Ch. 1

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
ENG 104: POWER MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PRINCIPALS

Dr. Amr Hassaan
CHAPTER 1
What is Mechanical Engineering?

Definition of Mechanical Engineering
My personal definition of Mechanical Engineering is
Mechanical engineering is the discipline that applies engineering, physics, and materials science principles to
design, analyze, manufacture, and maintain mechanical systems. It is one of the oldest and broadest of the
engineering disciplines. If it needs engineering but it doesn’t involve electrons, chemical reactions, arrangement
of molecules, life forms, isn’t a structure (building/bridge/dam) and doesn’t fly, a mechanical engineer will take
care of it… but if it does involve electrons, chemical reactions, arrangement of molecules, life forms, is a
structure or does fly, mechanical engineers may handle it anyway.
Although every engineering faculty member in every engineering department will claim that his/her field is the
broadest engineering discipline, in the case of Mechanical Engineering that’s actually true (I claim) because the
core material permeates all engineering systems (fluid mechanics, solid mechanics, heat transfer, control
systems, etc.)
Mechanical engineering is one of the oldest engineering fields (though perhaps Civil Engineering is even older)
but in the past 20 years has undergone a rather remarkable transformation as a result of a number of new
technological developments including:
 Computer Aided Design (CAD). The average non-technical person probably thinks that
mechanical engineers sit in front of a drafting table drawing blueprints for devices having
nuts,bolts, shafts, gears, bearings, levers, etc. While that image was somewhat true 100
years ago, today the drafting board has long since been replaced by CAD software, which
enables a part to be constructed and tested virtually before any physical object is
manufactured.
 Simulation. CAD allows not only sizing and checking for fit and interferences, but the
resulting virtual parts are tested structurally, thermally, electrically, aerodynamically, etc.
and modified as necessary before committing to manufacturing.
 Sensor and actuators. Nowadays even common consumer products such as automobiles
have dozens of sensors to measure temperatures, pressures, flow rates, linear and rotational
speeds, etc. These sensors are used not only to monitor the health and performance of the
device, but also as inputs to a microcontroller. The microcontroller in turn commands
actuators that adjust flow rates (e.g. of fuel into an engine), timings (e.g. of spark ignition),
positions (e.g. of valves), etc.
 3D printing. Traditional “subtractive manufacturing” consisted of starting with a block or
casting of material and removing material by drilling, milling, grinding, etc. The shapes
that can be created in this way are limited compared to modern “additive manufacturing”
or “3D printing” in which a structure is built in layers. Just as CAD + simulation has led to
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a new way of designing systems, 3D printing has led to a new way of creating prototypes
and in limited cases, full-scale production.
 Collaboration with other fields. Historically, a nuts-and-bolts device such as an
automobile was designed almost exclusively by mechanical engineers. Modern vehicles
have vast electrical and electronic systems, safety systems (e.g. air bags, seat restraints),
specialized batteries (in the case of hybrids or electric vehicles), etc., which require design
contributions from electrical, biomechanical and chemical engineers, respectively. It is
essential that a modern mechanical engineer be able to understand and accommodate the
requirements imposed on the system by non-mechanical considerations.
These radical changes in what mechanical engineers do compared to a relatively short time
ago makes the field both challenging and exciting.
Mechanical Engineering curriculum
In almost any accredited Mechanical Engineering program, the following courses are required:
 Basic sciences - math, chemistry, physics
 Breadth or distribution (called “General Education” at USC)
 Computer graphics and computer aided design (CAD)
 Experimental engineering & instrumentation
 Mechanical design - nuts, bolts, gears, welds
 Computational methods - converting continuous mathematical equations into discrete
equations solved by a computer
 Core “engineering science”
o Dynamics – essentially F = ma applied to many types of systems
o Strength and properties of materials
o Fluid mechanics
o Thermodynamics
o Heat transfer
o Control systems
 Senior “capstone” design project
Additionally you may participate in non-credit “enrichment” activities such as undergraduate

research, undergraduate student paper competitions in ASME (American Society of Mechanical
Engineers, the primary professional society for mechanical engineers), the SAE Formula
racecar project, etc.
Examples of industries employing MEs

Many industries employ mechanical engineers; a few industries and the type of systems MEs
design are listed below.
 Automotive
o Combustion
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o Engines, transmissions
o Suspensions
 Aerospace (w/ aerospace engineers)
o Control systems
o Heat transfer in turbines
o Fluid mechanics (internal & external)
 Biomedical (w/ physicians)
o Biomechanics – prosthesis
o Flow and transport in vivo
 Computers (w/ computer engineers)
o Heat transfer
o Packaging of components & systems
 Construction (w/ civil engineers)
o Heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC)
o Stress analysis
 Electrical power generation (w/ electrical engineers)
o Steam power cycles - heat and work
o design of turbines, generators, ...
 Petrochemicals (w/ chemical, petroleum engineers)
o Oil drilling - stress, fluid flow, structures
o Design of refineries - piping, pressure vessels
 Robotics (w/ electrical engineers)
o Mechanical design of actuators, sensors
o Stress analysis

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MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

ENG 104: POWER MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PRINCIPALS

What is Mechanical Engineering?

Additionally you may participate in non-credit “enrichment” activities such as undergraduate

Examples of industries employing MEs

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