Degradation behavior of epoxy resins in fibre metal laminates under thermal conditions

GLARE (glass fibre/epoxy reinforced aluminum laminate) is a member of the fiber metal laminate (FML) family, and is built up of alternating metal and fiber layers. About 500 m² GLARE is employed in each Airbus A380 because of the superior mechanical properties over the monolithic aluminum alloys, such as weight reduction, improved damage tolerance and higher ultimate tensile strength. Many tons of new GLARE scraps have been accumulated during the Airbus A380 manufacturing. Moreover, with the increasing plane orders of Airbus A380, more and more end-of-life (EOL) GLARE scrap will be generated after retire of planes within forty years. Thermal processing is a potential method for the material recycling and re-use from GLARE with the aim of environmental protection and economic benefits. The current study indicatdes that thermal delamination is a crucial pre-treatment step for the GLARE recycling. The decomposition behavior of the epoxy resins at elevated temperatures was investigated by using the simultaneous thermal analysis, thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Based on the thermal analysis results, GLARE thermal delamination experiments at refined temperatures were carried out to optimize the treatment temperature and holding time.