We seek an Senior Associate Engineer Structures & Dynamics Engineer for our Huntsville, AL location. In this role you will perform structural analysis to verify product designs meet structural performance requirements.
Under close direct supervision, the Engineer will assist with analyses of solid rocket propulsion systems and related components.
60% - Perform structural modeling of rocket motor hardware components:
- Conduct closed form and finite element analyses on metallic and composite hardware, and solid propellant grains to determine margins of safety and hat designs meet customer requirements. Analyze joints and other components for pressure and thermal gradient boundary conditions. Materials will be a combination of isotropic, viscoelastic and composite. Thermal gradients and pressure distributions, as well as specified mechanical loads for these models are self-derived and provided by other analysis team members.
- Use solid CAD models provided by other team members, to generate FEA models in ANSYS, ABAQUS, and other FEA tools.
- Perform static and dynamic structural analyses and assess operating margins.
- Generate and provide analysis reports and presentation materials to analysis team and internal and external customers documenting analysis methodologies, assumptions, and findings.
20% - Report status and results of analysis tasks at design and program reviews.
20% - Prepare technical reports documenting all analysis activities
This position requires a Master's degree in a related engineering discipline or an equivalent combination of experience and education.
Additional Requirements and Preferred Qualifications:
- Master's degree strongly desired.
- Experience in performing linear, non-linear and dynamic structural analyses supporting design, development and production qualification for solid rocket motors desired.
- Experience using finite element analysis tools such as ANSYS expected.
- Experience with ANSYS Mechanical APDL programming desired.
- Knowledge and experience with aerospace product development efforts a plus.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) is expected.
- The ability to coordinate with other team members for loads and an understanding of customer specified aerospace structural requirements is required.
- An ability to analyze static & dynamic loads, material nonlinearities and structural instabilities is required.
- Experience with analysis, design, manufacturing and test of filament-wound composite case pressure vessels for solid rocket motors is strongly desired.