofoils" (reinforced thermoplastic foils with recycled carbon fibres) for the use of the recycled fibres,
  • and the accompanying procedures and technology development for the production of carbon fiber composites made out of the new recycled semi finished fibres.

Fig. 2: Carbon fiber rovings

Fischer-carbon fiber rovingThe analysis of the recycled raw materials is performed on one hand by means of image analysis (the Fibreshape system) and on the other hand by single-fiber mechanical analysis (Dia-Stron). In a first step the Faserinstitut analyses the quality and homogenity of the recycled CF-pyrolyzed materials to get an overview of the actual qualities available on the market. For this purpose the Fibreshape system is used. For the special requirements of this projects it was necessary to adapt the measurement parameters in Fibreshape. The flexibility of the Fibreshape system allows a fine tuning for the characterisation of this kind of starting material.

Find out more about this project (only in German)

 

Research project: Methods of wood particle size measurement - From the technological question to informative statistics 

Burkhard Plinke, Dr. Arne Schirp, Inka Weidenmüller; Fraunhofer WKI, Braunschweig

Abstract: The size distribution of wood fibres or particles as raw materials for fibreboards or particleboards is an important parameter for the production control. Size characteristics are currently measured using simple means such as sieve analysis which provides only weight fractions. However, contour details (e.g. length, width, aspect ratio of each particle) can de evaluated only by optical measurements. Today, automatic image processing methods for laboratory and on-line measurements are available which can be adapted to the material type. Shape measurements for manually separated particles together with weighted size distributions provide detailed information: E.g. the different lengths of particles from various wood species which originate from the same sieve fraction; the amount of shives and fibre bundles in MDF fibre material corresponding to the gap size in the refiner; different components (e.g. particles and fibres) in particle mixtures. The FibreShape system operated at WKI is a helpful tool for these investigations. In addition, using specific image processing procedures which were developed at WKI, it is also possible to recover and measure particle shapes in mat and board surfaces for a continuous monitoring of particle geometry in the production.

Reference to the Paper:
Plinke, B., Schirp, A. und Weidenmüller, I. (2011): Methoden der Holzpartikelgrößenmessung - Von der technologischen Fragestellung zur aussagefähigen Statistik. In: 9. Holzwerkstoffkolloquium, S. 177-187. Institut für Holztechnologie, Dresden, 1.-2.12.2011.

Contact: Fraunhofer WKI, Burkhard Plinke
E-mail  burkhard.plinke (at) wki.fraunhofer.de, Phone +49 531 2155 444
 

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