MECHANICAL ENGINEER

What is Mechanical Engineering

·         Mechanical engineers design and develop everything you think of as a machine - from supersonic fighter jets to bicycles to toasters. And they influence the design of other products as well - shoes, light bulbs and even doors. Many mechanical engineers specialize in areas such as manufacturing, robotics, automotive/transportation and air conditioning. Others cross over into other disciplines, working on everything from artificial organs to the expanding field of nanotechnology. And some use their mechanical engineering degree as preparation for the practice of medicine and law. The mechanical engineer may design a component, a machine, a system or a process. Mechanical engineers will analyze their design using the principles of motion, energy, and force to insure the product functions safely, efficiently, reliably, and can be manufactured at a competitive cost.

·         Mechanical engineers work in the automotive, aerospace, chemical, computer, communication, paper, and power generation industries. Mechanical engineers will be found in virtually any manufacturing industry. Increasingly, mechanical engineers are needed in the environmental and bio-medical fields. Indeed virtually every product or service in modern life has probably been touched in some way by a mechanical engineer.

·         In the ME-EM department these activities are reflected in the way we organize our teaching and research efforts.  Faculty are organized in the following technical areas:

               

1.       Design and Dynamic Systems Area --This area emphasizes modeling and control of dynamic processes in engineering systems. Current research activity is in engineering acoustics and noise control, NVH, vibrations and modal analysis, system modeling and identification, control systems, system dynamics, computer simulation of material-forming processes, off-line programming of robots, automobile crashworthiness, computer-aided strain analysis, software sensor development, optimal control of automated manufacturing, application of artificial intelligence in interactive design software, environmentally conscious design, and design of orthotic devices for gait rehabilitation.

2.       Energy Thermo-Fluids Area --Emphasizes thermodynamics, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics. Current research activity is in combustion processes, internal combustion engines, transmissions, heat and mass transfer, fluid mechanics, computational fluid dynamics, and emissions and air quality control. 

3.       Manufacturing/Industrial Area--Current research activity is in metal cutting, metal forming (with specific thrusts in sheet metal deformation), grinding, tribological aspects of forming and machining, computer-aided design of dies for forming metals and polymers, robotics and automation, metrology, data-dependent system analysis, industrial engineering, and environmentally conscious manufacturing. The manufacturing systems engineering program emphasizes the integration of design, materials, computers, and manufacturing with an exposure to business and engineering administration, and is particularly suitable for those who have a bachelor's degree in mechanical, electrical, metallurgical, or chemical engineering. 

4.       Solid Mechanics Area--Emphasizes topics in mechanics and materials science. Current research activity is in mechanics of materials with microstructure, experimental mechanics, plasticity, wave propagation and dynamic fracture, biomechanics, micromechanics, ceramics, crashworthiness, polymer matrix composites, and computational mechanics.

o  What do Mechanical Engineers do?

§  Up-Sized Tractor Variant Prototype: Elmer’s Crane & Dozer was formed in 1956. They currently have 15 locations in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. They have built 20 current Du-More tractor models. The current Du-More has a 1.5 yard bucket and 115 HP engine. Our team is designing a larger, more powerful and more capable tractor for Elmer’s Crane and Dozer, based on the current Du-More model. The new machine will incorporate existing components while preserving the functions of the existing model.

§  This Senior Design Team won 2nd place in the Undergrad Research Expo. They developed an automatically Indexing Insert Tool holder design project that focused on the design, prototyping, and testing of a tool holder for turning operations. The key feature that separates this tool holder from others on the market is its ability to automatically rotate an index able insert from a dull to fresh edge via an electrically actuated mechanism. Doing so saves significant machining downtime associated with the current method of manually indexing an insert. The projected savings in time allow the end user to reduce the costs related to machining parts, especially if the components being turned are made from hard materials that wear the insert rapidly.

o   Mechanical Engineers study:

·         Statics:  How are forces transmitted to and throughout a structure?

·         Dynamics:  What are the velocities, accelerations and resulting forces for a system in motion?

·         Kinematics: How does a mechanism behave as it moves through its range of motion?

·         Strength of Materials: Is the component strong enough to support the loads? Is it stiff enough?

·         Materials Science: Which material has the optimum properties?

·         Thermodynamics : How does energy get converted to useful power? What are the losses?

·         Fluid Mechanics: What is the pressure drop due to the fluid flow? What are the aerodynamic drag forces?

·         Heat Transfer: How do you calculate heat transfer rates from temperature data?  How do you predict the temperature distributions?

·         Manufacturing: What manufacturing processes do you select?

·         Machine Design: How do you synthesize all of the above?

·         Electrical Circuits: How do you integrate electronic controls into your design?

·         Laboratory Methods: How do you make and interpret both thermal and mechanical measurements?

·         Vibrations: How do you predict and control vibrations?

·         Engineering Economics: How do you estimate manufacturing costs?

Mechanical Engineers can take the following career paths:

·         Industry (the most common)

·         Graduate School

·         Entrepreneur/Business Owner

·         Research Labs

·         Military

·         Government

·         Preparation for other Professions (law, medicine, teaching, etc.)

Mechanical Engineers are engaged in the following activities:

ü  Conceptual design

ü  Analysis

ü  Presentations and report writing

ü  Multidisciplinary teamwork

ü  Concurrent engineering

ü  Benchmarking the competition

ü  Project management

ü  Prototyping

ü  Testing

ü  Measurements

ü  Data Interpretation

ü  Developmental design

ü  Research

ü  Work with suppliers

ü  Sales

ü  Consulting

ü  Customer service

Skills that help Mechanical Engineers to be successful in their careers:

·         Problem solving (The essence of engineering!)

·         Creativity

·         Hands-on understanding

·         Networking

·         Leadership/conflict resolution

·         Knowledge management

Mechanical Engineering careers can have the following stages:

·         Early years -   technical work most important

·         Middle years -   project management and product expert knowledge (still technical) become more important.

·         Senior years -   corporate, market, and global understanding become important.

·       What Makes Our Undergraduate Program Unique?

·         The Undergraduate Program is nationally ranked as 25th (top 16%) and 2nd in Michigan among 148 doctoral-granting mechanical engineering departments in the U.S. in the 2005 U.S. News & World Report: America's Best Colleges.

·         Michigan Tech's engineering programs have been ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accredited since accreditation began.

·         Michigan Tech has a laboratory oriented curriculum. All the department courses are taught by faculty; graduate students serve as lab instructors.

·         Two special features are the Senior Design Program and the Enterprise Program, two options that students may choose to perform a major design and research project to participate with and help an industrial partner.

§  Senior Design

o   Senior design team with their industrial partner--- They designed, tested, and built a dual action system for a Lift gate / Swing gate that will be integrated on the next generation Hummer H2 Sport Utility Truck.

§  Senior Design Teams present their project for feedback and evaluation on Senior Design Day which coincides with the University Undergraduate Research Expo.

§  The Senior Design Program is a crucial part of the curriculum. Students work in teams, on real projects which are submitted by Industrial Partners. The Industrial Partner works with the team during the year. Problems are open-ended, and are very similar to problems that graduates will be solving in industry. Communication and teamwork skills are emphasized.

§  Enterprise

ü  The Mini Baja Enterprise team has the objective to design and build a mini baja off-road recreational vehicle for competition with a focus on frame, chassis and suspension improvements. Competition is based on acceleration, hill climb, maneuverability, endurance, ride/handling, manufacturability, cost, and ergonomics

ü  The Aerospace Enterprise provides a hands-on educational experience to Michigan Technological University undergraduate students within the aerospace field. Students have a chance to contribute to this student led, self-sustaining venture while acquiring practical experience in a company atmosphere. Each semester a member of this program will have the opportunity to participate in design projects ranging from an autonomous glider to a Nano satellite to weight-less testing. The Aerospace Enterprise will continue to investigate new opportunities in both research and project design areas.

ü  Michigan Tech's Enterprise Program involves teams of students that operates like a company to solve real-world problems.

ü  Enterprise provides a learning atmosphere in a program that emphasizes sustainability, ethics, safety, innovation, creativity, teamwork, and communication.

ü  Enterprise teams perform testing and analysis, make recommendations, manufacture parts, develop products and processes, provide services, meet budgets and schedules, and manage multiple projects. Faculty members act as coaches and mentors. Industry sponsors advise and guide.

ü  Students develop the critical skills needed to succeed in today’s fast-paced, ever-changing work environment. And industry sponsors gain a fresh look at important problems—and potential solutions—through the eyes of an unbiased team.

§  Order of the Engineer

o   And as a special crowning feature, the Michigan Tech Mechanical Engineering graduating senior will be inducted into the Order of the Engineer at the annual Senior Recognition Banquet and Order of the Engineer Ceremony held prior to graduation.