Evaluation of Reinforced Composites Based on Flax Nonwoven Structure and Waste Tyre Rubber Matrix

This work contributes to the study of the mechanical and morphological performance of recycled rubber/flax fiber nonwoven composite materials. Three parameters were considered: the type of matrix (powder, granules, and blend), the mass of flax nonwoven (300, 450, and 1000 g/m2), and the duration of the thermocompression process (45, 60, and 75 min). The results of the tensile tests revealed that increasing the mass of flax nonwoven improves the mechanical properties of the composite, particularly in the transverse direction. Furthermore, the use of a powder matrix allows for a gain in tensile strength of up to 75% when the mass of flax nonwoven increases from 300 g/m2 to 1000 g/m2. The results confirm that the optimal manufacturing time is 60 minutes. Increasing the surface mass of the reinforcement improves flexural stiffness and fatigue resistance, likely due to better internal cohesion and a higher surface fiber density. NW3G composites exhibit significantly improved mechanical durability under cyclic loading.