Woven fiber structure maintenance during thermoplastic polymer dissolution

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to composite recycling and provide a novel and non-obvious dissolution tank, recycling system and recycling process adapted for the separation of fibers during composite dissolution. In an embodiment of the invention, a dissolution tank adapted for composite dissolution and fiber separation includes a tank, a pair of opposing perforated structures disposed within the tank, an actuator coupled to the perforated structures and configured to drive the pair of structures towards one another, and a control system programmed to direct the actuator to drive the structures towards one another responsive to a determination that a composite part disposed between the structures is transforming from a rigid state.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.