Stress Engineer - Non-linear & Propellants

Destinus; Zürich; Hybrid; CHF 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Destinus seeks a Stress Engineer to support structural sizing and simulation for solid rocket motor structures, focusing on non-linear and thermomechanical analysis. The role combines FEA with material characterization and test correlation to build substantiated models of energetic assemblies.

You'll perform nonlinear simulations, assess bond integrity at interfaces, analyze TPS response, and correlate FE predictions with experimental data to drive design justification and margin-of-safety

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering.
• 3–5 years of industry experience in stress analysis of aerospace or mechanical structures.

Responsibilities

• Conduct stress analysis using classical hand-calculation methods and FEA – linear and non-linear, static and dynamic
• Simulate solid rocket motor structures: propellant grain stress and strain fields, bond integrity at interfaces, TPS thermomechanical response, and igniter/nozzle attachment loads
• Conduct non-linear simulations covering geometric non-linearity, material non-linearity, and contact mechanics
• Perform thermomechanical analysis across metallic, composite, bonded, and polymeric structures under thermal cycling and operational loads
• Correlate FE predictions against strain gauge, load, and thermal test data; validate and update models accordingly
• Prepare stress reports, margin-of-safety calculations, and design justification documentation

Skills

FEA experience

Nonlinear analysis

Thermomechanical analysis

English fluent

Education

Master's degree in Aerospace/Mechanical Engineering

Tools

NASTRAN

Abaqus

Optistruct/HyperWorks

Job description

The Destinus engineering team is seeking a Stress Engineer to support structural sizing and simulation with a focus on non-linear and thermomechanical analysis of solid rocket motor structures.

A core part of this role is the structural simulation of propellant grains, liner bonds, thermal protection systems (TPS), and propellant–liner–casing interfaces – combining FEA with material characterization and test correlation to build substantiated models of energetic material assemblies.

What You’ll Do

• Conduct stress analysis using both classical hand-calculation methods and FEA – linear and non-linear, static and dynamic
• Simulate solid rocket motor structures: propellant grain stress and strain fields, bond integrity at propellant–liner and liner–casing interfaces, TPS thermomechanical response, and igniter/nozzle attachment loads
• Conduct non-linear simulations covering geometric non-linearity, material non-linearity (plasticity, hyperelasticity for propellant and elastomeric materials), and contact mechanics
• Perform thermomechanical analysis across metallic, composite, bonded, and polymeric structures under thermal cycling and operational loads
• Support experimental characterisation of propellant, liner, and bonded joint materials; feed test results (lap shear, peel, tensile, and DMA data) into material models and allowables
• Correlate FE predictions against strain gauge, load, and thermal test data; validate and update models accordingly
• Prepare stress reports, margin-of-safety calculations, and design justification documentation

What You’ll Need

• Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field
• 3–5 years of industry experience in stress analysis of aerospace or mechanical structures
• Proficiency with FEA packages: NASTRAN (Femap or equivalent), Abaqus, or Optistruct/HyperWorks for both linear and non-linear analysis
• Strong classical stress analysis skills: beam theory, buckling, fastener and joint analysis, margin-of-safety calculations
• Experience with non-linear material modelling – plasticity, hyperelasticity, or viscoelasticity; familiarity with propellant or elastomeric material constitutive models is a strong advantage
• Experience with thermomechanical or thermal-structural analysis
• Experience correlating FE predictions with experimental test data
• Background in solid rocket motor, propulsion, or energetic structures is a strong advantage
• Fluent in English; German or French is an advantage