Engineering Science

The Engineering Science research area at Sandia leads engineering transitions in advanced, highly critical systems by integrating theory development, experimental discovery and diagnostics, modeling, and computational approaches to refine our understanding of complex behavior in engineered systems. 

Why Our Work Matters 

Revolutionizing the fundamental understanding of complex engineered systems can lead to enhancements that will bolster our national security stance for decades to come. 

Our Unique Value 

We do leading-edge work on physical phenomena at the continuum and near-continuum scale, and our engineering expertise in national security systems is second to none. We have foundational knowledge across multiple disciplines, including solid mechanics, fluid mechanics of reacting and nonreacting systems, structural dynamics, thermal and combustion sciences, aerodynamics, shock physics and energetics, and electromagnetic sciences. Sandia has corporate expertise in materials sciences, nanosciences, and microsciences, and we have large-scale, complex test capabilities, including high-performance computing and world-class modeling, simulation, and visualization capabilities.

Recent Highlights

Detonation in multilayer explosives: Effects of characteristic length scale of mixing

Predicting explosive performance at length scales near the minimum needed for a detonation to propagate is often a challenge—surrounding materials, non-ideal interfaces, sample geometry, and local microstructure variations can all significantly impact explosive output....

Using machine learning to create rapid stronglink mechanisms

Computer aided design (CAD) to simulation workflows for nuclear deterrence (ND) have shown dramatic performance improvements with ML. This work targets some of the most inefficient, tedious, and error-prone bottlenecks using new ML-based methods....

Enabling fully predictive simulations using disruptive computational mechanics and novel diagnostics

Accurately capturing solidification of fluids and the development of residual stress is critical for fully predictive simulations for numerous applications in geoscience, nuclear safety, manufacturing, energy production, and bioscience. Researchers on this LDRD project...

Engineering Science Related Research Facilities

Advanced Power Electronic Conversion Systems (APEX)

The Advanced Power Electronic Conversion Systems (APEX) Laboratory supports the development of advanced power conversion topologies and intelligent control strategies. Research in the APEX laboratory focuses on robust and fault-tolerant...

Researcher working in APEX lab
Aerial Cable Facility (ACF)

The ACF is a unique capability for simulating drop and high-velocity impact testing combining a breadth of instrumentation.

Worker preparing for a cable pulldown test
Battery Abuse Testing Laboratory (BATLab)

The BATLab is an internationally recognized leader in energy storage system safety research.

Man testing battery at the Battery Abuse Testing Laboratory (BATLab)
Blast Tube Facility

The Blast Tube facility provides tests using different blast tube configurations with varying lengths and diameters to perform tests with energetic and hazardous materials.

Blast tube flow shot with fireball
Burn Site

Lurance Canyon Burn Site (LCBS) provides controlled fire environments to perform fundamental studies, simulate transportation and handling accidents for nuclear safety studies, and evaluate and certify hazardous materials shipping containers.

Item on fire at the burn site
Centrifuge/Superfuge

The Superfuge capability provides the most realistic flight environments beyond the typical launch, reentry, and flight inertial loads by combining vibration, spin, thermal, and shock.

Three technicians/engineers working on a component
Computer Science Research Institute (CSRI)

CSRI brings university faculty and students to Sandia for focused collaborative research on Department of Energy computer and computational science problems.

Two scientists working on computational science problems
Control and Optimization of Networked Energy Technologies (CONET) Laboratory

Researchers at the CONET Laboratory conduct research, development, and testing on networked and distributed systems.

Man at computer at the Control and Optimization of Networked Energy Technologies (CONET) Laboratory and Advanced Power Conversion (APEX) lab
Design, Evaluation and Test Technology Facility

The Design, Evaluation and Test Technology Facility focuses on simulating a wide range of environments for component and system testing.

Researcher holding component against the sun
Energy Storage Test Pad (ESTP)

ESTP, in conjunction with the Energy Storage Analysis Laboratory (ESAL), provides long-term testing and validation for electrical energy storage systems. The goal of the ESTP is to develop advanced energy...

Man standing next to an energy storage test pad
Engineering Sciences Experimental Facilities (ESEF)

The ESEF focuses on advanced diagnostics and fundamental experiments. Researchers seek to improve understanding of phenomena in areas of fluid flow, heat transfer, and aerodynamics.

Workers in the hypersonic wind tunnel
Explosive Components Facility (ECF)

The ECF provides unique capabilities allowing staff to design, test, and prototype a wide variety of energetic components in support of Sandia's ND mission.

Explosive Components Facility Building

Related Intellectual Property

Patents & Applications (34)
Title Portfolio Patent Number Grant Date
PASSIVE TUBE CLOSURE VALVE Flow Exhaustion 11,473,689 10/18/2022
Mode I fracture testing fixture Integrity, Flaw, and Fracture Testing 11,298,754 04/12/2022
FRICTION TESTING AND TORQUE SENSING SYSTEMS Integrity, Flaw, and Fracture Testing 11,199,485 12/14/2021
Temperature dependent x-ray fluorescence Temperature Control 11,079,287 08/03/2021
Selective modifiers for composite material property enhancement Integrity, Flaw, and Fracture Testing 11,046,048 06/29/2021
Structures including a measurement coating and methods of forming the same Integrity, Flaw, and Fracture Testing 11,022,582 06/01/2021
Methods and Computer Program Products for Locating and Characterizing Clutter in Large Spaces Modeling and Simulation 11,010,513 05/18/2021
Apparatus for high-throughput sequential tensile testing and methods thereof Integrity, Flaw, and Fracture Testing 11,002,649 05/11/2021
Dynamic, risk informed decision support systems and methods Modeling and Simulation 10,997,513 05/04/2021
Constructing a conforming Voronoi mesh for an arbitrarily-shaped enclosed geometric domain Modeling and Simulation 10,776,537 09/15/2020
Constructing a conforming voronoi mesh for an arbitrarily-shaped enclosed geometric domain Modeling and Simulation 10,776,540 09/15/2020
Mechanical testing equipment for material characterization Integrity, Flaw, and Fracture Testing 10,481,057 11/19/2019
In situ environmentally-isolated wear tester Integrity, Flaw, and Fracture Testing 10,429,284 10/01/2019
Centrifuge with vector-seeking linkage Integrity, Flaw, and Fracture Testing 10,421,081 09/24/2019
High sensitivity bearing tester and systems thereof Integrity, Flaw, and Fracture Testing 10,371,598 08/06/2019
Generating an implicit voronoi mesh to decompose a domain of arbitrarily many dimensions Modeling and Simulation 10,304,243 05/28/2019
High resolution, non-contact removal rate module for serial sectioning Integrity, Flaw, and Fracture Testing 10,260,865 04/16/2019
Systems and methods for spray cooling Temperature Control 10,156,402 12/18/2018
Spring performance tester for miniature extension springs Integrity, Flaw, and Fracture Testing 9,651,464 05/16/2017
Method for providing a low density high strength polyurethane foam Integrity, Flaw, and Fracture Testing 8,466,207 06/18/2013
High force vibration testing with wide frequency range Integrity, Flaw, and Fracture Testing 8,408,066 04/02/2013
Technique for converting non-conforming hexahedral-to-hexahedral interfaces into conforming interfaces Modeling and Simulation 8,390,620 03/05/2013
Method and device for tensile testing of cable bundles Integrity, Flaw, and Fracture Testing 8,286,498 10/16/2012
Quadrilateral finite element mesh coarsening Modeling and Simulation 8,289,322 10/16/2012
Quadrilateral/hexahedral finite element mesh coarsening Modeling and Simulation 8,290,754 10/16/2012
Hexahedral finite element mesh coarsening using pillowing technique Modeling and Simulation 8,194,068 06/05/2012
Rivet rotating eddy current probe Integrity, Flaw, and Fracture Testing 7,902,819 03/08/2011
Fracture-resistant lanthanide scintillators Integrity, Flaw, and Fracture Testing 7,863,572 01/04/2011
Using piezo-electric material to simulate a vibration environment Integrity, Flaw, and Fracture Testing 7,851,973 12/14/2010
Unconstrained paving and plastering method for generating finite element meshes Modeling and Simulation 7,671,858 03/02/2010
Vicinal light inspection of translucent materials Integrity, Flaw, and Fracture Testing 7,650,028 01/19/2010
Rotating concave eddy current probe Integrity, Flaw, and Fracture Testing 7,352,176 04/01/2008
Method of generating a surface mesh Modeling and Simulation 7,339,584 03/04/2008
Thermographic Phosphor Digital Image Correlation Integrity, Flaw, and Fracture Testing Pending Pending
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Current Engineering Science Openings

Current Engineering Science Openings

Albuquerque, NM 13 Livermore, CA 10 Other Sites 0
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