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The aim of this study is to improve the interlaminar fracture toughness of flax/gliadin composites. Some key parameters are used such as processing conditions, matrix plasticization, and fiber treatment. These parameters affect the crack-growth resistance since they are, respectively, related to the cross-linking density by varying the cooling conditions, to the reduction of the brittleness by adding a low amount of plasticizer, and to the quality of the fiber–matrix interface. Results show that interface quality is more dominant than the effect of a low amount of plasticizer for the initiation fracture toughness value. While crack initiation is closely related to weak links such as the fiber–matrix interface, crack propagation appears to be mainly in the matrix.

Coir fibres, a byproduct of the coconut industry, have high performance qualities but are difficult to process by conventional textile methods. The purpose of the research is to combine the processibility of hemp and flax with the high-performance properties of coir to create a composite product worthy of industrial applications. The evaluation of coir fibre-reinforced composites focuses on the processibility of the coir fibre into a nonwoven, how well it interfaces with polylactic acid and an analysis of how the mechanical properties of the final product change when mixing coir with hemp and flax. The results show that the hybrid samples outperformed most of the researched values for coir composites, despite the reduced properties of control samples as in comparable research. Adding just 10% of either flax or hemp dramatically increased the mechanical properties compared to the pure coir–polylactic acid composite.