Mechanical and low velocity impact behavior of polypropylene composite laminates reinforced with a poly(lactic acid)/flax fabric

In this work thermoplastic composites based on flax/PLA woven fibers and hybridized with basalt and glass woven fabrics have been characterized in both quasi-static and dynamic conditions. The presence of glass and basalt layers as core in the hybrid materials did not result in an increased quasi-static behavior but it was found to be effective in enhancing the low velocity impact performance of PLA/flax laminates. This was particularly true for systems including basalt layers due to a strong toughening effect that is still under investigati.