Composites Containing Felt Wastes from the Automotive Industry

Abstract

(One) Background: Using textile waste materials in composites is a well-known problem and is frequently addressed by various scientific teams. Most of this work concerns textile waste introduced into composites as yarn strands. The present work focuses on adding textile wastes prepared in the form of single filaments of yarn spun to fluff, which was produced from waste felt materials from the automotive industry. (Two) Methods: The material was extracted from the bulkheads of worn-out vehicles, serving as thermal and acoustic insulation. The waste was shredded to form single yarn fibres with a fibre diameter of 0.08–0.3 mm and a 2–8 cm length. The shredded waste was used as a filler and modifier for composites. Four test batches were produced with different recyclate contents. A traditional cementitious composite without additives was used as a comparison material. (Three) Results: Composites filled with 3% felt waste have 23.31% lower density (1.71 g/cm3), 71.03% higher absorbability (21.58%), 49.58% lower tensile strength (19.86 MPa), and 53.55% lower compressive strength (3.64 MPa) than traditional composites. Partitions made of these composites had much higher thermal insulation than traditional composites. Composite made of 1% waste was resistant to the phenomena of thermal spalling. Moreover, the spot flame loading did not damage the composite, and there were no scratches or defects. (Four) Conclusions: The tests proved that the waste felt materials could potentially be used as fillers and modifiers in lightweight composites with higher thermal insulation. The addition of felt fibres improves the resistance of the composite to local spalling.