As the complexity of composite laminates rises, the use of hybrid structures and multi-directional laminates, large operating temperature ranges, the process induced residual stresses become a significant factor in the design. In order to properly model the initial stress state of a structure, a solid understanding of the stress free temperature, the temperature at which the initial crosslinks are formed, as well as the contribution of cure shrinkage, must be measured. Many in industry have moved towards using complex cure kinetics models with the assistance of commercial software packages such as COMPRO. However, in this study a simplified residual stress model using the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch and change in temperature from the stress free temperature are used. The limits of this simplified model can only be adequately tested using an accurate measure of the stress free temperature. Only once that is determined can the validity of the simplified model be determined. Various methods were used in this study to test for the stress free temperature and their results are used to validate each method. Two approaches were taken, both involving either cobonded carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) or glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) to aluminum. The first method used a composite-aluminum plate which was allowed to warp due to the residual stress. The other involved producing a geometrical stable hybrid composite-aluminum cylinder which was then cut open to allow it to spring in. Both methods placed the specimens within an environmental chamber and tracked the residual stress induced deformation as the temperature was ramped beyond the stress free temperature. Both methods revealed a similar stress free temperature that could then be used in future cure modeling simulations.
