Vehicle Track Interaction Testing & Research Engineering Intern
Project Name: Vehicle Track Interaction (VTI) Testing and Research.
Preferred Degree: Mechanical Engineering or Railroad Engineering.
About TTCI:
Located near the foot of the beautiful Rocky Mountain Front Range, TTCI is home to world-renowned experts in all facets of railway technology. TTCI's unrivaled capabilities are leading the way to a safer future for America's railroads. Our Vision is to be the provider of choice for advancing railway safety and technology. Our Mission is to provide highly effective and efficient railway research, testing, training, and technical support — and our people are at the heart of that Mission. Every day, our team works together in a culture of respect, integrity, and family spirit to improve the future of rail.
Project Description:
The projects' general objectives include research to analyze and improve railway vehicle dynamic performance and reduce dynamic forces and wear to the track. Projects may also include improving wear and rolling contact fatigue of wheels and rails and structural strength and fatigue of vehicles and their components. These projects may be funded by the Association of American Railroads as part of TTCI's Strategic Research Initiatives program, through the Federal Railway Administration (FRA), TTCI's internal research and development, and/or commercial customers.
Primary Duties:
The primary duties will be to support laboratory and field-testing, including test planning and scheduling, test setup, collecting and analyzing data, assisting with performing computer simulations, technical research, and reporting results. May also support on-track testing to verify, validate, and tune simulations of full-scale railway vehicle dynamics.
Minimum Qualifications:
·Basic knowledge of vehicle dynamics, wheel/rail contact mechanics, vibration and control, statistics, database, and computer programming languages.
·Experience programming and data processing tools; familiarity with testing methods, data collection, and analysis techniques.
·Familiarity with statistical analysis methods.
·Demonstrable proficient computer skills.
·Must be capable of working individually or within teams.
·Experience using Microsoft Office software; A strong foundation using Microsoft Excel (data organization and analysis, functions, charts/plots, and basic programming).
·Willingness to learn about railroad track geometry, track components, and systems and develop data analysis, literature review, multi-tasking, and strong communication & leadership skills.
·Must be fully vaccinated or be willing to receive the full COVID-19 vaccination by the date of hire to be considered. Proof of vaccination is required. *Request for reasonable accommodation for a disability and/or religious beliefs is permitted.
Preferred Qualifications:
·At least two years of undergraduate coursework or an undergraduate degree working towards a Master's Degree.
·Coursework would include structures, dynamics, materials, or railway engineering. Programming experience with C, C++, C# and FORTRAN languages, MATLAB, Minitab, Statistica, MultiVu, AutoCAD, Solidworks, and advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel.
·Experience with performing Finite Element Analysis.
·Experience with large volumes of data in spreadsheets or databases and computer programming, computer-based analysis, computer-aided design, and computer-based modeling.
Length of service:
These projects are ongoing. The intern’s term can be for the summer only (end August 2022) or, if available, continue part-time through the fall (end December 2022). This position is allocated for and is expected to consume 100% of the intern’s work hours.
Project Deliverable:
Assist project engineers with the following:
· Development of test plans and procedures
· Conducting field and laboratory testing
· Assisting with computer simulations
· Analysis/observation/interpretation of simulation and test data
· Drafting portions of the test reports and presentations
Working Environment and Level of Physical Activity:
The conditions herein represent those that an employee must meet to perform this job's essential functions successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.
·Environment: Office and field environments. Must be able to walk in an industrial and/or railroad environment, including uneven surfaces such as ballast.
· Vision: See in the normal visual range with or without correction; vision sufficient to read computer screens and printed documents.
· Hearing: Hear in the normal audio range with or without correction.
Benefits Overview:
· 401(k) Program with company match
· Family Atmosphere with a Great Work-Life Balance
· Opportunity for Growth and Development