Open Access

Given the high experimental effort required to verify fiber‑reinforced polymer composites (FRP) in aviation, the PROVING project (Production, Optimization, and Virtual Verification for Generative Manufacturing Processes) aims to establish a streamlined and robust verification methodology based on analytical and numerical approaches. As a foundation for this virtual verification process, BAM contributed extensive material testing for parameter identification, feeding directly into the material models and probabilistic methods. Beyond the experiments, an analytical‑numerical model was developed to more accurately determine the in‑situ stress state within the composite matrix. Since damage initiation in FRP is largely driven by inter-fiber failure, the three‑dimensional matrix stress state is essential for structural verification. In addition to external loading, thermomechanical residual stresses arising from the mismatched thermal expansion of fibers and matrix contribute to the stress state. Within PROVING, a calculation method was developed that incorporates the thermomechanical behavior of carbon‑fiber‑reinforced polymers (CFRP) into the verification process with minimal experimental effort. The method determines matrix thermal residual stresses using micromechanical modeling combined with finite element analysis.