IIT Roorkee Type-IV CNG Cylinder Project Assistant 2026: Composite Manufacturing, ANSYS & One-Year Role

One research vacancy built around a real engineering-manufacturing challenge

IIT Roorkee's Department of Hydro and Renewable Energy has advertised one Project Assistant for the research/consultancy project “Development of Filament Wound Type 4 Composite Cylinder for the Storage of Compressed Natural Gas in Cascades.” The Principal Investigator is Dr. Pranjali Sharma and the named project sponsor is Raj Process Equipments and Systems Pvt. Ltd., Pune. The appointment is advertised for one year, and applications are due to the investigator by 3 November 2026 at 5:00 PM. These are project-specific terms, not the terms of a permanent IIT technical-staff recruitment.

The distinguishing feature is the combination of a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering with stated working experience in polymer-matrix fibre-reinforced composites, engineering analysis and practical composite manufacturing. Candidates should not assume that a mechanical degree alone satisfies the advertisement.

The eligibility test is practical experience, not just a degree title

The official advertisement specifies B.Tech (Mechanical Engineering) together with working experience covering fibre-reinforced polymer-matrix composite material handling; design for assembly and manufacturing; meshing and simulation using analytical software such as Ansys and Altair HyperMesh; VARTM, autoclave and out-of-autoclave processes; and the design and manufacture of composite moulds. The notice does not provide an alternative M.Tech-only route or a general eligibility provision for other undergraduate disciplines. It does not state a minimum percentage, CGPA, GATE qualification, NET requirement or numerical years of prior employment.

That last distinction matters: experience is stated, but a minimum number of years is not. A candidate should document the actual processes handled, tools used and parts or moulds produced rather than invent an experience threshold such as two or three years. For example, knowledge of Ansys without any stated experience in composite-material manufacturing is not a guaranteed substitute for the hands-on process requirements; conversely an applicant with manufacturing experience should not overlook the named meshing and simulation proficiency. Final evaluation rests with the institute.

Evidence an applicant can use to demonstrate the advertised experience

The table is application-preparation advice, not an expansion of the official prerequisites. The advertisement does not prescribe any particular number of published papers, software licence, certification, competition score, testing standard or portfolio format.

What Type-IV and filament winding imply — and what is not promised

The research title identifies a filament-wound Type-IV composite cylinder for compressed natural-gas storage in cascades. In general composite-vessel engineering, Type-IV indicates a composite-overwrapped, non-metallic-lined pressure-vessel design; filament winding is a manufacturing approach for creating a fibre-reinforced load-carrying structure. These are technical explanations of the terminology, not additional job specifications from the advertisement. For independent context, the Government of India Technology Development Board describes other Indian Type-IV CNG systems involving polymer liners and filament winding in its own separate 2026 industrial announcement. That separate industrial programme is not IIT Roorkee’s announced project: its performance claims, manufacturing plant and technical specifications must not be attributed to this vacancy. IIT Roorkee does not disclose a particular liner polymer, fibre grade, resin system, winding pattern, working pressure, burst requirement, qualification standard, manufacturing plant or instrument list in the posted notice. Applicants should therefore avoid presenting those details as confirmed project requirements.

The overlap between simulation and manufacture is the more useful insight. The institute asks for design and analytical software and process knowledge spanning VARTM, autoclave and out-of-autoclave methods. This is broader than a generic CAD-drafter role: a strong application can explain how the applicant links composite design decisions, meshing, manufacturing feasibility and mould/tooling realities. That is an interpretation of the combined listed skills; the actual work allocation will be determined by the PI.

Emoluments: the printed range is not an established starting salary

The signed one-page notice states “Rs. 26,000/- to 57,000/- + HRA” as emoluments. The numerical difference between the endpoints is ₹31,000, with HRA mentioned separately. Critically, this particular PDF does not expressly say “per month,” disclose the HRA rate or explain how one applicant's amount will be fixed within the range. It would therefore be misleading to promise either ₹57,000 on joining or a specified monthly take-home payment. The structured SarkariSapna pay period is classified as other/unspecified until the investigator or institute confirms the period and applicable basis. Candidates should ask about the exact offer, payment period, HRA eligibility and terms at interview.

The stated duration is one year. The advertisement does not promise an automatic renewal, a permanent appointment, pay progression to the range maximum or subsequent absorption into IIT Roorkee. The Pune location of the project sponsor is not evidence that the successful applicant will be posted or employed in Pune; the advertised host and PI are at IIT Roorkee.

Application mechanics: an email deadline, not an online portal

The official PDF asks applicants interested in interviewing to submit an application on plain paper with a detailed CV listing degree/certificate disciplines chronologically, details of research, industrial and other experience, and attested copies of degrees/certificates and experience certificates. It discusses sending the documents to the PI's office by email, by post or producing them at interview, but specifically says the application must be submitted by email to the PI by 3 November 2026, 5:00 PM. The practical safe route for meeting the deadline is to send the complete application package to pranjali.sharma@hre.iitr.ac.in by the stated time. Do not replace this deadline with a speculative later postal-receipt date.

The advertisement does not prescribe a web application, digital-registration ID, a paid application transaction, a template email subject or a compulsory number of CV pages. A clear subject such as “Project Assistant — Type-IV CNG Composite Cylinder — IIT Roorkee” is merely applicant convenience, not a notified requirement. Save the sent message and attachments. Before sending, reconcile the name and qualification titles across the CV and the attested evidence.

Interview and verification: what is announced, what is not

An interview is contemplated by the signed advertisement, and candidates are explicitly told to bring original degree/certificate and experience certificates for verification. No fixed interview date, time, venue, shortlist publication, written screening examination, skill-test paper, assessment weightage or final-merit formula is announced. Do not manufacture an Ansys practical test or a GATE requirement simply because those would sound plausible for this project. If a specific interview invitation arrives, its official instructions govern that stage.

The notice says no TA/DA is admissible for attending the interview. It also provides preference to SC/ST candidates when qualifications and experience are equal. With only one post and no numerical reservation distribution in the PDF, this must not be rewritten into a fixed reserved-category vacancy or a numerical interview cutoff. No minimum/maximum age, formal age relaxation schedule, application fee, result date, admit card, answer key, cutoff, joining date or medical date is provided. These omissions are reasons not to add unsupported lifecycle records, not evidence that a later administrative check can never occur.

Applicant decisions that the notice actually changes

Applicant A — B.Tech Mechanical plus years of composite production: potentially relevant, especially where actual VARTM/autoclave, mould and analytical tasks can be documented. The notice does not state how many years are sufficient; the institute evaluates fit.

Applicant B — B.Tech Mechanical with only conventional mechanical CAD: the degree matches, but the advertisement also lists substantive fibre-polymer composite processing and manufacturing experience. Do not claim unconditional eligibility on degree alone.

Applicant C — M.Tech in a related composite discipline without B.Tech Mechanical: the one-page advertisement specifically names B.Tech Mechanical Engineering. It does not publish a blanket equivalence rule; confirmation from the PI is needed rather than assuming a higher degree supersedes the stated undergraduate requirement.

Applicant D — Experienced engineer seeking permanent technical-staff employment: this is a one-year sponsored project position, not an advertised regular IIT recruitment.

Applicant E — Candidate expecting an online exam or an admit-card date: only an interview and original-document check are mentioned, so no recruitment-specific written-test syllabus, hall-ticket date or marks pattern can legitimately be entered.

Applicant F — Candidate outside Uttarakhand: Indian nationality is stated; the notice does not prescribe Uttarakhand domicile. Travel, if required for the interview, is at the applicant's expense because no TA/DA is admissible. The institute has not stated that interview participation will necessarily be online.

Documented stage-by-stage lifecycle

1. 13 October 2026: date printed on the signed project advertisement. The official IIT Roorkee project-jobs index also lists the opening under the Department of Hydro and Renewable Energy.
2. By 3 November 2026, 5 PM: email a plain-paper application, chronological CV, research/industrial experience information and attested certificates to the named Principal Investigator.
3. Interview and original-document verification: the PDF requires originals at interview; the date, shortlist mechanism and venue are not published in this notice.
4. Subsequent decision/offer: no result, cutoff, appointment or joining schedule is yet officially identified in the supplied advertisement; add records later only when institute-issued evidence becomes available.

For official updates, use the signed IIT Roorkee HRE project advertisement and IIT Roorkee's Project Jobs listing. This is a different notice from the IIT Roorkee ECE Vortex Electromagnetic Waves JRF recruitment closing on 5 November 2026; the two advertisements must not be merged merely because the institute is the same.