Introduction to the manual machine operation, CNC fabrication and usage of basic hand tools, band/hack saws, drill presses, grinders and sanders.
Experiments in engineering and physical phenomena: aerofoil lift and drag in wind tunnels, laser Doppler anemometry in immersed fluidic channels, supersonic flow and shock waves, Rankine thermodynamical cycle for power generation, and structural truss mechanics and analysis.
Elements of statics; dynamics of a particle and systems of particles.
Steady and unsteady heat conduction. Radiative heat transfer. Internal and external forced and free convective heat transfer. Change of phase. Heat exchangers.
Steady and unsteady heat conduction. Radiative heat transfer. Internal and external forced and free convective heat transfer. Change of phase. Heat exchangers.
Introduction to drafting, engineering graphics, computer graphics, solid modeling, and mechanical engineering design. Interactive computer graphics and numerical methods applied to the solution of mechanical engineering design problems.
Building on the preliminary design concept, the detailed elements of the design process are completed: systems synthesis, design analysis optimization, incorporation of multiple constraints, compliance with appropriate engineering codes and standards, and Computer Aided Design (CAD) component part drawings. Execution of a project involving the design, fabrication, and performance testing of an actual engineering device or system.
Analysis and design of feedback control systems. Transfer functions; block diagrams; proportional, rate, and integral controllers; hardware, implementation. Routh stability criterion, root locus, Bode and Nyquist plots, compensation techniques.
Introduction to microstructures and properties of metals, polymers, ceramics and composites; typical manufacturing processes: material removal, shaping, joining, and property alteration; behavior of engineering materials in the manufacturing processes.
Research training course. Recommended in preparation for laboratory related research.
Individual study; may be selected after the first term of the junior year by students maintaining a 3.2 grade-point average. Course format may vary from individual tutorial to laboratory work to seminar instruction under faculty supervision. Projects requiring machine-shop use must be approved by the laboratory supervisor. Students may count up to 6 points toward degree requirements. Students must submit both a project outline prior to registration and a final project write up at the end of the semester.
Independent project involving theoretical, computational, experimental, or engineering design work. May be repeated, but no more than 3 points may be counted toward degree requirements. Projects requiring machine-shop use must be approved by the laboratory supervisor. Students must submit both a project outline prior to registration and a final project write-up at the end of the semester.
Independent project involving theoretical, computational, experimental, or engineering design work. May be repeated, but no more than 3 points may be counted toward degree requirements. Projects requiring machine-shop use must be approved by the laboratory supervisor. Students must submit both a project outline prior to registration and a final project write-up at the end of the semester.
May be repeated for credit, but no more than 3 total points may be used toward the 128-credit degree requirement. Only for MECE undergraduate students who include relevant on-campus and off-campus work experience as part of their approved program of study. Final report and letter of evaluation required. Fieldwork credits may not count toward any major core, technical, elective, and nontechnical requirements. May not be taken for pass/fail credit or audited.
Enrollment limited to 12 students. Mechatronics is the application of electronics and microcomputers to control mechanical systems. Systems explored include on/off systems, solenoids, stepper motors, DC motors, thermal systems, magnetic levitation. Use of analog and digital electronics and various sensors for control. Programming microcomputers in Assembly and C. Lab required.
Introduction to lab-on-a-chip and microrobotic devices with a focus on biomedical applications. Microfabrication techniques. Basics of micro- and nanoscale transport phenomena. Microsensors and microactuators. Microfluidic devices. Lab-on-a-chip systems. Microrobots.
Connects basic MEMS transduction elements to applications by analyzing the analog signal chain, sensor packaging, and sensor integration into larger systems. Underlying concepts of analog instrumentation such as filtering and digitization covered. Hands-on projects involve off-the-shelf sensors and single-board computers to create self-contained sensor systems that demonstrate relevant issues.
Advanced classical thermodynamics. Availability, irreversibility, generalized behavior, equations of state for nonideal gases, mixtures and solutions, phase and chemical behavior, combustion. Thermodynamic properties of ideal gases. Applications to automotive and aircraft engines, refrigeration and air conditioning, and biological systems.
Introduces the basics of theory, design, selection and applications of turbomachinery. Turbomachines are widely used in many engineering applications such as energy conversion, power plants, air-conditioning, pumping, refrigeration and vehicle engines, as there are pumps, blowers, compressors, gas turbines, jet engines, wind turbines, etc. Applications are drawn from energy conversion technologies, HVAC and propulsion. Provides a basic understanding of the different kinds of turbomachines.
Principles of flight, incompressible flows, compressible regimes. Inviscid compressible aerodynamics in nozzles (wind tunnels, jet engines), around wings (aircraft, space shuttle) and around blunt bodies (rockets, reentry vehicles). Physics of normal shock waves, oblique shock waves, and explosion waves.
Historical co-evolution of building energy systems and fuels. Classifying existing buildings into typologies that are a prevalent combination of building size, age, fuels, equipment, distribution, and zoning controls. Fuels, electricity, furnaces, boilers, heat pumps. Overview of common heat
and hot water distribution systems. Case-study based approach to evaluate retrofit options for each typology. Considerations of location, stagingupgrades, envelope efficiency, retrofit cost structure, paybacks with a view towards decarbonization.
Introduction to kinematic analysis and design of machines and robots. Analytical and graphical synthesis of four-bar linkages. Planar displacements of rigid bodies. Spherical displacements of rigid bodies. Spatial displacements of rigid bodies. Rigid body velocities and wrenches. Concepts of kinematics of open-chain linkages.
Recommended: ENME E3100 or E3106. Reviews fundamentals of vehicle dynamics. A systems-based engineering approach to explore areas of: tire characteristics, aerodynamics, stability and control, wheel loads, ride and roll rates, suspension geometry, and dampers. A high-performance vehicle (racecar) platform used as an example to review topics.
Understanding the properties and behavior of materials is critical to the mechanical design and subsequent function of any product or part – including wide-ranging applications from aircraft fuselage to robotic manipulators to flexures to telescope mirrors to flywheels to sports equipment to thermal insulators. This course provides a fundamental understanding of the microstructure of a range of materials (metals, polymers, ceramics, composites, hybrid) and the connection to design-determining or limiting properties including stiffness, expansion, thermal expansion, strength, energy storage and dissipation, toughness, and fatigue. Objective functions which are used to determine a “material index” for the selection of the best materials for use in a particular mechanical design are developed, underscoring the combined role of material properties and loading conditions in optimizing for materials selection. For example, take the case of determining a material index for selecting a best set of materials for a lightweight, stiff beam – how do the material density and elastic modulus together with the beam geometry and loading conditions factor in to determining the material index for materials selection? Note that the resulting material index for selecting best materials for a lightweight stiff beam (bending) is different than that for a lightweight stiff rod (tension). The material indices provide the framework for construction and use of materials selection charts to rapidly compare the effectiveness of wide-ranging materials for different applications.
Real-time control using digital computers. Solving scalar and state-space difference equations. Discrete equivalents of continuous systems fed by holds. Z-transer functions. Creating closed-loop difference equation models by Z-transform and state variable approaches. The Nyquist frequency and sample rate selection. Classical and modern based digital control laws. Digital system identification.
Hands-on studio class exposing students to practical aspects of the design, fabrication, and programming of physical robotic systems. Students experience entire robot creation process, covering conceptual design, detailed design, simulation and modeling, digital manufacturing, electronics and sensor design, and software programming.
Fundamentals of sustainable design and manufacturing, metrics of sustainability, analytical tools, principles of life cycle assessment, manufacturing tools, processes and systems energy assessment and minimization in manufacturing, sustainable manufacturing automation, sustainable manufacturing systems, remanufacturing, recycling and reuse.
Introduction to human spaceflight from a systems engineering perspective. Historical and current space programs and spacecraft. Motivation, cost, and rationale for human space exploration. Overview of space environment needed to sustain human life and health, including physiological and psychological concerns in space habitat. Astronaut selection and training processes, spacewalking, robotics, mission operations, and future program directions. Systems integration for successful operation of a spacecraft. Highlights from current events and space research, Space Shuttle, Hubble Space Telescope, and International Space Station (ISS). Includes a design project to assist International Space Station astronauts.
Research training course. Recommended in preparation for laboratory related research.
Master's level independent project involving theoretical, computational, experimental, or engineering design work. May be repeated, subject to Master's Program guidelines. Students must submit both a project outline prior to registration and a final project write-up at the end of the semester.
Master's level independent project involving theoretical, computational, experimental, or engineering design work. May be repeated, subject to Master's Program guidelines. Students must submit both a project outline prior to registration and a final project write-up at the end of the semester.
Master's level independent project involving theoretical, computational, experimental, or engineering design work. May be repeated, subject to Master's Program guidelines. Students must submit both a project outline prior to registration and a final project write-up at the end of the semester.
Only for ME graduate students who need relevant off-campus work experience as part of their program of study as determined by the instructor. Written application must be made prior to registration outlining proposed study program. Final reports required. May not be taken for pass/fail credit or audited. International students must consult with the International Students and Scholars Office.
Mathematical description of pertinent physical phenomena. Basics of finite-difference methods of discretization, explicit and implicit schemes, grid sizes, stability, and convergence. Solution of algebraic equations, relaxation. Heat conduction. Incompressible fluid flow, stream function-vorticity formulation. Forced and natural convection. Use of primitive variables, turbulence modeling, and coordinate transformations.
Interaction of light with nanoscale materials and structures for purpose of inducing movement and detecting small changes in strain, temperature, and chemistry within local environments. Methods for concentrating and manipulating light at length scales below the diffraction limit. Plasmonics and metamaterials, as well as excitons, phonos, and polaritons and their advantages for mechanical and chemical sensing, and controlling displacement at nanometer length scales. Applications to nanophotonic devices and recently published progress in nanomechanics and related fields.
Application of analytical techniques to the solution of multidimensional steady and transient problems in heat conduction and convection. Lumped, integral, and differential formulations. Topics include use of sources and sinks, laminar/turbulent forced convection, and natural convection in internal and external geometries.
Review of classical dynamics, including Lagrange’s equations. Analysis of dynamic response of high-speed machine elements and systems, including mass-spring systems, cam-follower systems, and gearing; shock isolation; introduction to gyrodynamics.
Recommended: MECE E3401 or instructor’s permission. Kinematic modeling methods for serial, parallel, redundant, wire-actuated robots and multifingered hands with discussion of open research problems. Introduction to screw theory and line geometry tools for kinematics. Applications of homotopy continuation methods and symbolic-numerical methods for direct kinematics of parallel robots and synthesis of mechanisms. Course uses textbook materials as well as a collection of recent research papers.