What is Mechanical: Definition and 1000 Discussions

Mechanical engineering is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science to design, analyze, manufacture, and maintain mechanical systems. It is one of the oldest and broadest of the engineering branches.Mechanical engineering combines creativity, knowledge and analytical tools to complete the difficult task of shaping an idea into reality.
The mechanical engineering field requires an understanding of core areas including mechanics, dynamics, thermodynamics, materials science, structural analysis, and electricity. In addition to these core principles, mechanical engineers use tools such as computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), and product lifecycle management to design and analyze manufacturing plants, industrial equipment and machinery, heating and cooling systems, transport systems, aircraft, watercraft, robotics, medical devices, weapons, and others. It is the branch of engineering that involves the design, production, and operation of machinery.Mechanical engineering emerged as a field during the Industrial Revolution in Europe in the 18th century; however, its development can be traced back several thousand years around the world. In the 19th century, developments in physics led to the development of mechanical engineering science. The field has continually evolved to incorporate advancements; today mechanical engineers are pursuing developments in such areas as composites, mechatronics, and nanotechnology. It also overlaps with aerospace engineering, metallurgical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, manufacturing engineering, chemical engineering, industrial engineering, and other engineering disciplines to varying amounts. Mechanical engineers may also work in the field of biomedical engineering, specifically with biomechanics, transport phenomena, biomechatronics, bionanotechnology, and modelling of biological systems.

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  1. M

    How can I solve 15.11 C in my Mechanical Waves Homework?

    Hello everyone I couldn't figure it out a simple way to solve 15. 11 C . Please help ! Very appreciated!
  2. DumSpiroSpero

    Mechanical Energy and Newton's Laws

    Homework Statement A block of mass ## m ##, attached to a rope, is dropped at the point A. When the block reaches the point B, the tension is ## T = 2 \cdot m \cdot g ## and the rope broke at that same point. If the length of the rope is ## L = 6cm ##, evaluate the height ## h ## where the...
  3. donaldparida

    How do conservative forces conserve mechanical energy?

    How do conservative forces exactly conserve mechanical energy while non conservative forces do not. Also why is potential energy defined only for conservative forces?
  4. N

    Engineering Mechanical Engineering or Computer Engineering?

    im a senior high school student from India have about 3 days in hand having difficulty in deciding between the two careers. I am planning to peruse undergraduate in USA but in a big confusion Can someone put a clear image about these two branches of engineering as i am unclear about their job...
  5. vinicius0197

    Engineering Which mechanical engineering jobs are the most stable?

    From what I understand, there are some industries in Mechanical Engineering that are typically boom/bust (like oil and gas and aerospace). I wonder which ones are the most stable? I think HVAC is a possibility, but I don't know if it's the kind of thing that I would like to work on for my entire...
  6. schmikah

    Nuclear Mechanic/ Engineering Laboratory Technician

    To everyone reading this, hello. I'm obviously new but bursting with interest in nuclear plant design. I already have six years of experience in Naval nuclear power plant operation and maintenance, so if anyone can clue me into the wider world, I would be eternally grateful.
  7. Divya Shyam Singh

    Why is the addendum of the gear kept equal to the module?

    In general calculations of gear design, addendum is taken as a factor of the module of the gear such as equal to module or 0.8 times the module and dedendum is taken as 1.25 times the module. Why are both these defined in terms of module? How did we reach to this conclusion?
  8. Rajesh Shirsagar

    Can Mechanical Testing Provide Useful Information?

    Is there any importance of mechanical testing ? and what are the types of mechanical testing?
  9. navierstokes

    Engineering Mechanical Engineers: What's your job?

    I would like to hear the Mechanical Engineers on the forum, and discover some careers hat a MechE could follow. I would like to know what is your job like (on what field do you work: fluids, structures, thermo, controls..., which kind of company, is your job more technical or management, if it's...
  10. I

    B Understanding Chemical Bonds: How Does Quantum Mechanics Explain Them?

    So in general chemistry we learned about covelant bonds and ionic bonds and such, but recently I learned that electrons have wave-particle duality and that many things I learned in general chemistry are not necessarily completely wrong but oversimplified (such as Bohr Model). So how does quantum...
  11. wrobel

    A Periodic solutions in a mechanical system

    Consider the following mechanical system A thin tube can rotate freely in the vertical plane about a fixed horizontal axis passing through its centre ##O##. A moment of inertia of the tube about this axis is equal to ##J##. The mass of the tube is distributed symmetrically such that tube's...
  12. navierstokes

    Engineering How Control Theory can be useful to Mechanical Engineers?

    I'm a student of Mechanical Engineering and I've been taking classes on Control Theory. Looks like a cool and very interesting field of study, but it seems to be more inclined towards Electrical Engineering (in fact, looks like most jobs on control go to electrical engineers). I wonder how a...
  13. shade rahmawati

    Mechanical Boundary condition of a Floating Structure

    Dear all, I made a cad of floating structure (the frame only), figure attached below. It should be located in the water and moored, so it can't go anywhere. The CFD simulation was done. So I have fluid force on the structure. Now I want to do mechanical analysis of the structure by apply the...
  14. Divya Shyam Singh

    Is there a tutorial series for LMS imagine.lab amesim 14?

    I needed to learn LMS imagine lab 14 software but I cannot find any tutorial video on youtube which explains everything from the scratch. Please help me out..
  15. K

    Mechanical Space Propulsion. Why isn't this possible?

    So I've been told this is impossible before, and while I understand some of the reasoning as to why, I still can't wrap my head around how this wouldn't work, or rather, what it would do instead of working. So here's an image of what it looks like: Its function is this: Step 1: 'Forward'...
  16. Quentin_alex

    Engineering Mechanical or Materials for Automotive Research

    Hello, I am wondering if getting a mechanical or materials PhD will grant me more access to industrial automotive research opportunities. I understand the difference between materials and mechanical, but I am wondering if there's greater opportunity in materials research related to automotive...
  17. P

    Verify Sol. of an Dynamic Problem with 2 Wheels

    1. The problem is the following: Starting from stillness @ t = 0, we are looking for the acceleration @T=0 of the 2 wheels (rolling without slip, in particular in point P4 we have a gear wheel contact so we can have that the reaction R2y of the plane could be also in direction y2, in this case...
  18. lord sauron

    Importing Mechanical Apdl geometry in Ansys Workbench

    hi.. i want to import only the geometry defined in mechanical apdl into ansys workbench so that i want to have the freedom to change the geometry and meshing whenever i want to. thankyou
  19. S

    Transmission of mechanical wave on two different ropes

    Homework Statement Two infinite ropes, rope 1 and rope 2, of same linear density ##\mu=0.1 kg/m## have the same tension ##T=100N## and lie on the same plane, one perpendicular to the other. The two ropes are connected in the origin. On one of the two branches of rope 1 an harmonic wave is...
  20. J

    Mechanical Engineering Thesis, Mining Industry

    Hi guys, I am entering in my final year of mechanical engineering and as one of my last major assessment items, i am required to complete a thesis. I was wondering if i could get some ideas on a possible topic. I am currently employed as an undergrad mechanical engineer at a engineering firm...
  21. martinbandung

    B Analysis Of Stilts Movement Research

    Hello all, I'm planning to do a research about stilts movement. I chose it because stilt is a traditional game in my country. In my plan, i want to analyze the velocity of the walker, the frequency of stilts, and the length of steps. I need some other idea to be added to my research. Such as the...
  22. A

    How Does Wheel Speed Affect Turning Rate in Dual-Wheel Drive Vehicles?

    I am an electrical engineering junior and i am helping some freshmen in a project They are supposed to build a racing car They don't want to use servo motors for the turning mechanism. They want to use the same mechanism the Segway uses, turn one wheel faster then the other, so i wanted to know...
  23. S

    Engineering Moving Mechanical structures: stress, wear, temperature....

    Hi! I am looking for a textbook that explains/describes for moving mechanical structures (such as linkage mechanism, engines, ... and not buildings, bridges, ...) the stresses, deformation, wear, temperature change, ... due to operating. E.g. Linkage mechanism: what are/defines the stresses...
  24. L

    Mechanical question -- Mechanical arm with special constraints

    Here in this case an arm in special constrain. The arm is capable to rotate around the main center if force is applied to the center. The torque practically generated by the force that is pushing Tarm. Tamr rotates and pulls with more or less the same force at the top that horizontal force then...
  25. paulmdrdo1

    MHB Mechanical Part Defects in Lot of 500 Pieces

    A certain mechanical part of a machine can be defective because it has one or more out of three possible defects: insufficient tensile strength, a burr or a diameter outside of tolerance limits. In a lot of 500 pieces 19 have tensile strength defect, 17 have a burr, 11...
  26. Utilite

    Schools What advice can be given to a troubled mechanical engineering student in Turkey?

    Hello, I have a friend and she is very troubled. She is studying mechanical engineering in Turkey's top 10 to 15th university. She wants to change her school but she needs to study for the university exams again which steals one year of her life. She believes that graduating from her school...
  27. S

    MHB Combined Buoyancy and Dynamics of Moving Mechanical Systems

    Hi All, So glad to have come across this amazing site and resource. I am a mature student completing an engineering degree with the Open University and I am after some guidance and help with creating a way to plot forces from a moving mechanical system. The images on the attached drawing are...
  28. Z

    Programs A.S. in Mechanical Engineering to B.S. in Physics?

    How hard would it be to make this transition? It seems to me that the engineering classes I would take in my associates would make a few classes in my bachelors very easy.
  29. A

    A Mechanical properties graphene nanoribbons

    Hi In calculation the mechanical properties of graphene nanoribbons by tight binding methods should band structure graphene calculated by the DFT and tight binding methods fitted to calculate b parameter. In the tight binding methods hopping parameter changes as follow: t'_{ppsigma}=t_{ppsigma}...
  30. M

    Engineering Mechanical Engineering or......Maths?

    I'm currently a rising sophomore in college on track for engineering. I have to say, I love solving math problems, especially Calculus. I love Calculus. I started to take physics classes and I started to lose interest, mainly because its difficult and requires a lot of extra time to study, time...
  31. T

    Engineering Mechanical, Civil, or Nuclear Engineering?

    Hey everyone, I need some help choosing what Engineering program I should pursue. I'm in grade 12 right now and conflicted which engineering is the best in terms of job market, salary, and overall. The Engineering programs I'm considering are; Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, and...
  32. C

    Mechanical energy in an harmonic wave and in normal modes

    I think I miss something about energy of a mechanical wave. In absence of dissipation the mechanical energy transported by an harmonic wave is constant. $$E=\frac{1}{2} A^2 \omega^2 m$$ But, while studying normal modes on a rope, I find that the mechanical energy of a normal mode (still...
  33. B

    Mechanical advantage: lever arm

    Homework Statement In order to lift the 30 kg mass, a Force F is applied to the massless meter stick shown below. How much weight must the fulcrum bear if the mass is to be lifted? Homework Equations R/E = l/L The Attempt at a Solution So I began with the formula above and this is my set up...
  34. C

    Mechanical energy of element of a rope with sinousoidal wave

    I'm confused about energy driven by a wave. Consider a sinousoidal wave moving in a rope. Each element ##dm## of the rope follows a simple harmonic motion in time. That means that the mechanical energy ##dE=dK+dU## of the element ##dm## is constant. Nevertheless on Halliday-Resnik-Krane I...
  35. H

    Conservation of Net Mechanical Energy in SHM

    MENTOR Note: Thread moved here from Classical Physics hence no template I have a question set that I need to be able to answer before my exam next month, I know how to answer all of them except this one. I get the feeling I'm being an idiot. Show that the simple harmonic motion solution of the...
  36. W

    Understanding solution method for finding accelerations in a mechanical linkage

    Homework Statement I was checking my work and Chegg uses the equations differently. Can somebody tell me why? Maybe I'm misunderstanding how/why to use the equation I chose. Homework Equations They say aB = -ω2ABRB/Ai I used aB = aA + αk x r - ω2rB/A The Attempt at a Solution So obviously...
  37. D

    Engineering Guidance as a nuclear physicist after B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering

    Can anyone please provide me information about the career as a nuclear physicists after B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering. is it a viable option?
  38. Parsifal1

    Foundations of Mechanical Engineering (textbook)

    I'm hoping to do a foundation year for mechanical engineering next year, can anyone recommend to get this book in preparation for it?: https://www.waterstones.com/book/foundations-of-mechanical-engineering/anthony-johnson/keith-sherwin/9780412616006 Thanks
  39. K

    Is Mechanical Engineering for me?

    I really do love the idea of engineering and being able to design and build such things. I'm currently in 12th grade about to graduate. I am going to a two year college before transferring out but I'm struggling to decide my major. I'm taking physics now and I love it, I think it's a great...
  40. sophiebeth100

    Mechanical engineering mechanics question: Motions of a triangular plate

    Homework Statement Shown in picture Homework Equations So far just used w=v/r The Attempt at a Solution [/B] Could only do part a. W=v/r =0.3/0.2 =1.5rad/s For part b I would assume the velocity is zero? But I don't think that's correct. Any help with part b and c would be great, and is...
  41. A

    Engineering Unsure of which Master's Program to Pursue

    Hello, I'm entering my final year of Mechanical Engineering undergrad. I've always had interest in aerospace like most others, but opted to avoid overspecializing at the beginning. During my undergrad career I've participated in clubs involving space and satellites, and I participated in...
  42. M

    Ansys Maxwell mechanical rotation problem

    Hie all. I want to implement an electromechanical system in maxwell. According to its sample projects,in order to define rotational movement, I should define a "Band" object that encloses all rotating parts. The problem is that in my problem the Band object can't be a non-hollow cylinder. I mean...
  43. Scott Q

    Looking for flexible seal for oscillating thin opening

    Hello Everyone, I'm looking for a sealing membrane, or comparable solution, to seal a thin opening (~15mm x 2mm) that oscillates elliptically, like in my example picture below, with a low amplitude (+/- 1mm) and frequency in the 100s - 1000s of Hz range. Any ideas?
  44. E

    Basic Forces & Bolts: Getting Started on Homework

    Homework Statement Homework Equations sum of forces in x and Y = 0 sum of the moments at a point = 0 Ffr = normal force * friction coefficient The Attempt at a Solution Im just trying to make a start, I am struggling to wrap my head around the basics with this question. Do you guys think...
  45. M

    Engineering Design of Mechanical Systems

    I'm looking for a textbook on designing mechanical systems with multiple machine components. I'd like to study both rigid and non rigid dynamic systems. I'm open to studying systems composed of any mechanical component. In particular, I'd like to learn 1. draw accurate Free Body(FBD) and...
  46. Justice Hunter

    B Turbulence and Quantum Mechanical Probabilities

    So I'm a bit confused about the properties of wave mechanics, and trying to understand certain phenomena, which may be talked about, but I've never seen anyone talk about it. Here is the example. We have a bowl of water, a stick and a ball. We start with the ball, in which we drop it into the...
  47. Simple is The best

    Engineering Switching from Civil to Mechanical Engineering: Is It a Good Idea?

    I'm currently in second year in Civil I want to do mech now but I'll have to start from 2nd year. That a good idea?
  48. oliequeen

    Other Going back for Mechanical Technology?

    Hey all, so I'm at a bit of a crossroads. I recently graduated from a community college with what would probably be considered a biological technician or laboratory technician diploma. I've worked for approximately a year in my field, but got laid off a few months ago. There just seems to be...
  49. M

    Designing a Safe and Simple Enrichment Object for Elephants at the National Zoo

    Hello! I am a civil engineering student and have been tasked with creating an enrichment object for elephants at the national zoo in DC. I don't know much about pulleys, and am wondering if there are some mechanical engineers out there who could give me some hints on how to achieve this! My...
  50. R

    Hello My name is Rami Rouhana

    Hello I am a mechanical engineer from Lebanon , now doing my master of science in manufacturing technology in TU Dortmund, Germany. My thesis focus is on carbon fiber manufacturing. Physics is a major subject of interest for me., I write articles on physics and mechanical design on my blog...
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