Mechanical engineering is a discipline that encompasses a wide range of research areas. At its core, mechanical engineering is the design, analysis, fabrication, and control of solid, thermal, and fluid mechanical systems, as well as the innovative application of technology, systems integration, the creation and development of new products and markets, and the solution of product problems.
This includes opto electro mechanical, material, structural, and micro- and nano-scale devices. Also important aspects of the field are heat transfer, combustion, and other energy conversion processes, solid mechanics (including fracture mechanics), fluid mechanics, biomechanics, tribology, and management and education related to the above areas.
Description
Mechanical engineering is essential to the design, manufacture, and operation of mechanical systems large and small throughout the U.S. economy. Often called upon to provide scientific and technical solutions to national problems, mechanical engineering plays an important role in the transportation, power generation, advanced manufacturing, and aviation industries.
As note data National Science Foundation work shop in 2002, “Today, the synergy of science and technology is creating an era of great change. [Mechanical engineering is intrinsically involved in this change through its impact on enabling technologies. These technologies include micro- and nano-technologies, cellular and molecular biomechanics, information technology, and energy and environmental issues.
Like many other science and engineering disciplines, the mechanical engineering field faces issues of identity and purpose as it continues to expand beyond its traditional core into biology, materials science, and nanotechnology.