Mechanical engineering: weapons

[Kalrag]

If I become a Mechanical Engineer would I be able to develope weapons for the Military? If not what should I become to develope weaspons?

 

[Curl]

Join the military, THEN go to school. I don't think thy let couch potato nerds like us develop weapons. You need combat experience or else your designs will be crap.

 

[Cyrus]

Join the military, THEN go to school. I don't think thy let couch potato nerds like us develop weapons. You need combat experience or else your designs will be crap.

What a bunch of nonsense...

 

[brewnog]

Mechanical (or perhaps aerospace) engineering are good general subjects for a route into working on weapons. What aspect of weapons design are you interested in? There are many specialist areas of weapons which require knowledge and experience from fields such as chemistry, control systems, nuclear physics, aerodynamics...

 

[russ_watters]

Electrical is also a good branch, depending on what kind of or what part of weapons you want to develop. There's even some use for materials engineering.

 

[xxChrisxx]

What aspect of weapons do you like? Also what sort of weapons?

If you are talking guns and other projectile, then literally every branch of mechanical engineering is used. From tribology of the moving parts, to highly precise machining processes to system design.

Bomb design has other considerations, no real moving parts but material and chemistry are key.

But as russ pointed to, electronics and control systems are key for modern smart wepaons.

 

[Kalrag]

Join the military, THEN go to school. I don't think thy let couch potato nerds like us develop weapons. You need combat experience or else your designs will be crap.

Well I do shoot a variaty of guns as a sport. From M1 Garands, to shotguns, to sks' I shoot a ton.

And I design all sorts of weapons. I've got guns, missiles, vehicles, and weapons of destruction.

 

[xxChrisxx]

Kalrag, of all the posts you could have responded to, you respond to the only post in this thread that won't even remotely help you.

Also, why are you asking what you need to be a weapons designer if you have already 'designed all sorts of weapons'?

 

[Danger]

Well I do shoot a variaty of guns as a sport. From M1 Garands, to shotguns, to sks' I shoot a ton.

And I design all sorts of weapons. I've got guns, missiles, vehicles, and weapons of destruction.

Until reading this, I never realized how freakish some of my own previous posts might have seemed.

 

[mahmoud.nagy]

hi for every body

how can i design a helical coiled thermal fluid heater
thanks

 

[Cyrus]

hi for every body

how can i design a helical coiled thermal fluid heater
thanks

Does this seem like the right place to ask your question mahmoud? ...

 

[Dr Lots-o'watts]

Aren't there engineering schools within the military?

 

[xxChrisxx]

Yeah they do, but they won't teach you to design weapons specifically just becuase it's in the military, engineering doesn't work like that.

The technical problems in designing a weapon are no different from designing anything else that has a high rate of reciprocation, precision parts and high temp high pressure operation.

 

[Ranger Mike]

this whole topic turned right onto pit road at the end of the straight going into turn one on the first lap...PARK IT, already...

 

[mpopovic]

Join the military, THEN go to school. I don't think thy let couch potato nerds like us develop weapons. You need combat experience or else your designs will be crap.

Not exactly. I'm a nerd, I'm a woman (worst of everything!) and I've worked on that...

 

[Kalrag]

sorry i haven't been posting. I am on vacation. But anyway It is very hard to determine what type of weapon I would like to design for a living. I've narrowed it down to Firearms, ground vehicles, underwater vehicles, or bombs both dropped by planes and hand thrown. What type of engineer would I have to become to make these. Math the engineer to the weapon to clear up confusion.

 

[xxChrisxx]

You could be any type of engineer you can think of and work on any of the above. Seriously I'm not joking, it's just what area of the design you would work in.

The broad answer is mechanical.

 

[mpopovic]

sorry i haven't been posting. I am on vacation. But anyway It is very hard to determine what type of weapon I would like to design for a living. I've narrowed it down to Firearms, ground vehicles, underwater vehicles, or bombs both dropped by planes and hand thrown. What type of engineer would I have to become to make these. Math the engineer to the weapon to clear up confusion.

Mechanical. Definetely.

 

[CS Bence]

I'm going to take a different angle on this thread...

When I was a freshman in Mechanical Engineering I wanted to design weapons systems as well. Then I started watching all the unedited video leaking out of Iraq and I changed my mind really quickly. Have you seen what a 30 caliber bullet does to a human? It shreads their skulls open like a pinata. A 2000 lbm JDAM (smart bomb) levels entire city blocks, killing women and children indiscriminately. My question for you is: Do you want this on your conscience? I decided that I couldn't live with myself if I made offensive for the US Military. Because even as noble as American ideals are and how much I love this country, war is hell and the American Government doesn't have a lot of restraint.

Before I give you tips I should ask what country you are in! If you are North Korean I'd say a liberal arts degree is best suited to design intercontinental ballistic missiles. ;)

Seriously though, I think Mechanical Engineering is the best path and focus on controls. Weapons of the future will be highly sophisticated in automation

 

[xxChrisxx]

Smart weapons, build smarter weapons and save innocent lives.

 

[mpopovic]

I'm a mechanical engineer, too, and I've worked for a few years with military aircraft. One of "my" airplanes was sold to Colombian Air Force, so that they could work better against the FARC. Although I agree with you when the subject comes down to Iraq, sometimes weapons are a real need.

Besides that, sometimes they're only a demonstration of power (let's say, I'm a big girl, quite strong and so, people don't bother me...) rather than something to be really used.

Have a nice weekend,

Milena

I'm going to take a different angle on this thread...

When I was a freshman in Mechanical Engineering I wanted to design weapons systems as well. Then I started watching all the unedited video leaking out of Iraq and I changed my mind really quickly. Have you seen what a 30 caliber bullet does to a human? It shreads their skulls open like a pinata. A 2000 lbm JDAM (smart bomb) levels entire city blocks, killing women and children indiscriminately. My question for you is: Do you want this on your conscience? I decided that I couldn't live with myself if I made offensive for the US Military. Because even as noble as American ideals are and how much I love this country, war is hell and the American Government doesn't have a lot of restraint.

Before I give you tips I should ask what country you are in! If you are North Korean I'd say a liberal arts degree is best suited to design intercontinental ballistic missiles. ;)

Seriously though, I think Mechanical Engineering is the best path and focus on controls. Weapons of the future will be highly sophisticated in automation

 

[Kalrag]

Thank you all for your answers and it is clear that I should take mechanical. And I see the world like this. If I have the biggest baddest weapon then nobody in their right mind is going to mess with me. So in a sense weapons create peace in the long run

 

[Danger]

If I have the biggest baddest weapon then nobody in their right mind is going to mess with me. So in a sense weapons create peace in the long run

I agree with you in principle. The tricky part is keeping said weapons out of the hands of the wrong people (ie: politicians). I lived through the years of the Cold War and "Mutually Assured Destruction". Can't say as I miss it much.

 

[CS Bence]

Same as what Danger said, I happen to agree with you too, even though the worlds only super power is currently locked in 2 wars... And our most high tech weapons aren't helping us defeat guerrillas.

 

[mpopovic]

And our most high tech weapons aren't helping us defeat guerrillas.

Hm... Not really. You should ask Alvaro Uribe (former president of Colombia) about that. The FARC are not really peaceful and weapon are needed to deal with them.

 

[CS Bence]

Hm... Not really. You should ask Alvaro Uribe (former president of Colombia) about that. The FARC are not really peaceful and weapon are needed to deal with them.

Agreed. And we didn't stop Hitler with a sit in... But I'm not arguing that some people (such as the Taliban) need to be killed. My original point was that when you design a weapon, you hand it over to some 18 year old soldier, and he is told who to point it at by some politician in Washington. And I don't trust our politicians enough to give them the power of the weapons I design (an example: When I worked in the oilfields, one of my Pakistani co-workers' innocent friends was killed by a US Drone.) .

But you may not feel this way, and if not, then its all good. I just wanted to bring this thought up early in his career, because at some point you it will come, that's all...

 

[mpopovic]

I agree with you, that we should think about everything before running into weapons design, the only point that makes me disagree is when you say that weapons don't help us defeat guerrillas. That's why I came up with the Colombia example.

But I must confess, I'm not really fond of working on weapons design.

 

[Freshtictac]

You can start by reading books. Those actually have information in them. Secondly, as mentioned by others, governments train people specifically in the area's you described. I have had Aviation Ordinance Training with the United States Navy. The fields directly related to what you describe do not exactly require any engineering training. EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) as seen in the movie HurtLocker is an intense training program with hundreds of different types of books containing just as many pages each. Otherwise you can continue to fabricate the weapons on video games that you seem to love.

 

[spinnaz]

Kalrag,

You can study Mechanical Engineering if you want but be aware that it will be extremely difficult for you to get a job designing weapons. You'll first need to graduate with very high marks and do your time either getting an advanced degree (Masters' or PhD) or working in non weapons related industry for 2+ years. Then you'll need to apply to work for a defense contractor such as Lockheed Martin or Raytheon, which are very competitive and take only the best of the best. Then once you're in, you'll have to somehow find your way to work on their current weapon's designs. Remember that a failed security clearance at any point will disqualify you. Also keep in mind that you won't be actually contributing significantly to the design until you have years and years of experience in the company-- something like 15 or more.

 

[Freshtictac]

Aren't there engineering schools within the military?

The military offers a wide variety of programs, some of which are engineering related.

 

[TERR0RBYTE]

I have designed and built a coilgun and rail gun for fun in the past, but if your serious about designing weapons you need to ask yourself some deep questions. (plus watch the film ironman:) )

 

[creepypasta13]

I also am interested in this thread

Mechanical (or perhaps aerospace) engineering are good general subjects for a route into working on weapons. What aspect of weapons design are you interested in? There are many specialist areas of weapons which require knowledge and experience from fields such as chemistry, control systems, nuclear physics, aerodynamics...

In terms of just the science, I'm more interested in the theoretical physics as opposed to aerodynamics and engineering, since I don't like stuff like manufacturing, structures, CAD, etc. But from what I've seen of physics guys working on weapons, they just do stuff like sensors, algorithms, radar, etc. I'm more interested in the actual rockets, missiles, UAVs, lasers, etc.

Since I want to do the computational aspect, not experimental, then CFD seems like a good fit. I already have a BS in physics, so if I want to do research in the areas I mentioned earlier, would I need a phD in aerospace engineering? Or could I do something like CFD if I get a phD in computational physics, like plasma or nuclear?

Electrical is also a good branch, depending on what kind of or what part of weapons you want to develop. There's even some use for materials engineering.

What do EEs do? Stuff like lasers, sensors, signal processing, etc, right?

 

[Kalrag]

You can study Mechanical Engineering if you want but be aware that it will be extremely difficult for you to get a job designing weapons.

Then if mechanical engineering isn't the way then what type of engineering do I need to go into make weapons.

 

[xxChrisxx]

Well none would be the answer.

You don't become a 'weapons designer', the world just doesn't work like that. I think you have a totally unrealistic expectation as to how the engineering world works. I realize you are young, but it's better to set your ideas straight now that in the future.

What do you imagine a weapons designer does? (and don't say designs weapons, as that's obvious). IE What do you expect to do on the job?

 

[Kalrag]

I would expect it to be an office in Washington DC. (since I am in America) And in the office, or maybe sometimes a lab, I would research and design weapons. I mean if that is your career then what is it like? What do I need to expect to design weapons?

 

[xxChrisxx]

I mean, day to day, what do you expect to be doing?

 

[anonymous4l]

As a mechanical engineering student, I can tell you that weapons design is one field that M.E.s head into. I personally have no interest in designing weapons, my focus is design race-cars. There are certain classes that I've taken that introduce you into that field. Just like some of the other previous posts you need to have a experience in chemistry, thermodynamics, machine design, physics, calculus, etc. I have a friend right now whom works as a civilian for the military and designs large caliber weapons for the military. She (yes she!) has a masters in mechanical engineering. Also check out Gaston Glock the famous gun maker. He never had experience in designing weapons but he was a mechanical engineer with extensive knowledge in thermoplastics. He designed the infamous glock 17 when he was 52!

Hope this helps some.

Good day and Good luck!

 

[OldEngr63]

Get a solid ME, EE, or Chem E degree, then look for work with one of the military laboratories (if there are any left by that time) where most of the weapons design actually happens. If you are interested in big guns, try the Naval Surface Warfare Center where the Navy is developing the guns of the future. For slightly smaller guns, the Army is also developing guns at their labs. Picatinny Arsenal is actively involved in new ordinance development, so check on their work. I'm sure that there is work on the west coast that I am less aware of as well. The point is, you have to start watching the various military development programs to see where the new systems are being genned up. With the current national mood, this is not going to be a hot time for new programs.

 

[Travis_King]

Additionally, many/most new weapons are designed by companies which vie for government grants and contracts to develop new technologies. This work is not necessarily (or even generally) done by the "government agencies".

A degree in ME will get you started, but if you want to head into the weapons development field, you'll either need to:
a) Start your own company / get in with a person starting their own from the beginning
b) Get a higher level degree in engineering relating to things applicable to the weapons field (Ballistics, aerodynamics, combustion, Instrumentation&Control, Composites/Materials, etc) and hope a government contracted company needs some extra hands / has a big contract on the horizon.
c) Call around the various corps of the military and ask what direction you would take if you wanted to become part of their weapons development / new technology programs

 

[peterlonz]

If I were you I'd arrange for my Dad to help me get some advice from some leading military contractors already engaged in weapons production & research.
Most organisations will find the time to offer advice to people like yourself if they believe the enquiry is genuine & you are ready for university training.
If you already have great grades, you might even discover that some potential employers have cadet schemes & can help out with study costs.
Make sure if you follow this advice that you present well with a portfolio showing what you have already managed to achieve.

 

[engboysclub]

I will be studying B.Eng in Engineering Physics -

1- I like this degree for its excelled and vast knowledge.
2- Can this lead me to any mechanical related field and thus work for mechanical engineering (and weapons aswell)
3- I can provide the in detail course description if it can help the reader provide a better advice.

Thank you !