Three-point flexural performance of tailor-braided thermoplastic composite beam structures

•Flexural performance of braided beams with uniform braid angles was analysed.•Axial and radial tailor-braiding strategies were proposed to improve performance.•Tailor-braided beams were manufactured and tested in three-point flexural loading.•Axially tailored beams showed equivalent performance while being 24% lighter.•Radially tailored beams did not show improvement in mass-normalised performance.