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Recycled high‐density polyethylene (r‐HDPE) was combined with waste carbon fiber by loading 6 k, 12 k, and 24 k tows through an extruder to create thermoplastic/carbon pellets with fiber volume fractions of 11.2%, 18.9%, and 29.5%, respectively. Tensile and flexural coupons were subsequently produced via injection molding and novel 3D printing. The addition of carbon into r‐HDPE in all cases showed increased mechanical properties. Maximum increases were observed through the inclusion of 29.5% fiber volume fraction. Increases in tensile and flexural modulus of up to 2.9 GPa (+505.9%) and 5.8 GPa (+711.0%) respectively were observed for r‐HDPE/carbon fiber (CF) samples. Increases in tensile and flexural strengths of up to 57.9 MPa (+311.8%) and 47.7 MPa (+188.0%) respectively were observed for 29.5% r‐HDPE/CF samples. Some variance in mechanical performance between injection molded and 3D printed samples was observed indicating production methodology might influence final material performance.

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The effect of span-to-thickness ratio (L/h) on the bending modulus was investigated in warp, 45°, 67.5° and weft directions in woven glass fiber reinforced polyester laminates. Using classical beam theory the results of the bending tests carried out for L/h = 5,..,50 were extended to the total range of definition (0≤L/h<∞) by applying rational fractional and exponential fractional functions. The extensions take the asymptotic behavior of the bending test for L/h = 0 and L/h = ∞ in account while providing the best fitting to the measured data. It has been shown that the exponential fractional estimations give better results regarding the form of functions that is independent from the directions.