Experimental Behavior of Cork-Based Structures Under Impact Conditions

There is a growing interest in using and developing materials from renewable sources in aerospace, construction, and automotive structures. Current developments in environmentally friendly sandwich structures, using bio-based and recycled/recyclable components, show a clear trend toward minimizing the environmental effects of the resultant designs while maintaining mechanical performance. Cork-based materials attract great interest in the scientific literature due to their potential industrial applications in ballistic and energy absorption applications, including their use in safety devices, protective equipment, and other applications where energy absorption is essential. This paper reviews the main contributions to the energy absorption capacity of cork-based material structures against low- and high-velocity impacts. The aim is to give the reader a complete overview of the methodologies and results commonly presented in the literature to help develop new cork laminates and structures.