Due to their superior lightweight properties, fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) materials are well established in various fields, such as sports equipment, aerospace or wind energy structures. These structures are not only subjected to mechanical loads, but also to a broad spectrum of thermal environments. However, the impact of temperature on the fatigue life of thermo-mechanically loaded FRP structures is barely investigated to-date. In the scope of this work, the influence of temperatures in a

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... ange of 213 K to 343 K on a glass fiber reinforced epoxy polymer is experimentally examined. An extensive thermo-mechanical characterization of the static properties of the material is performed. The neat resin and fiber material are investigated, as well as the composite. In addition, the impact of thermal loads on the damage evolution under quasi-static as well as cyclic fatigue loading is investigated for different multi-angle laminates. Based on the experimental data, a correlation is shown between damage and matrix effort of the unidirectional layer. The matrix effort is calculated according to a micromechanical model considering thermal residual stresses. Particularly under transverse loading, the damage evolution can be predicted as a function of the dilatational strain energy of the matrix. Using the concept of the matrix effort presented in this work, a prediction of the fatigue life of the investigated material at different ambient temperature conditions can be performed.