Low velocity impact damage in composite laminates based on waste polyolefins

Composite laminates based on polyolefin wastes coming from two different sources are compared with similar systems involving a virgin polypropylene in terms of damage behavior. In particular, this paper reports the response of film-stacked composite laminate plates subjected to falling weight impact tests. As expected, samples based on recycled polyolefins show lower impact parameters with respect to the latter ones even if a partial improvement of the performances can be obtained by modification of the matrix by an adequate coupling agent. Despite the inferior impact behavior, potential uses of new systems provide an opportunity to develop valuable products by reducing the environmental impact of plastic wastes.