Thermo-structural Analysis Engineer

Parque Industrial de Elche (Poligono Industrial), Spain

Mission

As a Thermo-Structural Engineer, you will play a crucial role in ensuring the safety, reliability, and performance of aerospace systems and components. Your expertise will be essential in analyzing and optimizing the behavior of materials and structures under thermal and mechanical loads. This position requires a strong background in both thermal and structural engineering, as well as proficiency in relevant analysis software. 

Responsibilities

• Perform thermo-structural analysis and modelling of launch vehicle structures subsystem, mainly focusing on the engines subsystems. 
• Perform thermo-structural analysis and modelling for components development, such as COPVs, fairing, Staging mechanisms, other actuators and minor structural elements. 
• Collaborate with design teams to develop thermal control strategies and solutions, including the selection of materials, insulation, and thermal protection systems for propellant tanks and CFRP structures. 
• Analyse and optimize the performance of critical components, such as the main subsystems of the liquid rocket engines. 
• Perform transient and steady-state thermo-structural simulations using specialized software tools (ANSYS) to evaluate system performance under various operational conditions and environmental factors.
• Conduct thermal testing and validation of hardware and subsystems, including hot-testing, cryogenic testing, thermal vacuum tests and thermal cycling tests. 
• Provide technical expertise and guidance on thermal issues throughout the design, development, and testing phases. 
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including mechanical engineers, systems engineers, and manufacturing teams, to ensure thermal considerations are integrated into the overall system design. 
• Generate analysis reports, documenting methodologies, assumptions, and results for internal use and customer review. 
• Generate documentation, including user guides, guidelines and user manuals for internal customers use. 
• Generate documentation for formal program development reviews. 
• Software Proficiency:
• • Proficient in ANSYS Workbench and APDL (ANSYS Parametric Design Language) for thermal and structural simulations.
  • Familiarity with other relevant software tools for finite element analysis (FEA) and thermal modeling.
• Thermal and Structural Analysis:
• • Conduct in-depth analyses of thermal and structural behavior for aerospace systems and components.
  • Investigate the effects of temperature variations, thermal gradients, and mechanical loads on materials and structures.
  • Evaluate the impact of thermal expansion, contraction, and stress on system performance.
• Materials Properties and Thermal Behavior:
• • Understand material properties (such as thermal conductivity, specific heat, and coefficient of thermal expansion) and their influence on structural response.
  • Consider the behavior of materials (metals, composites, ceramics) under extreme thermal conditions encountered in aerospace applications.
• Creep Analysis:
• • Assess the long-term deformation of metallic alloys due to sustained high temperatures.
  • Understand creep mechanisms and predict material behavior over time.
• Plasticity Analysis:
• • Investigate plastic deformation in materials subjected to mechanical loads.
  • Analyze plastic strain accumulation and its impact on structural integrity.
• Fatigue Analysis (LCF/HCF):
• • Evaluate fatigue life under low-cycle fatigue (LCF) and high-cycle fatigue (HCF) conditions.
  • Consider cyclic loading, stress concentration, and crack propagation.
• Modal Analysis:
• • Perform modal analysis to identify natural frequencies, mode shapes, and resonances.
  • Optimize structural designs to avoid critical resonant frequencies.
• Random Vibration Analysis:
• • Assess the response of structures to random vibrations encountered during flight or operational conditions.
  • Ensure structural robustness and reliability.
• Bolted Joints Analysis:
• • Analyze the behavior of bolted connections in aerospace assemblies.
  • Consider preload, joint stiffness, and stress distribution.
• Buckling Analysis:
• • Investigate buckling behavior under compressive loads.
  • Prevent sudden structural failure due to buckling instability.

Required Knowledge

• Aerospace Engineering Master's degree or equivalent. 
• At least 3 years of relevant technical experience. 
• Strong understanding of heat transfer principles. 
• Familiarity with finite element analysis (FEA) or thermal modeling.
  
• Proficiency in thermo-structural analysis software tools, such as ANSYS Workbench/APDL. 
• Knowledge of materials properties and their impact on thermal behaviour in aerospace applications.
• Understanding of environmental factors affecting thermo-structural performance, including radiation, conduction, and convection.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Payload Aerospace SL is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against gender, marital status, religion, age, colour, race, sexual orientation, nationality or disability.

We are compromised in maintaining a diverse and free from discrimination working environment where everyone is treated with respect. Employment is based on an individual’s merit and qualifications, directly related to job competence.

These principles are included in all aspects of employment: recruiting, hiring, training, compensation and benefits, and promotion.