Documents published in Scipedia

• Mechanical behavior analysis at low temperature of flax/epoxy laminates

  G. Sánchez Escudero, E. Barbero-Pozuelo, S. Sánchez-Sáez

  Materiales Compuestos (2026). Vol. 09 - Comunicaciones MatComp25 (2025), (Núm. 3 - Caracterización Experimental), 6

  
  

  Abstract

  The growing environmental consciousness of recent years has driven the composite materials industry to increasingly adopt natural fibers as a sustainable alternative to synthetic ones, aiming to reduce the ecological footprint of manufacturing processes. Replacing conventional synthetic fibers with natural counterparts, such as flax, offers a significant decrease in energy consumption during laminate production, enhancing overall process sustainability. This study explores the mechanical performance of a flax fiber-reinforced epoxy laminate with a twill weave configuration. The material was tested under tensile and in-plane shear loading at both room temperature and subzero conditions (–40 °C and –70 °C). The laminate demonstrated a nonlinear stress–strain response, characterized by three distinct regions, suggesting that a trilinear model may be appropriate for its numerical simulation. The influence of temperature on the mechanical behavior was assessed in both the longitudinal and transverse tensile directions, as well as in shear. Results reveal that lower temperatures lead to increased stiffness and strength, although differences between –40 °C and –70 °C were not substantial.

  Abstract
  The growing environmental consciousness of recent years has driven the composite materials industry to increasingly adopt natural fibers as a sustainable alternative to synthetic [...]

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• Influence of Temperature on the Impact Response of Eco-Friendly Sandwich Structures

  G. Sánchez Escudero, E. Barbero-Pozuelo, S. Sánchez-Sáez

  Materiales Compuestos (Online first).

  
  

  Abstract

  This study evaluates the low-velocity impact performance of sandwich beams manufactured with eco-friendly structures, focusing on the effect of low temperature (–70 °C). Sandwich configurations using flax/epoxy skins and two different cores—agglomerated cork and recycled PET foam—were analyzed and compared to a conventional sandwich panel consisting of glass/epoxy skins and a PVC foam core. The results confirm that the conventional structure exhibits superior impact resistance and lower sensitivity to temperature variation. However, the sustainable sandwich structures can be considered a viable alternative in terms of peak force and exhibit acceptable performance at low temperatures. Notably, the sandwich beam with a cork agglomerate core, despite showing lower performance at room temperature compared to the PET foam core, demonstrated comparable behavior at –70 °C.

  Abstract
  This study evaluates the low-velocity impact performance of sandwich beams manufactured with eco-friendly structures, focusing on the effect of low temperature (–70 [...]

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