AE STRESS ENGINEERS

[sdsurfer]

Hello folks,

I am looking into getting into the stress analysis side of Aerosapce structures. I am currently involved in repairs, but i really see a great future in stress analysis. Can anyone point me how to get smart on stress analysis. Your help as always is much needed and appreciated

 

[SWComposites]

Do you have an engineering degree? BS/MS? Aero/ME/CE/?

Strength of Materials, Mechanics, FEA university courses are helpful. Consider getting an MS if you don't have one. Also, there are stress analysis short cources offered thru UCLA, Univ of Kansas, AIAA, maybe other universities.

Look for an entry level job and get experience, experience, experience. Most of the practical side of stress analysis you will have to learn on the job.

 

[sdsurfer]

Thank you for the fast response, yes, i do have B.S in AE, and i have been working in a team where we do lot of AFC (airframe change repairs). I kind of knew that i have to be in the strentgh team to learn the analysis, but thank for the heads up in taking M.S, i am going back to school.
cheers.

 

[Stringmaker]

I was in the same boat as you a couple years ago. After graduating from college I worked as a design engineer for a small local company back home for about a year. I decided I really wanted to pursue a career in structural analysis so I started off as a lowly application engineer for a mid-sized FEA software company which was good experience...but not a career by any means. In my free time I chose a to learn a popular finite element code (Ansys in my case). After that I moved to CT to work for a company who does contract structural analysis work for a couple of the major engine manufacturers. I started my Masters Degree in Applied Mechanics in the mean time. I'm and am about halfway through now. Last fall I was laid off from my job due to bad times and poor business decisions you could say. A week later I was called back but was no longer bound by my non-compete. A month later I landed a job and now work as a structures engineer for P&W. I love my job and could not be happier professionally.

I didn't mean to turn this into an autobiography but what I'm trying to get across is that experience and drive are the two most important factors. Do whatever you can to bolster yourself and make yourself more marketable. Make your resume and cover letters as good as you possibly can! Read anything you can find which is technially related to stress engineering related work. These forums are a great place to start. Work your way from the bottom up...success is something you earn. Work hard and things will fall into place. One more thing too...try to find a company with an excellent tuition reimbursement policy!

Good luck,
-Brian