Alessandro Acuna
+Structural Engineer
++ Mechanical Engineer passionate about aerospace and advanced manufacturing, specialized in developing structural components from concept to advanced FEM validation. Focus on composite materials, CAD, FEA, and explicit simulations. +
+Availability
+Currently at Airbus (contract until Dec 2025). Open to a new Structural Engineer role from January 2026.
+Madrid, Spain · DE IT ES UK
+Key competencies
+Experience
+ +
+ AIRBUS - Structural Design & Analysis Engineer + Madrid, ES +
+-
+
- Development and assessment of repair solutions for composite and metallic components. +
- Part design for A350 HTP and Section 19 (rear fuselage) in CATIA V5. +
- Design Office interface in production, ensuring structural integrity and compliance. +
- Development of numerical models and explicit simulations for composite damage mechanisms. +
+ DLR - Master Thesis · R&D Engineer + Stuttgart, DE +
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+
- Thesis for the EU project r-LightBioCom on sustainable high-performance composites for automotive/aerospace. +
- Computed environmental footprint for 1 kg of materials in openLCA. +
- Quasi-static & dynamic compression tests on cores (honeycomb/foam) and KPIs combining LCA and mechanical performance. +
- Implementation and calibration of LS-DYNA MAT cards from test data. +
- FEM static/dynamic analyses to validate experiments. +
+ UniBo Motorsport - Stress & Design Engineer + Bologna, IT +
+-
+
- Design and Stress Analysis of automotive parts (monocoque moulds, dashboard support, driver harness). +
- FEM on CFRP chassis under multiple loads; investigation of delamination causes. +
+ D.V.P. Vacuum Technology - Bachelor Thesis · R&D Engineer + Bologna, IT +
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+
- Experimental campaigns on flow rates and pressure losses in turbines and control valves. +
- Built performance maps in GT-Suite and validated the model. +
+ CPC Group - Composite Laminator + Modena, IT +
+-
+
- Lamination of CFRP moulds and a chassis for Formula SAE team. +
Academic Projects
+Composite stiffened panels
+Buckling & damage tolerance checks, layup optimization (skin & stringers), deflection verification. UPM · Feb–May 2025
+Composite laminate — Hashin (Abaqus)
+UD laminate under tension vs compression; ply-by-ply failure using Hashin initiation; FEM-driven analysis. UPM · Jan–Mar 2025
+Rear Fuselage — Section 19 (Skin & Stringers)
+Skin laminate & stringer concept, drop-offs, reinforcements, frame joints (clips, Ø4.8 mm). UPM · Jan–Mar 2024
+Motorbike rear subframe — AlSi10Mg (SLM)
+Topology optimization, VDI 2230 bolted joints, static/fatigue validation (Ansys), weight minimization. Unibo · Sep–Dec 2024
+Composite drone structure
+Lamination definition, thickness optimization, harmonic & impact FEM analyses. Unibo · Feb–Jun 2023
+Composite stiffened panels
+Objective — Design and validate CFRP panels with stringers, minimizing weight while meeting buckling and damage-tolerance requirements under the defined load cases.
+ + + +What I did
+-
+
- Defined layups for skin and stringers (symmetry, balance, ply percentages). +
- Pre-sized reinforcements and verified local/global buckling and stringer crippling. +
- Checked deflections and margins of safety (MS) vs requirements. +
- Performed thickness optimization (weight vs stiffness/stability) with FEM feedback. +
- Used buckling mode shapes to guide redesign iterations. +
Tools
+Abaqus / Ansys for FEM; engineering spreadsheets for trade-offs; aerospace laminate rules.
+Results
+-
+
- Weight reduction: ≈ X–Y% (replace with your actual value). +
- MS ≥ 0 for buckling and crippling on critical load cases. +
- Deflections ≤ specified limit. +
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+ 
+ +
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- Buckling & Crippling +
- Optimized Layup +
- FEM-Driven +
- MS ≥ 0 +
Composite laminate — Hashin (Abaqus)
+Objective — Simulate a UD laminate under tension and compression using Hashin damage initiation to identify ply-by-ply failure and compare tensile vs compressive capacity.
+ + + +Model
+-
+
- Coupon: 100 × 20 mm, 10 plies × 0.25 mm = 2.5 mm; symmetric layup [0°, ±45°, 0°, 90°]s. +
- Elements: S4R shell mesh (~2 mm); material: UD lamina with elastic + Hashin inputs. +
- BC/Load: bottom clamped; top edge coupled to a Reference Point with prescribed Y-displacement. +
- Damage model: Hashin initiation (no damage evolution). Outputs: HSNFTCRT, HSNFCCRT, HSNMTCRT, HSNMCCRT. +
Results
+-
+
- Tension: 90° matrix-tension → ±45° matrix-shear → 0° fiber-tension; UTS ≈ 413 MPa. +
- Compression: ±45° matrix-compression → 90° matrix-compression → 0° fiber-compression; UCS ≈ 336 MPa. +
- Strength ratio: UTS/UCS ≈ 1.23 (≈23% stronger in tension). +
+ 
+ 
+ 
+ +
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+
- Hashin initiation +
- [0/±45/0/90]s +
- UTS 413 MPa +
- UCS 336 MPa +
- Ratio ≈ 1.23 +
Rear Fuselage — Section 19 (Skin & Stringers)
+Objective — Define composite skin and stringer concept, reinforcements, drop-offs, and frame joints (clips, Ø4.8 mm) for a fuselage bay between Frames A–B.
+ + + +Given data
+-
+
- Geometry: cylinder R = 4500 mm; frames 550 mm apart; stringer pitch 150 mm. +
- Material: UD, CPT 0.184 mm. +
- Skin: base 9 plies (2/4/3); reinforcement 14 plies (2/8/4), 100 × 70 mm patch. +
- Stringers: h < 35 mm, R ≥ 3 mm; web 20 plies (50% 0° / 40% ±45° / 10% 90°); web = 2× flange. +
- Joints: clips + Ø 4.8 mm fasteners. +
What I did
+-
+
- Built the master geometry (frames & stringers on skin), set pitch and feet widths. +
- Mapped skin layups, drop-offs and reinforcement footprint. +
- Sized stringer web/flanges and verified repairability (L1 for Ø4.8 mm). +
- Defined clip joints and prepared drawings, materials list, and panel weight. +
+ 
+ 
+ +
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+
- R 4500 mm +
- Pitch 150 mm +
- UD CPT 0.184 mm +
- Clips Ø 4.8 mm +
Motorbike Rear Subframe — AlSi10Mg (SLM)
+Objective — Design the lightest possible rear saddle frame within the boundary envelope, load-case compliant (static + fatigue), manufacturable by SLM (AlSi10Mg).
+ + + +Process
+-
+
- AM setup: AlSi10Mg; printer SLM NXG XII 600 (590 × 560 × 367 mm). +
- Topology: stress-based trial (~2.8 kg) → compliance-based (~2.06 kg) with rebuilds. +
- Bolts (VDI 2230): Subframe M8×4; saddle M5×4; preload & checks via hand calcs + MATLAB from FEA reactions. +
- Validation (Ansys): static + fatigue, mesh conv. ~1.5 mm; local refinements near bolts. +
Results
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+
- Safety factors: > 2 static, > 1 fatigue (Goodman). +
- Deflection: < 2 mm under defined loads. +
- Final weight: ~656 g after combined-load map optimization. +
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+ 
+ 
+ +
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- AlSi10Mg — SLM +
- Topology-Optimized +
- VDI 2230 bolts +
- SF>2 / SF>1 +
- ~656 g +
Composite drone structure
+Objective — Define laminate schedule and thicknesses to minimize weight while maintaining stiffness and strength on a composite drone frame, with harmonic and impact checks on critical members.
+ + + +What I did
+-
+
- Selected laminate families for arms and central plate (ply angles, stacking rules, symmetry/balance). +
- Ran thickness optimization under flight-load envelopes (hover, maneuver, landing). +
- Built FEM and extracted harmonic response to avoid resonance near rotor frequencies. +
- Performed impact scenarios on weak spots (arm-hub joints, landing edges). +
Results
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+
- Weight reduction vs baseline while keeping MS ≥ 0 in static checks. +
- Minimum separation to rotor-induced frequencies achieved. +
- Local reinforcements added only where needed after impact assessment. +
+ 
+ 
+ +
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- Layup Optimization +
- Harmonic Check +
- Impact FEM +
- MS ≥ 0 +
Education
+
+ Master in Composite Materials + AIRBUS Programme, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid +
+Courses: Design & Analysis of Advanced Composite Structures · Abaqus Lab · Space Structures.
+
+ MSc in Mechanical Engineering (Minor: Mechanical Design & Modelling) + University of Bologna +
+Courses: Chassis & Body · Surface CAD · Structural CAD · Product Development Processes & Methods.
+
+ Erasmus+ Aerospace Engineering + University of Stuttgart +
+Computational Dynamics (Robotics) · Computational Mechanics of Structures · Advanced FEA Technology.
++ BSc in Mechanical Engineering + University of Bologna +
+Skills
+Software
+Soft Skills
+Languages
+Contact
+Interested in collaborating or need the CV in a different format? Get in touch.
+-
+
- Monday - Friday: 09:00 - 19:00 +
- Saturday: 09:00 - 19:00 +
- Sunday: 09:00 - 12:00 +