Mechanical Engineering

What is Mechanical Engineering?
Have you ever thought of a world without Mechanical Engineers?  We would live in a scary place and wouldn't have the luxuries we have including cars, air conditioning, power and any other objects that help us with our everyday lives.  Mechanical Engineers are responsible for nearly every man-made object, specifically mechanical devices which billions of people use day to day.  Mechanical Engineering is one of the largest, broadest and oldest careers there are and offers numerous possibilities.  Major areas that Mechanical Engineering influences is energy conversion, materials engineering, and manufacturing engineering.  Mechanical Engineering is generally things that move which can or can not be seen such as a car or air.

History and Present Day:

Mechanical Engineering can also be traced back thousands of years ago with inventors such as Leonardo da Vinci and and Isaac Newton who created flying machines and instruments of war.  However, Mechanical Engineering was truly recognized as a profession during the industrial revolution in Europe in the early 1800s with the development in physics.  As technology improved, the demand for engineers greatly increased to make life easier and more affordable for everyone.  As time went on, Mechanical Engineering grew and today it overlaps with other engineering professions including Civil, Industrial, Electrical, Chemical, Aerospace, Manufacturing and Metallurgical Engineering.  By combining these fields, a Mechanical Engineer must be able to apply the basic principles of mechanics, kinematics, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, materials science, structural analysis and electricity.

Career Paths:

Computer Aided Design

As I have mentioned before, Mechanical Engineers are heavily involved in energy, materials, and the manufacturing process.  If you break these down even further, you will observe that a Mechanical Engineer mainly participates in the design, production and testing of products.  A career path is decided by individual choices and each area gives you the opportunity to change the world and to succeed.  As a design engineer, one has the opportunity to be an inventor.  One can specialize in the design of cars, planes, power plants or heating and ventilating systems.  Design Engineers typically use Computer Aided Design programs to model the product in 2-D or 3-D drawings.  These computer programs allow engineers to assemble and test their product so it can ultimately save a company a lot of money.  They follow strict standards and this job is very important because it is the building blocks for any given project.  For example, a Mechanical Engineer who works at Boeing will be involved in the aerodynamics of planes, thrust of the turbines, system controls, and even the materials that the plane is made out of.

After the design, the production of the part follows and an engineer will oversee the making of the product.  With every project, safety is the number one concern.  This is where a testing engineer would come in to make sure the product is safe and reliable.  Continuing with Boeing, an engineer involved in the production of the parts will make sure that the parts meet the standards of the company.

Finite Element Analysis

Finally, a test engineer comes in and can physically run tests on the finished product or even use computer programs such as Finite Element Analysis to simulate loads.  They develop tests, carry out the tests, record results and observe the results.  As an outcome, they will identify key areas on product that will be under a heavy load and could possibly fail.  A test engineer will figure out methods to improve the product and to make sure that the factor of safety stands.  With Boeing, a test engineer can run fatigue tests on the wings of the plane and how they affect the fuselage.  By gaining results, the test engineer can estimate the fatigue life of the plane.  Because of the altitude changes that planes consistently encounter along with inconsistent loads, test engineers at Boeing will test every inch of the plane to make sure that they are safe under numerous conditions.

Purpose:
Mechanical Engineering is one of the broadest careers there are.  I have mentioned many career paths, but I have only scratched the surface with the vast opportunities for this field.  Mechanical Engineering is and always will be the base of evolution and progression.  It is a challenging career but in the end it is very rewarding.  Mechanical Engineers make everyday life easier for everyone and is making the world a better place.  You may never hear of the engineer that designed the plane that you fly in, but remember that they are the one who uphold your interests and most importantly, your safety in mind.  Mechanical Engineering is one the most promising career paths in an every changing world.