Notes on What is Engineering? Mechanical Engineering

WHAT IS ENGINEERING?

• Etymology and core traits
  • The word engineering derives from the Latin root ingeniere, meaning to design or to devise, which also forms the basis of the word “ingenious.”
  • At the fundamental level, engineers apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and materials, plus communications and business skills, to develop new and better technologies.
  • Engineers use mathematics, scientific principles, and computer simulations as tools to create faster, more accurate, and more economical designs, rather than relying solely on trial and error.

ENGINEERING VS SCIENCE AND THE ROLE IN SOCIETY

• Engineers differ from scientists in that engineers apply physical phenomena to develop new products, rather than primarily seeking to discover new laws.
• Engineering is a bridge between scientific discovery and product applications: a driver of social and economic growth and an integral part of the business cycle.
• Engineering does not exist merely for advancing mathematics, science, and computation; it translates discoveries into real-world solutions and products.

US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR DEFINITION OF ENGINEERING

• The U.S. Department of Labor summarizes engineers as:
  • “Engineers apply the theories and principles of science and mathematics to research and develop economical solutions to technical problems. Their work is the link between perceived social needs and commercial applications. Engineers design products, machinery to build those products, plants in which those products are made, and the systems that ensure the quality of the products and the efficiency of the workforce and manufacturing process.”
  • They design, plan, and supervise the construction of buildings, highways, and transit systems.
  • They develop and implement improved ways to extract, process, and use raw materials, such as petroleum and natural gas.
  • They develop new materials that both improve the performance of products and take advantage of advances in technology.
  • They harness the power of the sun, the Earth, atoms, and electricity for use in supplying the Nation’s power needs, and create millions of products using power.
  • They analyze the impact of the products they develop or the systems they design on the environment and on people using them.
  • Engineering knowledge is applied to improving many things, including the quality of healthcare, the safety of food products, and the operation of financial systems.

MOTIVATIONS FOR STUDYING ENGINEERING

• Students study engineering for various reasons:
  • Attraction to mathematics and science.
  • Interest in technology and how everyday things work, or how not-so-everyday things work.
  • Motivation by the potential to impact global issues (e.g., clean water, renewable energy, sustainable infrastructure, disaster relief).

ENGINEERING IS DISTINCT FROM MATH AND SCIENCE; PROBLEM-SOLVING GOALS

• Engineering objective: build a device or system that performs a task that was previously impossible, or could be done more accurately, quickly, or safely.
• Mathematics and science provide tools and methods to test designs on paper or via computer simulations, reducing the need for costly physical prototyping.
• Engineering is the practical application of scientific knowledge to create useful products and systems.

DEFINITION OF ENGINEERING AS AN INTERSECTION

• “ENGINEERING” can be defined as the intersection of activities related to mathematics, science, computer simulation, and hardware.

PROBLEM-SOLVING PROCESS IN ENGINEERING

• Successful problem solving starts with effective information gathering and sound assumptions.
• Engineers learn to process information to make decisions while considering unknown parameters.
• They know when to isolate facts from emotions in decisions, while remaining highly innovative and intuitive.

CAREER STRUCTURE AND FIELD DISTRIBUTION (DOL STATISTICS)

• Fields and their shares of engineers (United States Department of Labor, Melinda Liu, Right Brain, Newsweek, Sep 8, 2009):
  • Agricultural: $0.2\%$
  • Mining and geological (including mining safety): $0.5\%$
  • Marine engineers and naval-architects: $0.5\%$
  • Biomedical: $1.0\%$
  • Nuclear: $1.1\%$
  • Petroleum: $1.4\%$
  • Materials: $1.6\%$
  • Chemical: $2.0\%$
  • Environmental: $3.5\%$
  • Aerospace: $4.6\%$
  • Computer hardware: $4.8\%$
  • All other engineers: $11.7\%$
  • Civil: $17.7\%$
  • Electrical and electronics: $19.2\%$
  • Mechanical: $15.2\%$
  • Industrial (including health and safety): $15.3\%$
• Insight: Mechanical, Electrical, Civil, and Industrial fields constitute a large share; Mechanical is often cited as the most flexible traditional engineering discipline.

FORMAL EDUCATION AND EARLY CAREER PATHS

• Engineers develop their skills first through formal study in an accredited bachelor’s degree program.
• They continue through advanced graduate studies and/or practical work experience under supervision of accomplished engineers.
• When starting a new project, engineers rely on reasoning, physical intuition, hands-on skills, and judgment from previous technical experiences.
• They routinely perform approximate “back-of-the-envelope” calculations to answer practical questions, such as:
  • $ext{Will a } 10\,\text{hp} \text{ engine be powerful enough to drive that air compressor?}$
  • $ext{How many } g\text{'s} \text{ of acceleration must the blade in the turbocharger withstand?}$

RESEARCH AND CONTINUING EDUCATION

• When information is insufficient, engineers conduct additional research using:
  • Books, professional journals, and trade publications in a technical library
  • Online resources (e.g., Google Scholar, CiteSeer)
  • Engineering conferences and product expositions
  • Patents
  • Data provided by industry vendors

LIFELONG LEARNING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT

• The process of becoming a good engineer is a lifelong endeavor, combining education and experience.
• It is argued that a lifelong career cannot be built on just college material; technologies, markets, and economies quickly evolve, so engineers continuously learn new approaches and problem-solving techniques and share discoveries.

WHO ARE MECHANICAL ENGINEERS?

• Core scope: The field encompasses the properties of forces, materials, energy, fluids, and motion, and the application of those elements to devise products that advance society and improve people’s lives.

MECHANICAL ENGINEERS ACCORDING TO THE U.S. DOL

• Mechanical engineers research, develop, design, manufacture and test tools, engines, machines, and other mechanical devices.
• They work on power-producing machines such as electricity-producing generators, internal combustion engines, steam and gas turbines, and jet and rocket engines.
• They also develop power using machines such as refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment, robots used in manufacturing, machine tools, materials handling systems, and industrial production equipment.

BROAD EXPERTISE AND EXAMPLE APPLICATIONS

• Mechanical engineers are known for their broad scope of expertise and for working on a wide range of machines, including:
  • Micro-electromechanical acceleration sensors used in automobile airbags
  • Heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems in office buildings
  • Heavy off-road construction equipment
  • Hybrid gas-electric vehicles
  • Gears, bearings, and other machine components
  • Artificial hip implants
  • Deep-sea research vessels
  • Robotic manufacturing systems
  • Replacement heart valves
  • Noninvasive equipment for detecting explosives
  • Interplanetary exploration spacecraft

CAREER FLEXIBILITY AND SPECIALIZATION

• Mechanical engineering is the third largest discipline among the five traditional engineering fields.
• It is often described as offering the greatest flexibility of career choices.
• Despite its breadth, there are many opportunities for specialization within industry or technology that interests you.
• Example in aviation: specialization on advanced technologies for cooling turbine blades in jet engines or fly-by-wire systems for aircraft flight control.

WHAT IT MEANS TO DESIGN HARDWARE

• Above all, mechanical engineers make hardware that works.
• A engineer’s contribution is judged by whether the product functions as intended.
• Mechanical engineers design equipment, have it produced by companies, and sold to the public or industrial customers.
• Through the business cycle, improving customer life and enabling societal benefits come from engineering R&D and development.

VIDEO RESOURCES

• Lets watch these videos:
  • https://youtu.be/bipTWWHya8A
  • https://youtu.be/W74y1RxN6BA