KR102481933B1 - Device for recycling carbon fiber reinforced composite - Google Patents

Abstract

In the present invention, a carbon fiber composite material recycling device is disclosed. The carbon fiber composite material recycling apparatus of the present invention includes a thermal decomposition unit for removing resin from the input carbon fiber composite material to separate carbon fibers, and an alignment unit for aligning the directions of the regenerated carbon fibers transferred from the thermal decomposition unit. The pyrolysis unit includes a cylindrical pyrolysis furnace for heating the input carbon fiber composite material to a high temperature to remove resin, and a drive unit for rotating the pyrolysis furnace. The alignment unit includes a conveyor unit for transporting the regenerated carbon fibers transferred from the pyrolysis unit, and a carbon fiber rotating member for rotating the regenerated carbon fibers in a traveling direction. The pyrolysis furnace can efficiently recycle the carbon fiber composite material by including a screw member for transporting the input carbon fiber composite material toward an outlet and a partition member connecting the screw members.

Description

Carbon fiber composite recycling device {Device for recycling carbon fiber reinforced composite}

The present invention relates to an apparatus for recycling carbon fiber composites, and more particularly, to an apparatus for inputting carbon fiber composites into a pyrolysis furnace to obtain regenerated carbon fibers from which resin is removed, arranging the regenerated carbon fibers side by side, and cutting them into a certain size for recycling. It relates to a carbon fiber composite material recycling device capable of quickly obtaining regenerated carbon fibers with a small amount of residue by using a screw member in a pyrolysis furnace.

Carbon fiber is a thin fiber whose main component is carbon, and has very strong physical properties because carbon atoms are attached in the form of hexagonal rings. Since carbon fibers can be woven in various patterns and exhibit excellent performance when composites are formed with resins, ceramics, metals, etc., they are mainly used in the form of carbon fiber composites.

Among various carbon fiber composites or carbon fiber composites, carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) is a composite material of carbon fiber with high strength and elastic modulus (stiffness) and a polymer resin. It has the advantage of being lightweight with less than 1/2 the weight compared to the Among carbon fiber composite materials, CFRP, in particular, is a lightweight material that replaces metal, and its use has recently increased significantly for use as a reinforcing material for aerospace, sports and leisure products, wind power generation blades, and automobiles.

Carbon fiber composite materials (CFRP) can be classified into thermosetting and thermoplastic according to the thermal properties of the resin. Although it cannot be deformed once processed, thermosetting CFRP with excellent strength and heat resistance is widely used. When these carbon fiber composites are discarded after use, they are landfilled or incinerated. Research to obtain is in progress.

Carbon fiber recycling methods can be divided into thermal decomposition and chemical decomposition. In the case of chemical decomposition, there may be disadvantages in that it is difficult to handle chemicals or that the physical properties of the recovered carbon fibers are greatly deteriorated. In the case of pyrolysis, there is no need for other auxiliary materials, and the process is simple and economical, so research and commercialization are in progress in many institutions. However, continuous research is being conducted because waste generation and energy waste and changes in physical properties of carbon fiber can occur during pyrolysis.

In Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0019917 “Apparatus for recycling composite materials containing carbon fiber and/or glass fiber reinforcement and recycling method using the device” (published on February 27, 2019), an independent space An apparatus for recycling a carbon fiber composite material including a horizontal reactor separated into a first region, a second region, and a third region having Here, the first zone further includes an inlet for introducing the composite material, a rotation mechanism for rotating the composite material, and a first gas discharge means for gas generated by substrate decomposition, and the second zone is air A second zone includes an inlet and a second gas discharge means for gas produced by the air reacting with substrate residues, and a third zone includes an outlet for the reinforcement and cooling means for cooling the reinforcement.

Registered Patent Publication No. 10-2025598 “Carbon Fiber Composite Recycling Device” (published on October 1, 2019) is a carbon fiber composite material that can produce high-quality recycled carbon fibers with a constant length from waste carbon fiber composite materials in one-stop Initiate the recycling device. The carbon fiber composite recycling device includes a carbon fiber fabric collection unit that recovers recycled carbon fiber fabrics so that no pyrolyzed resin remains in the waste carbon fiber composite material, and a carbon fiber fabric recovery unit that cuts the recycled carbon fiber fabrics to create recycled carbon fibers with a constant length. It consists of a fabric cutting unit.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 6556883 “Recycled carbon fibers and materials containing them” (issued on August 7, 2019) discloses recycled carbon fibers that are regenerated from carbon fiber-containing resins by thermal decomposition. The disclosed apparatus for producing recycled carbon fiber forcibly conveys CFP material in the longitudinal direction by means of a screw-type conveying element and a mixing element between the conveying elements.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 6630991 “Regenerated carbon fiber bundle, method for producing regenerated carbon fiber, regenerated carbon fiber mill, and device for producing regenerated carbon fiber bundle, method for manufacturing carbon fiber reinforced resin, and method for manufacturing carbon fiber reinforced resin pellets” (2020 issued on January 15, 2015), it is possible to recover the carbon fiber base material in the same form as when it was included in the carbon fiber reinforced resin, even if the carbon fiber reinforced resin is not heated to 800 ° C or higher, and the resin is recovered from the recovered carbon fiber base material. Disclosed is a method for producing regenerated carbon fibers capable of reducing the variation in the content of remnants.

Publication No. 10-2019-0019917 “Apparatus for recycling composite materials containing carbon fiber and/or glass fiber reinforcement and recycling method using the device” (published on February 27, 2019) Registered Patent Publication No. 10-2025598 “Carbon Fiber Composite Recycling Device” (Announced on October 1, 2019) Japanese Patent Publication No. 6556883 “Recycled carbon fiber and materials comprising the same” (issued on August 07, 2019) Japanese Patent Publication No. 6630991 “Regenerated carbon fiber bundle, method for producing regenerated carbon fiber, regenerated carbon fiber mill, and device for producing regenerated carbon fiber bundle, method for manufacturing carbon fiber reinforced resin, and method for manufacturing carbon fiber reinforced resin pellets” (2020 Issued on January 15, 2015)

An object of the present invention is to provide a carbon fiber composite material recycling apparatus capable of efficiently obtaining regenerated carbon fibers with a small amount of resin residue.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a carbon fiber composite recycling device capable of disassembling and arranging regenerated carbon fibers.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a carbon fiber composite material recycling device capable of obtaining regenerated carbon fibers having a constant length.

The object of the present invention is not limited to the object mentioned above, and other objects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

According to one aspect for achieving the above object, a carbon fiber composite material recycling apparatus includes a cylindrical pyrolysis furnace for heating the input carbon fiber composite material to a high temperature to remove resin to separate carbon fibers, and a driving unit for rotating the pyrolysis furnace Thermal decomposition unit to; and a conveyor unit for transporting the regenerated carbon fibers delivered from the pyrolysis unit, and a carbon fiber rotating member for rotating the regenerated carbon fibers in a moving direction of the conveyor unit, wherein the directions of the regenerated carbon fibers delivered from the pyrolysis unit are aligned. It includes an alignment unit that

The pyrolysis furnace protrudes inward from the wall of the side of the cylinder, has a hollow central portion, and protrudes inward from the wall of the side of the cylinder and connects between the screw member for conveying the injected carbon fiber composite material to the discharge port and the screw member Including partition members.

The pyrolysis furnace may further include a discharge hole formed in a long hole shape having a width in a circumferential direction greater than a width in a longitudinal direction on a wall surface of a side surface of the cylinder.

The carbon fiber rotating member may include a pair of rotating plates having rake-shaped projections and rotating in opposite directions to align the recycled carbon fibers in the moving direction of the conveyor unit.

The carbon fiber rotating member may include a pair of chains having protrusions in the form of rake, rotating in opposite directions to each other, and aligning the regenerated carbon fibers in the moving direction of the conveyor unit.

The aligning unit may further include a plurality of wedge-shaped guides for aligning the moving direction of the recycled carbon fibers to the outlet of the conveyor unit.

The carbon fiber composite recycling device further includes a cutting unit having a blade for cutting the regenerated carbon fibers at regular intervals, an operation unit for moving the blade up and down, and a collecting unit for collecting the regenerated carbon fibers cut to a predetermined size in the cutting unit. can do.

The carbon fiber composite material recycling apparatus according to the present invention can quickly obtain regenerated carbon fibers with less resin residue.

The carbon fiber composite material recycling apparatus according to the present invention can decompose and arrange the regenerated carbon fibers side by side.

The carbon fiber composite material recycling apparatus according to the present invention can obtain regenerated carbon fibers having a constant length.

1 is a configuration diagram showing a schematic configuration of a carbon fiber composite material recycling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a thermal decomposition unit of a carbon fiber composite material recycling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a cutaway perspective view showing the configuration of a pyrolysis furnace of a carbon fiber composite material recycling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an alignment unit of a carbon fiber composite material recycling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a schematic view showing the configuration of a carbon fiber rotating member of a carbon fiber composite material recycling device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a plan view showing a wedge-shaped guide of the carbon fiber composite material recycling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and the description below. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments introduced herein are provided so that the disclosed content will be thorough and complete, and the spirit of the present invention will be sufficiently conveyed to those skilled in the art. Like reference numbers indicate like elements throughout the specification. Meanwhile, terms used in this specification are for describing embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. In this specification, singular forms also include plural forms unless specifically stated otherwise in a phrase. As used herein, “comprises” and/or “comprising” means the presence of one or more other components, steps, operations, and/or elements in which a stated component, step, operation, and/or element is present. or do not rule out additions.

Hereinafter, a carbon fiber composite material recycling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 is a configuration diagram showing a schematic configuration of a carbon fiber composite material recycling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , an apparatus for recycling a carbon fiber composite material according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a thermal decomposition unit 130 and an alignment unit 150. An input unit 110, a cutting unit 170, a collection unit 190, and the like may be included as needed.

The carbon fiber composite material may be introduced into the pyrolysis unit 130 through the input unit 110 . The thermal decomposition unit 130 heats the introduced carbon fiber composite material to a high temperature to remove the resin to separate the carbon fibers. Carbon fiber composites are composites of carbon fibers and resins. When heated to a high temperature higher than the melting point of the resin, the resin melts and separates and flows or burns and diffuses into a gas.

The aligning unit 150 aligns the direction of the regenerated carbon fibers transferred from the pyrolysis unit. Since most of the carbon fibers are overlapped horizontally and vertically, they are adjusted so that they are all in one direction while passing through the alignment part.

The cutting unit 170 may cut the aligned regenerated carbon fibers at regular intervals. The collection unit 190 may collect the cut regenerated carbon fibers for recycling.

2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a pyrolysis furnace of a carbon fiber composite material recycling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The pyrolysis unit 130 includes a pyrolysis furnace 210 and a pyrolysis furnace driver, and separates the carbon fibers by heating the input carbon fiber composite material to a high temperature to remove the resin.

The thermal decomposition furnace 210 is a furnace for heating the input carbon fiber composite material to a high temperature. The thermal decomposition furnace 210 may separate the carbon fibers by heating the carbon fiber composite material therein to a high temperature to remove the resin. The pyrolysis furnace 210 has an overall cylindrical appearance.

The pyrolysis furnace drive unit rotates the pyrolysis furnace 210 . The pyrolysis furnace drive unit may be directly connected to the outer diameter of the pyrolysis furnace or the protruding parts of the left and right ends or indirectly connected through a belt, chain, etc., and then rotated using a motor.

On the other hand, the pyrolysis furnace driving unit can be composed of two or more rods that can be rotated by an electric motor. When the pyrolysis furnace is placed on the rod and one or more rods are rotated by an electric motor, the pyrolysis furnace 210 placed on the rod may be rotated.

The pyrolysis furnace 210 further includes a discharge hole 250 formed in a long hole shape on the wall surface 220 on the side of the cylinder. When the thermal decomposition furnace 210 is sufficiently heated, when the resin of the carbon fiber composite material melts and flows out, it can be discharged downward through the discharge hole, and when the resin is burned and gas is discharged, upward through the discharge hole. may be discharged.

When the pyrolysis furnace 210 rotates, the carbon fiber composites are aligned in the longitudinal direction of the cylinder, so that the separated resin is easily discharged and the remaining carbon fibers are not discharged. It is preferable to make a long hole shape whose width is larger than the width of a cylinder in the longitudinal direction.

Heat loss to the outside can be prevented by installing opening and closing members in the left and right inlets 230 and outlets 270 of the pyrolysis furnace 210 . A gas supply pipe may be installed on the opening/closing member on the inlet 230 side and a gas exhaust pipe may be installed on the opening/closing member on the outlet 270 side. When nitrogen is supplied to the inside of the pyrolysis furnace 210 through the gas supply pipe, a nitrogen atmosphere can be maintained inside the pyrolysis furnace 210, so that changes in carbon fibers can be reduced. If necessary, the heating time and the composition of the supplied gas can be changed to activate the carbon fiber.

3 is a cut-away perspective view showing the internal configuration of a pyrolysis furnace of a carbon fiber composite material recycling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the interior of the thermal decomposition furnace 210 is shown by cutting a portion of the cylindrical wall surface at the center of the thermal decomposition furnace 210 . The pyrolysis furnace 210 includes a screw member 330 and a partition member 350 .

The screw member 330 protrudes inward from the wall 220 on the side of the cylinder and has a hollow central portion. When the pyrolysis furnace 210 rotates, the carbon fiber composite material injected by the screw member 330 may be gradually transferred toward the discharge port.

The partition member 350 protrudes inwardly from the wall 220 on the side of the cylinder and connects the screw members. The carbon fiber composite material introduced into the pyrolysis furnace 210 is heated while being loaded between the screw member 330 and the partition member 350, and the resin of the carbon fiber composite material is gradually melted or burned. In FIG. 3 , only a part of the partition member 350 is shown.

When the pyrolysis furnace 210 rotates little by little, the carbon fiber composite material inside moves little by little toward the outlet 270 by the screw member 330 and rises on the circumference by the partition member 350. Since the inside of the screw member 330 is empty, the carbon fiber composite material that was raised by the partition member 350 falls downward due to gravity. At this time, the carbon fiber composite material collides with the lower cylindrical wall surface 220 or the carbon fiber composite material piled on the lower side and receives an impact.

Both the carbon fiber composite hit from the top and the carbon fiber composite hit from the bottom have the effect of shaking off the attached resin by impact. That is, by the partition member 350 connecting the screw member 330 with an empty center inside the rotating pyrolysis furnace 210 and the screw member, the resin is separated from the carbon fiber composite material more quickly and effectively, and the regenerated carbon fiber with less residue is used. can be obtained.

4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an alignment unit of a carbon fiber composite material recycling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The alignment unit 150 includes a conveyor unit 400 and a carbon fiber rotating member 500.

The conveyor unit 400 includes a conveyor belt 410, a conveyor rotation shaft 470, a driven shaft 460, and a driving motor 490. The regenerated carbon fibers 450 from which the resin is separated in the pyrolysis furnace 210 move on the conveyor belt 410 of the alignment unit.

A carbon fiber rotating member 500 may be provided above or below the conveyor belt in order to rotate and align the direction of the regenerated carbon fiber delivered from the pyrolysis unit 130 in the conveyor moving direction.

Referring to FIG. 4, there is a carbon fiber rotating member 500 on the top of the conveyor belt 410, and the conveyor belt has grooves ( 430) may be provided. 4, the carbon fiber rotating member 500 is shown to be positioned above the conveyor belt 410, but it is also possible to arrange the recycled carbon fibers by installing the carbon fiber rotating member 500 below the conveyor belt 410.

5 is a schematic view showing the configuration of a carbon fiber rotating member of a carbon fiber composite material recycling device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the carbon fiber rotating member 500 includes a left rotating plate 510 and a right rotating plate 520 which are a pair of rotating plates rotating in opposite directions. The rotating plate 510 on the left rotates clockwise and has a rake-shaped protrusion 515 facing upward. The rotation plate 520 on the right side rotates in a counterclockwise direction, which is opposite to the left side, and has a rake-shaped protrusion 525 pointing downward. With this configuration, the carbon fiber rotating member 500 may include a pair of rotating plates having rake-shaped protrusions, rotating in opposite directions, and aligning the recycled carbon fibers in the moving direction of the conveyor unit.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the regenerated carbon fibers include regenerated carbon fibers 540 parallel to the moving direction of the conveyor belt and regenerated carbon fibers 550 aligned perpendicularly to the moving direction of the conveyor belt. The recycled carbon fibers 550 aligned perpendicularly to the moving direction of the conveyor belt are moved in the opposite direction to the moving direction by the left rotary plate 510 rotating clockwise, and the right rotary plate 520 rotating counterclockwise. ), the right side moves in the forward direction, and the regenerated carbon fiber 555 as a whole is inclined toward the forward direction.

The carbon fiber rotating member 500 may be composed of a pair of chains having protrusions in the form of rake and rotating in opposite directions to each other. When the carbon fiber rotating member 500 is configured as a chain, the length of time that the rake-shaped protrusions come into contact with the carbon fibers lengthens the aligning period, so that the regenerated carbon fibers can be more accurately aligned.

6 is a plan view showing a wedge-shaped guide of the carbon fiber composite material recycling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The alignment unit 150 may guide the movement of the recycled carbon fibers 610 by providing guides 630 on the left and right sides of the conveyor belt.

The aligning unit 150 may further include a plurality of wedge-shaped guides 650 for aligning the moving direction of the recycled carbon fibers at the outlet of the conveyor belt 410 . The inlet 640 of the wedge-shaped guide is wide while the outlet 660 is narrow, so that the recycled carbon fibers can be delivered in an aligned state to the cutting section 170, which is the next process.

The cutting unit 170 includes a blade for cutting the regenerated carbon fiber at regular intervals and an operation unit for moving the blade up and down. When the regenerated carbon fibers aligned side by side in the aligning unit 150 are cut at the cutting unit 170 at regular intervals, regenerated carbon fibers having a certain size can be obtained.

The collecting unit 190 collects the regenerated carbon fibers cut to a certain size in the cutting unit 170. For more accurate classification of the cut regenerated carbon fibers, sieves having different mesh sizes may be used in the collecting unit 190.

130: pyrolysis unit 130 150: alignment unit 150
170: cutting part 170 190: collecting part 190
210: pyrolysis furnace (210) 220: wall surface (220)
250: discharge hole (250)
330: screw member 330 350: partition member 350
400: conveyor unit 400
500: carbon fiber rotating member (500) 510: rotating plate (510)
650: wedge-shaped guide (650)

Claims (6)

a pyrolysis unit including a cylindrical pyrolysis furnace for heating the input carbon fiber composite material to a high temperature to remove resin to separate the carbon fibers, and a driving unit for rotating the pyrolysis furnace; and
A conveyor unit for transporting the regenerated carbon fibers delivered from the pyrolysis unit, and a carbon fiber rotating member for rotating the regenerated carbon fibers in the direction of the conveyor unit, and aligning the direction of the regenerated carbon fibers delivered from the pyrolysis unit Including; alignment unit;
In the pyrolysis furnace,
a screw member protruding inward from the side wall of the cylinder, having a hollow central portion, and conveying the injected carbon fiber composite material toward the discharge port;
Partition members protruding inward from the side wall of the cylinder and connected between the screw members to separate the carbon fibers from the resin by raising the carbon fiber composite material heated by the rotation of the pyrolysis furnace on the circumference and then dropping it to the central part; and
A discharge hole formed in the shape of a long hole having a width in a circumferential direction greater than a width in a longitudinal direction on a wall of a side surface of the cylinder;
The carbon fiber rotating member has protrusions in the form of a rake, rotates in opposite directions to each other, and is located above the conveyor belt. contains,
The aligning unit further includes a plurality of wedge-shaped guides for aligning the moving direction of the recycled carbon fiber to the outlet of the conveyor unit.
Characterized in that the carbon fiber composite material recycling device. delete delete delete delete According to claim 1,
a cutting unit having a blade for cutting the regenerated carbon fiber at regular intervals and an operating unit for moving the blade up and down; and
The carbon fiber composite material recycling device further comprising a; collection unit for collecting the regenerated carbon fibers cut to a predetermined size in the cutting unit.

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