Abstract
This study is part of the DURACOMP project, the aim of which is to develop a durable, non-thermosetting and recyclable monolithic composite for the yachting and water sports sector. Each year, more than 12,000 pleasure boats reach the end of their lifecycle. The management of the end-of-life pleasure boatsector is still underdeveloped and most of them are currently either landfilled and then buried, or incinerated in order to recover them for energy. Coupled with increasingly demanding legislation, the search for economically and ecologically viable palliative solutions then becomes a priority. Also, the PhD thesis issue fits naturally into a sustainable circular economy focused on a new and original concept of eco-design driven by and for the end-of-life.The objectives of this work are to study the comparison of diffusion mechanisms after accelerated thermo-hydric aging at different temperatures and their impact on the mechanicalbehaviourbetween a composite based on an Elium®acrylic thermoplastic resin (ARKEMA) and a vinylester/ carbon fibremonolithic system. The durability results of the substitute composite material thus showed different diffusion behaviours, with a similarsensitivity of these ageing processes on the mechanical properties as a function of temperature (behaviourof the two materials which is almost reversible at 40 °C and permanent damage at 70 °C). Analytical models have allowed to identify the parameters of the diffusive behaviour in order to understand the types of aging and damage involved.Finally, a study was carried out on the feasibility of upgrading Elium®/ carbon fibresby recycling and reusing the reinforcement and the acrylic matrix. The results show that the semi-recycled and fully recycled materials exhibit similar behaviour to the reference material with better fibre/ matrix adhesion observed for recycled materials. These results will then allow the development of new ways of designing sustainable and recyclable composites, including real downstream management of their end of life.