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Student (f/m/x) - Simulation of the material behaviour of fiber composites
Job Description
Req ID:  4613
Place of work:  Braunschweig
Starting date:  01/06/2026
Career level:  Student research project and final thesis, Student employment
Type of employment:  Part time
Duration of contract:  6 months

Remuneration: Remuneration is in accordance with the Collective Agreement for the Public Sector - Federal Government (TVöD-Bund)

Enter the fascinating world of the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V.; DLR) and help shape the future through research and innovation! We offer an exciting and inspiring working environment driven by the expertise and curiosity of our 12,000 employees from 100 nations and our unique infrastructure. Together, we develop sustainable technologies and thus contribute to finding solutions to global challenges. Would you like to join us in addressing this major future challenge? Then this is your place!

Would you like to become part of our innovation-driven research team and help shape the future of lightweight system? We develop and test new lightweight construction technologies for resource-saving and climate-friendly structures in the aerospace, transport, energy and security sectors. Our vision is intelligent lightweight system construction for an emission-free tomorrow.

 

What to expect:

In our department Structural Mechanics, dedicated scientists are developing new simulation tools and test methods for analysing lightweight structures made of fibre composites. We are currently working on exciting research projects involving the evaluation and development of aircraft components, hydrogen tanks, rotor blades for wind turbines, aerospace structures and rolling stock components. These applications place high demands on the fatigue strength of fibre composites and the predictive capability of simulation tools. Many current prediction models for the fatigue life of fibre-reinforced polymers require a large amount for calibration experiments or are severely limited in their range of applications hindering their industrial use.

 

Therefore, you are taking a detailed look at this issue: You are researching the material behaviour at the micro level and contribute to the advancement of micro-scale numerical models. You are part of an interdisciplinary team, collaborating closely with scientific colleagues within the department.

 

Your tasks:

  • Literature review on constitutive material models for polymers (rate-dependency, plasticity)
  • Implementation of a constitutive material model as a user subroutine (UMAT) for ABAQUS
  • Testing and verification of the model implementation using selected test examples
  • Calibration of the material model with prepared, existing test data
  • Perform Finite Element simulations to predict material behavior under different loading conditions
  • Validation of the model by comparing simulation results with experimental data
  • Evaluation, discussion and documentation of methods and results in a scientific report (e.g. bachelor, master, or student thesis)

 

Your profile:

  • Ongoing bachelor's, master's or diploma studies in the field of Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Material Science, Computational Engineering or similar
  • Fundamental knowledge and interest in fibre-reinforced composites
  • Good knowledge in the field of applied mechanics and fundamental understanding of the concepts of continuum mechanics and material models
  • Initial experience with Finite Element Programmes such as ABAQUS, ANSYS, NASTRAN
  • Very good knowledge in programming (e.g. Python, FORTRAN) and good knowledge of MS Office
  • Good knowledge of German and English, both written and spoken
  • Analytical mindset and a proactive and independent way of working

We offer

DLR stands for diversity, appreciation and equality for all people. We promote independent work and the individual development of our employees both personally and professionally. To this end, we offer numerous training and development opportunities. Equal opportunities are of particular importance to us, which is why we want to increase the proportion of women in science and management in particular. Applicants with severe disabilities will be given preference if they are qualified.

 

We look forward to getting to know you!

 

If you have any questions about this position (Vacancy-ID 4613) please contact:

 

Mrudula Marripelli

Tel.: +49 531 295 1936


Dr. Caroline Lüders

Tel.: +49 531 295 3126

 
Apply now