10157861Advanced fibre floc modellingClosedGrant for R&DInnovate UKThis Analysis for Innovators projects takes NELs expertise in fluid & particle dynamics and applies it to Lineats novel recycled carbon fibre process. Carbon fibre is renowned for its high strength to weight ratio, frequently used in lightweighting applications across a range of markets. However, it comes with heavy environmental and financial costs. It is 40x more expensive than steel with 20x higher CO2 emissions per kg, yet less than 10% is recycled making it one of world's most expensive single-use materials. Additionally what is recycled is of poor performance and limited to filler products, reducing the potential market for recycled carbon fibre significantly. This results in tens of thousands of tonnes of carbon fibre entering landfill every year, at the same time that the UK is heavily reliant on carbon fibre imports. Lineats process offers a solution for both of these problems simultaneously, taking chopped carbon fibre waste and converting it into an aligned continuous tape, which can act as a substitute for virgin carbon fibre. This is done via the dispersion of carbon fibres in water, and then spraying them through a patented alignment process. However productivity and quality are hindered by the formation of networks of intermingled fibres, known as flocs, creating defects in the end product as well as delaying production, and limiting the concentration of fibres in the water, limiting output. Attempts to predict floc formation within the process via fluid simulation have been unsuccessful as fibre-fibre interaction is a crucial parameter, and further experimental testing is not feasible due to the scale of equipment and volumes of water involved. To model the flow of fibres and fluid through the process NEL will utilise advanced computational fluid dynamic techniques alongside particle dynamic analysis via the discrete element model. This will enable the conditions and parameters that influence floc formation to be identified, enabling future machines to be optimised. This will be supported by experimental testing performed by Lineat.