The article discusses the various
facets of mechanical
engineering and how it has
found importance in all other
areas of engineering also.
Mechanical engineering, as the
name implies, deals with the
mechanics of operation of
mechanical systems. The various
functions that fall within the
scope of this branch of
engineering are designing,
manufacturing and maintenance
of mechanical systems. For this
purpose it uses the various laws
of physics and applies them to
different systems to analyze
their performance and map out
ways to improve their
efficiency.
History of Mechanical
Engineering
Mechanical engineering
experienced its growth during
the time of the World Wars. This
growth can be attributed to the
need for building newer war
machines during that time. As a
result of this need, more money
was allocated towards research
in this field and hence it began
to develop as a unique area of
study. Over the years,
mechanical engineering has
expanded its scope and it now
has a noteworthy role to play in
all other areas of engineering
also.
Applications of Mechanical
Engineering
Mechanical engineers are
involved in the design and
construction of various pieces
of equipment like aircrafts,
spacecrafts, and automobiles,
stationary structures like
building and bridges and
industrial machinery. Due to the
fact that mechanical engineers
have to deal with a wide range
of issues relating to different
fields during the course of their
work, the mechanical
engineering program is
prepared to provide them with
the basic knowledge of
different areas of study.
Just as chemical engineers strive
to make different chemical
processes cost-effective,
mechanical engineers also strive
to make the production and
maintenance of different
machines economical and
efficient. Mechanical engineers
also have to deal with one
additional issue. The machines
designed and manufactured by
these mechanical engineers will
be used by general community
who do not have any
knowledge about their
operation. Hence, they will have
to consider the safety and
durability factors of these
machines also while designing
them.
Areas of Study Of Mechanical
Engineering
The main areas of study that
mechanical engineering looks
into are:
Design
Drafting and analysis – For
this purpose it uses design
softwares like Pro-E, Catia, Ansys
and AutoCAD.
Design of various
mechanisms – In this purpose,
the kinematics and dynamics of
a mechanism are taken into
account and a proper design is
drafted for the mechanism.
Manufacture
Solid Mechanics
Strength of Materials
Statics and Dynamics
Heat-related Studies
Thermodynamics
Heat Transfer
Energy Conversion
Refrigeration and Air
Conditioning
Fluid Mechanics, Hydraulics
and Pneumatics
Instrumentation and
Measurement
Mechanical engineering is
finding more and more
applications these days in other
areas of engineering also. The
most significant of these is the
field of robotics. Robotics has
become an important area of
study due to the fact that more
and more processes are getting
automated these days.
Mechanical engineers are handed
the task of manufacturing
assembly lines of robots for
different operations and
controlling them through pre-
written programs to make the
process of manufacture less
human dependant, and more
efficient and economical.