Stress Analyst

Analyses stress, what else would they do !

Calculating the stresses on and deflections of components. In most machines the limiting factor in the design is not the point at which the component actually fails (breaks), but the point where the deflection of the internal components causes misalignment problems.

The general principles are the same whether it is mechanical or structural, but the size of the numbers in structural will tend to be a little larger.

Personally, I find the math the hardest (in either discipline), as to what is the most exciting, that really depends upon what turns your crank (pun intended)

Personality is probably the biggest factor in deciding which on is best for you.

Good luck!

Isn't a Stress Analyst a type of head doctor or psychologist?

I really like math and mechanics so I'd like to go into the field that has the most complex analysis, but are they both equal?

And yeah, I guess someone working with human stress can be called a stress analyst.=)

I would say structural, due to wind and earthquake loads, but I suspect that most is done by computer modeling and there may not be much actual math involved. If you're really interested, pick a local engineering group and nag them until they take you on as an intern - that's the best exposure you can get.

Please refer to Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia, to see the exact definitions.

Stress analysis is an engineering discipline that determines the stress in materials and structures subjected to static or dynamic forces or loads (see statics and dynamics) (alternately, in linear elastic systems, strain can be used in place of stress).

The aim of the analysis is usually to determine whether the element or collection of elements, usually referred to as a structure, can safely withstand the specified forces. This is achieved when the determined stress from the applied force(s) is less than the ultimate tensile strength, ultimate compressive strength or fatigue strength the material is known to be able to withstand, though ordinarily a safety factor is applied in design.

A key part of analysis involves determining the type of loads acting on a structure, including tension, compression, shear, torsion, bending, or combinations of such loads.