<jats:p>Carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs) gained high interest in industrial applications because of their excellent strength and low specific weight. The stacking sequence of the unidirectional plies forming a CFRP laminate, and their thicknesses, primarily determine the mechanical performance. However, during manufacturing, defects, e.g., pores and residual stresses, are induced, both affecting the mechanical properties. The objective of the present work is to accurately measure residual stresses in CFRPs as well as to investigate the effects of stacking sequence, overall laminate thickness, and the presence of pores on the residual stress state. Residual stresses were measured through the incremental hole-drilling method (HDM). Adequate procedures have been applied to evaluate the residual stresses for orthotropic materials, including calculating the calibration coefficients through finite element analysis (FEA) based on stacking sequence, laminate thickness and mechanical properties. Using optical microscopy (OM) and computed tomography (CT), profound insights into the cross-sectional and three-dimensional microstructure, e.g., location and shape of process-induced pores, were obtained. This microstructural information allowed for a comprehensive understanding of the experimentally determined strain and stress results, particularly at the transition zone between the individual plies. The effect of pores on residual stresses was investigated by considering pores to calculate the calibration coefficients at a depth of 0.06 mm to 0.12 mm in the model and utilizing these results for residual stress evaluation. A maximum difference of 46% in stress between defect-free and porous material sample conditions was observed at a hole depth of 0.65 mm. The significance of employing correctly calculated coefficients for the residual stress evaluation is highlighted by mechanical validation tests.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Glass/carbon fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP/CFRP) and hybrid components have attracted increasing attention in lightweight applications. However, residual stresses induced in the manufacturing process of these components can result in warpage and, eventually, negatively affect the mechanical performance of the composite structures. In the present work, GFRP, CFRP, GFRP/steel and CFRP/steel hybrid components were manufactured through the prepreg-press-technology always employing the same process parameters. The residual stresses of these components were measured through the hole drilling method (HDM), based on an adequate formalism to evaluate the residual stresses for orthotropic materials including the calculation of the calibration coefficients via finite element analysis (FEA). In FEA, the real material lay-up and mechanical properties of the samples were considered. The warpage induced by residual stresses was measured after the samples were removed from the tool. The measured residual stresses and warpage of four different types of samples were compared and results were analyzed in depth. The results obtained can be extended to other hybrid materials and even could be used for designing multi-stable laminates for application in adaptive structures. Moreover, the effects of the drilling process parameters of HDM, e.g., the drilling speed, the drilling increment and the zero-depth setting, on the resulting residual stresses of GFRP were investigated. The reliability of residual stress measurements in GFRP using HDM was validated through mechanical bending tests. The conclusions concerning the choice of optimal drilling parameters for GFRP could be directly applied for other types of samples considered in the present work.</jats:p>