Senior Transient Dynamic FEA Engineer (LS-Dyna)

CFD Research Corporation; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 95,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) matching

Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)

Medical, Vision & Dental insurance

Paid leave & parental leave

Disability & life insurance

Job summary

CFD Research Corporation in Huntsville, AL, seeks a talented transient dynamic finite element engineer to evaluate high-speed dynamic damage events and aid aerospace design verification. You will work with structural, fluid and thermal teams to provide rapid design recommendations from LS-Dyna-based models.

The role requires experience with LS-Dyna, Abaqus Explicit, and HPC workflows on remote clusters. Expect collaboration with the Hollywood, AL Engineering Test Center and periodic travel for

Qualifications

• US Citizenship and eligibility to obtain and maintain a secret security clearance.
• Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
• 6+ years hands-on experience with FEA, and 2+ years experience using LS-Dyna.
• Strong understanding of progressive damage modeling in FEA.
• Familiarity with correlating model results and test data.
• Solid understanding of structural dynamics.
• Understanding of material behaviors including rate sensitivities and advising or directing material testing procedures as necessary.
• Knowledge of thermal–structural coupling.

Responsibilities

• Develop and validate time-domain FEA models to analyze transient events such as drops, crashes, FOD strikes and other short duration impacts.
• Produce engineering reports and documentation in support of requirement verification and design reviews.
• Collaborate with multiple analysis teams and interface with the Engineering Test Center in Hollywood, AL, with planned travel as needed.

Skills

FEA

LS-Dyna

Abaqus Explicit

Structural dynamics

Damage modeling

Material testing coordination

Python (post processing)

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

LS-Dyna

Abaqus Explicit

Job description

About CFD Research:

Since its inception in 1987, CFD Research has delivered innovative technology solutions within the Aerospace & Defense, Biomedical & Life Sciences, Intelligence & Sensing, and Energy & Materials industries. CFD Research has earned multiple national awards for successful application and commercialization of innovative component/system technology prototypes, multi-physics simulation software, multi-disciplinary analyses, and expert support services. Based in Huntsville, Alabama where laboratory facilities and headquarters are located, CFD Research also has office and laboratory facilities in Dayton, Ohio, prototyping test and evaluation facilities in Hollywood, Alabama, and office facilities in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. CFD Research is an ISO9001:AS9100D registered company and is appraised at CMMI Level II for Services. CFD Research is a 100% ESOP (employee-owned company) recognized in Inc. Magazine's Inc5000 as a top growing company for four of the last five years. Learn more at www.cfd-research.com

CFD Research Corporation is adding a talented transient dynamic finite element engineer to our growing structural analysis team. The candidate will evaluate high speed dynamic damage events in the time domain such as drops and bird strikes in aid of the design, verification and manufacture of aerospace structures. Experience with turbomachinery and rotordynamics is a plus.

The position is located at CFD Research's Huntsville Headquarters, where the candidate will work closely with existing structural, fluid and thermal analysis teams to provide rapid design recommendations and assessments. The candidate is expected to interface regularly with Prototype, Test and Evaluation Division engineers located at the company's Hollywood, AL Engineering Test Center. This will necessitate trips to Hollywood to support in-person meetings 3 times a month.

The potential exists for the aspiring candidate to help grow and eventually lead the burgeoning high fidelity structural analysis team. Proficiency with the established tool, LS-Dyna, is required. Experience with Abaqus Explicit is also desirable. The candidate should be familiar with running on a remote HPC cluster and submitting jobs to a bash scheduler.

Key responsibilities include the development and validation of time domain FEA models to analyze transient events such as drops, crashes, FOD strikes and other short duration impacts. The candidate shall produce engineering reports and documentation in support of requirement verification and design reviews.

Basic Qualifications

• US Citizenship and eligibility to obtain and maintain a secret security clearance
• Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering
• 6+ years hands on experience with FEA, and 2+ years experience using LS-Dyna
• Strong understanding of progressive damage modeling in FEA
• Familiarity with correlating model results and test data.
• Solid understanding of structural dynamics.
• Understanding of material behaviors including rate sensitives and advise or direct material testing procedures as necessary
• Knowledge of thermal–structural coupling
• Support root-cause investigations of field impact issues and propose corrective actions

Desired Qualifications

• An active secret security clearance
• Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering
• Proficiency with Abaqus
• Experience with rotordynamics and associated analysis methods
• Background in applied metallurgy
• Familiarity with high-performance computing (HPC) and large-scale models
• Experience with python for post processing of tabular data or the creation of automation macros

Benefits:

CFD Research offers competitive salaries and excellent employee benefits, including an employer matching 401(k) and Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). CFD Research offers our Full-Time, permanent employee-owners a highly competitive insurance package, including medical, vision, and dental insurance. Additionally, we offer company paid leave, compensation time, parental leave, long-term and short-term disability, accidental death and dismemberment, and life insurance. Part-Time and Temporary employee-owners may receive partial or reduced benefits and leave time based on their employment status level. Performance appraisals occur twice a year and annual pay increases are based upon corporate goals, personal development, performance, and outstanding achievements. In addition, group and individual bonuses are awarded for exceptional performance.

CFD Research is an EO employer - Veterans/Disabled and other protected categories