Process-induced strength loss is a major technical barrier to the effective reuse of thermally recycled glass fibres in composite applications. We have developed a novel approach to effectively restore strength in glass fibres through treatment in alkaline solutions. Glass fibres were treated at elevated temperature and experienced significant strength loss found typically after thermal recycling processes. Different alkaline treatments were then applied to the thermally damaged fibres in an attempt to restore strength which had been lost as a result of the heat conditioning procedure. Results indicated that these treatments were able to generate considerable fibre strength recovery. The degree of strength regeneration was found to be highly dependent on reaction conditions, which were investigated and optimised. The positive effect of these simple chemical treatments demonstrated great potential for facilitating the reuse of thermally recycled glass fibres in composite applications.

工艺引起的强度损失是在复合应用中有效回收热循环玻璃纤维的主要技术障碍。我们开发了一种新颖的方法，可以通过在碱性溶液中进行处理来有效地恢复玻璃纤维的强度。玻璃纤维在升高的温度下进行了处理，并且通常在热循环过程之后经历了明显的强度损失。然后对热损坏的纤维进行不同的碱处理，以试图恢复由于热处理程序而损失的强度。结果表明，这些处理能够产生可观的纤维强度恢复。发现强度再生的程度高度依赖于反应条件，对此进行了研究和优化。