ENGINEERING &
MAINTENANCE MANUAL
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Aircraft Maintenance · Design · Manufacturing
SELECTED ENGINEERING PROJECTS, TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE
AND PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
CHAPTER — SECTION — DESCRIPTION
PERSONNEL / BACKGROUND / EDUCATION
I'm Zarin Sikder, a mechanical engineering student at Olin College of Engineering with a foundation in hands-on aircraft maintenance.
I began my career as an aircraft mechanic, where I became interested in how the systems I repaired were designed, built and engineered to fly. That practical background shapes how I approach mechanical design, fabrication, testing and aerospace systems: connecting analysis with assembly, inspection and real-world constraints.
At Olin, my engineering teams include Formula Electric (FSAE), Baja SAE and Rocketry. My Formula SAE work connects sheet-metal design, material selection and fabrication through the accumulator enclosure project.
Aircraft maintenance foundations
I enjoy exploring hiking trails, mountains, waterfalls and new places to eat.
↑ Table of contentsPROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE / ENGINEERING TEAMS
Lift Kit Team · Co-op Intern
My Lift Kit co-op combines propeller-test instrumentation, data analysis and composite manufacturing.
I worked with strain gauges, load cells and accelerometers for propeller and modal testing, and used MATLAB coordinate transformations for force and moment analysis.
I developed GitLab CI automation for test-data processing, designed and fabricated RTM tooling, performed material testing, and prepared manufacturing drawings and work instructions.
Accumulator Engineer
I redesigned the accumulator enclosure in SolidWorks Sheet Metal, selecting aluminum construction to address manufacturing and testing constraints while retaining compatibility with the existing chassis and mounts.
My work included hand calculations for rivet pitch, shear strength, bearing strength and spacing, battery-segment packaging, and electrical-insulation selection. I coordinated with the cooling, service-access and mounting designers. The team passed the official accumulator inspection, and the finalized design remained in the team's PDM vault as a baseline enclosure.
20-01 — Accumulator enclosure reportResearcher
I built an openLCA model to compare the environmental and life-cycle cost tradeoffs of self-healing and conventional carbon-fiber aircraft panels. The study incorporated maintenance, repair and technician-training assumptions to evaluate how each approach would be supported throughout its service life.
Drivetrain Engineer
I compared differential and half-shaft options through drivetrain architecture trade studies, examining alternatives for the vehicle's drivetrain layout.
Composite airframe work
I performed composite airframe layups and post-processing.
FAA Airframe & Powerplant background with practical experience in aircraft systems and maintenance.
Aircraft maintenance foundationsPROJECT INDEX / ENGINEERING REPORTS
Selected work in mechanical design, aircraft structures, manufacturing, mechatronics and prototyping.
↑ Table of contentsQUALIFICATIONS / CONTACT
Olin education and FAA certifications