Design work Vs Stress analysis 4

[floattuber]

I'm a mechanical engineer trying to change careers from semi conductor to aerospace and have come to a fork in the road. In the past (starting from college) if I wanted a part made I would do the design work, stress analysis and most times fabricate the part. Working for a smallish company I thought designing and stress analysis goes hand in hand. Afterall, how can anybody design something if they don't know whether it can take the stresses?

After talking with an aerospace friend, I have learned that there is a difference between designers and stress analyzers. In college I enjoyed both designing parts and the stress analysis involved.

My question is, can you guys elaborate on these two job descriptions? I'm still a bit confused about what a designer does.

For example, I have it in my mind that a designer who wants to join two parts with a bracket takes the predefined connection points and basically fills in the area between them with a bracket of his design. The designer then sends off the bracket design to the stress guy who does a more thorough analysis.

Is this right?

 

[MikeHalloran]

I once hired a designer who had spent eight years just making drawings of tubing. Just for fuel. Just for one model of jet engine. Just for the left side. He never got close to a running engine, or even to the right side of a cold one. I'd have gone postal.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[abba7114]

It is of great importance for the designer engineer to have a good understanding of stress analisys. Most experienced design engineers take stress into cosideration especially in pipind design, providing enough expansion loops, supporting adequately, etc so that design does not come back with much comments.

Design engineers should do extra work to know atleast basics of stress analisys.