Mechanical engineering
is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics
and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and
maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that
involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the
design, production, and operation of machines and tools. It is one of the oldest and broadest engineering disciplines.
The engineering field requires an understanding of core concepts
including mechanics, kinematics, thermodynamics, materials science,
structural analysis, and electricity. Mechanical engineers use these
core principles along with tools like computer-aided engineering and
product lifecycle management to design and analyze manufacturing plants,
industrial equipment and machinery, heating and cooling systems,
transport systems, aircraft, watercraft, robotics, medical devices, and
others.
Mechanical engineering emerged as a field during the industrial
revolution
in Europe in the 18th century; however, its development can be traced
back several thousand years around the world. Mechanical engineering
science emerged in the 19th century as a result of developments in the
field of physics.
The field has continually evolved to incorporate advancements in
technology, and mechanical engineers today are pursuing developments in
such fields as composites, mechatronics, and nanotechnology. Mechanical
engineering overlaps with aerospace engineering, building services
engineering, metallurgical engineering, marine engineering, civil
engineering, electrical engineering, petroleum engineering,
manufacturing engineering, and chemical engineering to varying amounts.
Coursework
Standards set by each country's accreditation society are intended to
provide uniformity in fundamental subject material, promote competence
among graduating engineers, and to maintain confidence in the
engineering profession as a whole. Engineering programs in the U.S., for
example, are required by ABET to show that their students can "work
professionally in both thermal and mechanical systems areas." The
specific courses required to graduate, however, may differ from program
to program. Universities and Institutes of technology
will often combine multiple subjects into a single class or split a
subject into multiple classes, depending on the faculty available and
the university's major area(s) of research.
The fundamental subjects of mechanical engineering usually include:
2. Strength of materials and solid mechanics
3. Instrumentation and measurement
4. Electrotechnology
5. Electronics
6. Thermodynamics, heat transfer, energy conversion, and
7. HVACCombustion, automotive engines, fuels
8. Fluid mechanics and fluid dynamics
9. Mechanism design (including kinematics and dynamics)
10. Manufacturing engineering, technology, or processes
11. Hydraulics and pneumatics
12. Mathematics - in particular, calculus, differential equations, and linear algebra.
13. Engineering design
14. Product design
15. Mechatronics and control theory
16. Material Engineering and Control engineering
17. Design engineering, Drafting, computer-aided design (CAD) (including solid modeling), and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM)
Mechanical
engineers are also expected to understand and be able to apply basic
concepts from chemistry, physics, chemical engineering, civil
engineering, and electrical engineering. All mechanical engineering
programs include multiple semesters of calculus, as well as advanced
mathematical concepts including differential equations, partial
differential equations, linear algebra, abstract algebra, and
differential geometry, among others.
In
addition to the core mechanical engineering curriculum, many
mechanical engineering programs offer more specialized programs and
classes, such as robotics, transport and logistics, cryogenics, fuel
technology, automotive engineering, biomechanics, vibration, optics and
others, if a separate department does not exist for these subjects.
Most mechanical engineering programs also require varying amounts of
research or community projects to gain practical problem-solving
experience. In India it is common for mechanical engineering
students to complete one or more internships while studying, though
this is not typically mandated by the university. Cooperative education
is another option. Future work skills research puts demand on study
components that feed student's creativity and innovation.
