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It is reported that plastic waste is accumulating in the oceans at an alarming rate. A significant proportion of this waste is plastic packaging materials, even though recycling routes and options are available to retain and reuse this oil-based resource. In addition to thermoplastic materials, fibre reinforced polymer materials are finding increased use and soon will become a concern with respect to disposal. This review presents current research and technology that aims to embrace plastics and polymer composites into a circular economy. The benefits and challenges associated with polymer recycling are highlighted, not least being the strategies required to encourage industry and society to recycle resources rather than dispose and renew.

This paper presents a method for predicting fatigue crack propagation in adhesive bonded composite joints with an initial full-width disbond using finite element analysis and numerical integration of the material's fatigue crack growth rate law. Fatigue tests were conducted on single lap joints. Crack lengths were monitored from four runout corners. In-situ crack growth measurements were performed by ink injection to identify the crack front profile during fatigue loading. The crack growth was modelled using a fracture mechanics criterion considering two different crack propagation patterns. The material's fatigue crack growth rate law was determined experimentally using the standard double cantilever beam and end notch flexure specimens. Using the total strain energy release rate and the two crack scenarios, the numerical model predicted the lower and upper bounds of the measured fatigue crack growth rates of the lap joint.

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