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Effect of carbon nanotubes upon emissions from cutting and sanding carbon fiber-epoxy composites

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Abstract

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are being incorporated into structural composites to enhance material strength. During fabrication or repair activities, machining nanocomposites may release CNTs into the workplace air. An experimental study was conducted to evaluate the emissions generated by cutting and sanding on three types of epoxy-composite panels: Panel A containing graphite fibers, Panel B containing graphite fibers and carbon-based mat, and Panel C containing graphite fibers, carbon-based mat, and multi-walled CNTs. Aerosol sampling was conducted with direct-reading instruments, and filter samples were collected for measuring elemental carbon (EC) and fiber concentrations. Our study results showed that cutting Panel C with a band saw did not generate detectable emissions of fibers inspected by transmission electron microscopy but did increase the particle mass, number, and EC emission concentrations by 20–80 % compared to Panels A and B. Sanding operation performed on two Panel C resulted in fiber emission rates of 1.9 × 108 and 2.8 × 106 fibers per second (f/s), while no free aerosol fibers were detected from sanding Panels A and B containing no CNTs. These free CNT fibers may be a health concern. However, the analysis of particle and EC concentrations from these same samples cannot clearly indicate the presence of CNTs, because extraneous aerosol generation from machining the composite epoxy material increased the mass concentrations of the EC.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the support and cooperation from the management and the staff of the study site, and wish to thank Alberto Garcia for his assistance with field study. The authors are grateful to Laura Hodson, Arthur Miller, Appavoo Rengasamy, Jennifer Topmiller, Michael Gressel, and Cathy Rotunda for their insightful comments and suggestions on the early version of the manuscript. This research was funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health under the Nanotechnology Research Center Project 927ZJLR.

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  1. LMK OSH Consulting LLC, Cincinnati, OH, 45233, USA

    William A. Heitbrink

  2. Division of Applied Research and Technology, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Cincinnati, OH, 45226, USA

    Li-Ming Lo

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  1. William A. Heitbrink
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Correspondence to Li-Ming Lo.

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The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Mention of any company or product does not constitute endorsement by NIOSH.

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Heitbrink, W.A., Lo, LM. Effect of carbon nanotubes upon emissions from cutting and sanding carbon fiber-epoxy composites. J Nanopart Res 17, 335 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-015-3140-0

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