Mechanical engineering
From Open Encyclopedia
Mechanical engineering is a very broad field of engineering that involves the application of physical principles for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. The analysis and design process is aided by various computational tools like finite element analysis (FEA) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Through the application of computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), the models may also be used directly by software to create "instructions" for the manufacture of objects represented by the models, through computer numerically-controlled (CNC) machining or other automated processes, without the need for intermediate drawings.
Fundamental subjects of mechanical engineering include: statics, dynamics, strength of materials, solid mechanics, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, heat transfer, refrigeration and air conditioning, kinematics (including robotics), manufacturing technology, mechatronics and control theory. Mechanical engineers are also expected to understand and be able to apply concepts from chemistry and electrical engineering. At the smallest scales, mechanical engineering becomes nanotechnology and molecular engineering - one speculative goal of which is to create a molecular assembler to build molecules and materials via mechanosynthesis. For now this goal remains within exploratory engineering, and some consider it science fiction.
Related disciplines include electrical engineering, industrial engineering, systems engineering, civil engineering, nuclear engineering, aerospace engineering, and other engineering disciplines.
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Subdisciplines
Development of Engineering
Until the Industrial Revolution there were only two kinds of engineers. The military engineer built such things as fortifications, catapults, and, later, cannons. The civil engineer built bridges, harbors, aqueducts, buildings, and other structures. During the early 19th cent. in England mechanical engineering developed as a separate field to provide manufacturing machines and the engines to power them. The first British professional society of civil engineers was formed in 1818; that for mechanical engineers followed in 1847. In the United States, the order of growth of the different branches of engineering, measured by the date a professional society was formed, is civil engineering (1852), mining and metallurgical engineering (1871), mechanical engineering (1880), electrical engineering (1884), and chemical engineering (1908). Aeronautical engineering, industrial engineering, and genetic engineering are more modern developments. 10 The first schools in the United States to offer an engineering education were the United States Military Academy (West Point) in 1817, an institution now known as Norwich Univ. in 1819, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1825. An engineering education is based on a strong foundation in mathematics and science; this is followed by courses emphasizing the application of this knowledge to a specific field and studies in the social sciences and humanities to give the engineer a broader education.
Subdisciplines
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Wikibooks
ar:هندسة ميكانيكيةde:Maschinenbau es:Ingeniería mecánica fa:مهندسی مکانیک fr:Génie mécanique ko:기계공학 it:Ingegneria meccanica he:הנדסת מכונות lb:Maschinnebau ms:Kejuruteraan mekanikal nl:Werktuigbouwkunde nds:Maschinenbu ja:機械工学 pl:Inżynieria mechaniczna pt:Engenharia mecânica ru:Машиностроение sl:Strojništvo sv:Maskinteknik tl:Mechanical engineering th:วิศวกรรมเครื่องกล vi:Kĩ thuật cơ khí tr:Makine mühendisliği eğitimi zh:机械工程
