Stress Engineer - Non-linear & Propellants

Experience: Mid-Senior level 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 Requirements 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