Mechanical properties under quasi-static loading of the core made of flax/poly(lactic acid) composite

Abstract

This paper investigates the mechanical behavior of an interlocking structure made of flax/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites manufactured using hot press compression molding. The flax/PLA composite manufactured at a temperature of 190°C and pressed for 10 minutes obtained the highest values of strength and modulus. A range of core cell sizes between 10 and 40 mm with a height from 20 to 40 mm was fabricated using a simple slotting technique. The larger core size offers a better relative density value when comparing to the smaller size (with a similar number of layers). The results also showed that the 10 mm core size exhibits better compression strength than the 20 and 40 mm core sizes. In contrast, the specific energy absorption (SEA) values of the structures increase as the core size decreases.