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Some configurations of 3D woven composites are known to be susceptible to processing induced damage in the form of microcracks that develop in the polymer matrix during curing. The microcracking is believed to originate from high residual stresses that develop due to a significant mismatch in the coefficients of thermal expansion between the constituent materials. In this paper, we investigate the applicability of several commonly used stress-based failure criteria for glassy polymers – the von Mises, the Bauwens (Drucker-Prager), the parabolic stress, and the dilatational strain energy density. We study the microcracking phenomenon on the example of the one-to-one orthogonal configuration of the epoxy matrix/carbon fiber 3D woven composites. This configuration is characterized by the high level of the throughthickness reinforcement which appears to exacerbate the matrix damage. The investigation is based on a high-fidelity mesoscale finite element model of an orthogonally reinforced 3D woven composite. We simulate the material’s response to the uniform temperature drop from the curing to room temperature and compare the results of the simulation with the X-ray computed microtomography. We conclude that the curing induced matrix failure is well predicted by the parabolic stress criterion with a proper choice of the material constants. Initiation andmore »propagation of this failure are simulated via sequential deactivation of the elements exceeding the allowable equivalent stress.« less