Research Engineer - Joining CAE

We made history and now we work to transform the future - for our customers, our communities and our families. You'll see your work on the road every day, helping people move freely and pursue their dreams. At Ford, you can build more than vehicles. Come build what matters.

In this position...

The Materials, Process, Structures & Safety organization within Ford Research & Advanced Engineering is seeking an employee to work in the Advanced Joining Research Department. The team delivers novel mechanical, thermal, and chemical joining solutions to reduce cost, improve quality, and enable Ford vehicle architectures and powertrains. The department comprises a multidisciplinary team of mechanical and materials engineers, adhesive and welding specialists, computer scientists, and laboratory technicians.

When new joining processes are developed, robust execution in design is critical. Implementing new joining technologies or changing from one joining technology to another requires accurate reliable models to predict the joint behavior in-vehicle. Models are critical to enable design efficiency (right joining technology in the right location) and reduce design verification iterations (testing and timing). This position will develop models and simulation of performance for joints to support analytical sign-off of components and vehicles.

Research Engineer-Joining CAE

What you'll do...

Develop fundamental CAE models of automotive joints produced via novel mechanical, thermal, and chemical joining processes to enable robust simulation of component and full-vehicle attributes.

Design experiments, conduct joining trials and correlation experiments, characterize mechanical and metallurgical properties of joints and materials, and perform statistical analyses to develop and optimize joining performance models and determine key inputs.

Conduct sensitivity analyses to determine impact of imperfections on joint attributes.

Work cross-functionally with other materials simulation experts to integrate material cards and models into safety CAE for different joining technologies.

Pursue a balanced portfolio of long-term research and shorter-term development.

Conduct gap analyses and evaluate business case for new models.

Collaborate with stakeholders in Product Development, suppliers and IT to develop and implement advanced joining models and make improvements.

Benchmark competitor models and simulations for joining performance.

Develop test methods; support engineering specification and design guideline development.

Identify and implement novel process improvements and protect intellectual property.

Document findings via oral presentations and written technical reports.

What you'll do...

Develop fundamental CAE models of automotive joints produced via novel mechanical, thermal, and chemical joining processes to enable robust simulation of component and full-vehicle attributes.

Design experiments, conduct joining trials and correlation experiments, characterize mechanical and metallurgical properties of joints and materials, and perform statistical analyses to develop and optimize joining performance models and determine key inputs.

Conduct sensitivity analyses to determine impact of imperfections on joint attributes.

Work cross-functionally with other materials simulation experts to integrate material cards and models into safety CAE for different joining technologies.

Pursue a balanced portfolio of long-term research and shorter-term development.

Conduct gap analyses and evaluate business case for new models.

Collaborate with stakeholders in Product Development, suppliers and IT to develop and implement advanced joining models and make improvements.

Benchmark competitor models and simulations for joining performance.

Develop test methods; support engineering specification and design guideline development.

Identify and implement novel process improvements and protect intellectual property.

Document findings via oral presentations and written technical reports.