Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering, a broad-range variety of engineering, involves the direct application of certain physical principles for design, maintenance, analysis, and manufacturing of mechanical systems. These processes can be as complex as optimizing an engine for speed or as simple as designing a chair for comfort. Projects can be as large as assembling a supertanker for the transport of oil worldwide, or as small as cutting nano-sized gear.

Some of the largest divisions in mechanical engineering include thermo-science and thermo-fluids, designs and controls, manufacturing, and engineering mechanics. There are also specialized fields within the mechanical engineering sector such as mechatronics, logistics, robotics, biomechanics, and cryogenics, to name a few.

In the early days, and before the Industrial Revolution, only two types of engineers could be found. The first variety of engineer worked primarily for the military, building war-related items such as cannons, catapults, and fortifications. The second type of engineer, the civil engineer, build buildings, aqueducts, harbors, bridges, and other necessary structures. During the early portion of the 19th century, the mechanical engineering field in England began to develop a separate entity, providing machines for manufacturing purposes as well as the engines which powered them. From those early developments came an explosion of modern engineering branches, which today serve countless purposes.

Today's modern engineer receives rigorous training, with a strong foundation in science and mathematics, followed by courses suited to the application of said knowledge to an area of specialty. The engineer is further instructed in the humanities and social sciences to give them a full spectrum education experience. Mechanical engineering degrees are offered at numerous four-year universities across America, as well as in other industrialized nations. In the United States, the typical program awards students with a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Some engineering students may choose an additional degree to pursue at the postgraduate level, such as Master of Science, Management, Engineering, or a Doctor of Philosophy degree. Since mechanical engineering tends to overlap with other related engineering disciplines, graduates will commonly choose to master in additional fields of engineering.

Today's modern design processes and analysis of mechanical engineering are assisted by a variety of computer-driven tools such as finite element analysis, computer-aided manufacturing, computer-aided design, and computational fluid dynamics. In the area of system control and designing, an engineer may use one or more of these computer systems to give instructions to computer controlled machines such as milling machines, robots, and lathes. The engineer can automate the entire process of manufacturing without using intermediate drawings. An engineer who is working with thermo-fluid may design air-conditioning systems, a heat sink, or internal combustion engines. Other tasks may focus on the manipulation of fluids specifically, such as the creation of a turbine to propel a submarine, spray guns for the application of chemical coatings, or cooling fans for an electrical system.

When working at the smallest scale, mechanical engineering is transformed into molecular engineering and nanotechnology. It is speculated that in the near future a molecular assembler will be created, through which materials and molecules will be utilized through mechanosynthesis. At the time being, these goals remain within the experimentation phase of engineering.

Related areas of specialization include architectural, chemical, civil, aerospace, and electrical engineering, as well as industrial, nuclear, systems, and other engineering fields.