Analysis of the tensile effects of platelet architectures for woven engineered pre-impregnated platelets

Abstract

Manufacturing scrap from virgin pre-impregnated (prepreg) carbon fibre remains a major composite waste stream, motivating research to characterise this high-value material for structural applications. This work characterises the tensile response of woven engineered prepreg platelet (EPP) laminates and quantifies the influence of key architectural parameters in a design of experiments: platelet length and width, length and width superposition, and ply count ($l_p$, $w_p$, $\delta l$, $\delta w$, $n_p$, respectively). Tensile properties and fracture morphologies were measured for each architecture set, while factor effects were evaluated using analysis of variance (ANOVA) with linear and normalised response models alongside shear-lag and fracture-mechanics interpretation. Predictive and interpretative models were produced for all tensile values, including ultimate tensile strength, Young’s modulus, and strain at failure, which showed that platelet dimensions and superpositions jointly govern load transfer, with selective arrangements retaining up to 90% of baseline stiffness while limiting strength penalties. Normalisation improved interpretability by reducing thickness masking and fracture analysis identified matrix-rich inter-ply regions as preferential initiation sites with propagation trends linked to superposition balance. Overall, the findings establish woven EPPs as tuneable discontinuous composites with measurable architecture–property relationships and provide a validated basis for future optimisation and damage-aware modelling.