from the conferences organized by TANGER Ltd.
A large part of composite components undergoes a finishing machining process before assembly. Composite systems – carbon fiber/epoxy resin behave differently than metals during machining. The released polymer particles, particularly the carbon fiber segments, can affect human health. The presented study deals with the release of fibers from the composite materials - the formation of chips and their destruction or breaking into shorter segments related to the machining process. Composite samples with recycled carbon fibers and carbon roving were subjected to selected machining processes. The scanning electron microscope was used to characterize the carbon fibers used in both types, especially to study the destruction of fibrous structures formed during machining processes. Based on the study, it was found that at the ends of the carbon fibers, there is a cleavage of microscopic fragments whose dimensions range from 2 to 3 µm, which is the WHO limit size for particles that can be inhaled. Dimensions of separate surface layers are micrometers in terms of length/width and the sub-micrometer level in terms of their thickness. Layers separated from the surface of the carbon fiber were found both in the case of the use of new carbon fibers and recycled carbon fibers.
Keywords: Machining, composite systems, carbon fibers, epoxy resin© This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.