Woven Materials Modeling Intern

Job Description:

AMA is seeking a motivated and detail-oriented intern to join our team in Moffett Field, CA supporting NASA on the Aircraft Systems and Spaceflight Engineering Support Services (ASSESS) contract at NASA Ames Research Center (ARC). Work will be in support of the Thermal Protection Materials branch, part of the Entry Systems and Technology Division at NASA ARC. The successful candidate will work on a short- to medium-term (3 to 6 months) project in a research topic related to the modeling of woven materials.

About the Project:

NASA is developing and deploying woven materials for missions, including heat shields for Artemis I (3D-MAT for compression pads) and potentially Mars Sample Return - Earth Entry System. These materials are complex, hierarchical and must protect from extreme environments and phenomena, such as deformation, impact and high-enthalpy heating. Woven material performance depends on microstructure, damage, and weave geometry. Therefore, fiber-specific models are needed to simulate fiber contacts within the weave hierarchical geometry (fiber to tow to yarn to weave) and the inherent directionality of fibers.

What happens to yarn structure and contact network if we make changes to the fibers? What if two types of fibers are mixed to spin the yarns - small with big, smooth with rough, or hard with soft? What if the fibers go from rigid to deformable? These questions are fundamental to woven composite mechanical, damping and thermal properties. And their answers could improve design. This project will take advantage of 2D fiber simulations within yarns of a woven composite to answer some of these questions.

Pay for this position is $31.50/hr -$33.50/hr, depending on education, and does include benefits.

Responsibilities:

• Contribute to NASA bonded-particle and discrete element software development.
• Analyze and model, at the micro- and meso-scale,fibrous materials of interest to NASA projects and programs, such as carbon fiber composites, PICA, 3MDCP and parachutes.
• Develop explicit-fiber and coarse-grained fiber models.
• Work closely with small engineering teams to advance concepts, and present project activity to management.
• Attend regular meeting(s)/telecon(s) as scheduled by project and task leads.
• Stay informed of relevant literature in journals and conferences.

Desired Skills:

• Experience with fracture modeling.
• Strong background in computational materials modeling techniques, including molecular dynamics simulations, computational chemistry, discrete element simulations, and/or peridynamics (more than one is a plus).
• Experience with the hydra, LAMMPS and LIGGGHTS codes.
• Experience with modeling granular flow.
• Experience with modeling woven TPS materials at the micro- or meso-scale.
• Strong coding/programming background, in particular C++, Fortran, Python and MPI.

Required Qualifications:

• M.S. or higher in Mechanical, Aerospace, Chemical, or Materials Engineering; or a related field, at an accredited university. The last degree must have been conferred within the last year.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Expected to work in person at NASA Ames Research Center at least 3 days per week.

This position requires U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Residency due to project requirements.

Analytical Mechanics Associates (AMA) is proud of our customer relationships, our diverse and dynamic work environment, and our employees' career satisfaction. AMA is a small business with a wide reach; headquartered in Hampton, VA, AMA has operations in Greenbelt, MD; Huntsville, AL; Dallas and Houston, TX; Denver, CO; Mountain View, CA; and Edwards Air Force Base, CA. With over 60 years of experience, AMA specializes in aerospace engineering, science, analytics, information technology, and visualization solutions. AMA combines the best of engineering, science, and mathematics capabilities with the latest in information technologies, visualization, and multimedia to build creative solutions. We offer competitive salaries and a substantial benefits package, including but not limited to paid personal and federally recognized holiday leave, salary deferrals into a 401(k)-matching plan with immediate vesting, tuition reimbursement, short/long term disability plans, and a variety of medical, dental, and vision insurance options.

AMA is committed to the professional growth of every employee, understanding that the successes of our employees drive our success. We provide a work environment that is engaging, collaborative, and supportive. To learn more about our company, please visit our website at www.ama-inc.com/careers and follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.

AMA is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any applicant for employment or employee because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic prohibited under federal, state, or local laws.