Mechanical Engineering

Units: 3

Classical thermodynamics of a general reactive system; conservation of energy and principles of increase of entropy; fundamental relation of thermodynamics; Legendre transformations; phase transitions and critical phenomena; equilibrium and stability criteria in different representation; irreversible thermodynamics. Introduction to statistical thermodynamics.

Offered in Spring Only

Units: 3

Gas-phase thermochemistry including chemical equilibrium and introductory chemical kinetics. Homogeneous reaction phenomena. Subsonic and supersonic combustion waves in premixed reactants [deflagration and detonation]. Effects of turbulence. Introduction to diffusion flame theory.

Offered in Fall Only

Units: 3

Development of basic equations for steady and transient heat and mass transfer processes. Emphasis on application of basic equations to engineering problems in areas of conduction, convection, mass transfer and thermal radiation.

Offered in Fall and Summer

Units: 3

Basic topics in advanced dynamics and with applications to aerospace systems. Rotating coordinate systems, Euler angles, three-dimensional kinematics and kinetics, angular momentum methods and an introduction to analytical mechanics. Examples are concentrated in the area of aerospace vehicles, but the methods learned will be applicable to land-based vehicles and any engineering system undergoing rigid body rotation, e.g. wind turbines, biomechanical systems, machine tools, robotic systems, etc.

Offered in Fall and Summer

Units: 3

This course covers advanced materials related to mathematical models and designs in automotive vehicles as multiple degrees of freedom systems for dynamic behaviors in acceleration, braking, rollover, aerodynamics, suspections, tire, and drive train.

Offered in Spring Only

Units: 3

Principles of structural vibration beginning from single and multi-degree of freedom systems and extending to distributed systems. Forced system response, vibration of strings, bars, shafts and beams and an introduction to approximate methods.

Offered in Fall Only

Units: 3

This is a graduate level course designed for graduate students and undergraduate seniors. This course examines precision issues for products, manufacturing machines, processes, and instruments. Modern manufacturing technologies are distinct in their multifarious nature in product sizes, materials, energy forms, theories, and information types; however, the key to their success relies on the management of precision. This course discusses issues critical to both existing precision manufacturing and future sub-micron/nano technology. Important topics include fundamental mechanical accuracies; manufacturing systems and processes; geometric dimensioning and tolerancing; process planning, tolerance charts, and statistical process control; principles of accuracy, repeatability, and resolution; error assessment and calibration; error budget; reversal principles; joint design and stiffness consideration; precision sensing and control; precision laser material processing.

Offered in Fall and Summer

Units: 3

Many think of design as more of an art than a science. However, the growing body of research in the engineering design community teaches us ways to navigate the design of consumer products using interdisciplinary design tools and rational decision making. This course introduces students to scientific design techniques that are more effective than "ad hoc" tactics. By exploring how engineering principles integrate with "real world" design challenges, students will learn to solve product design problems that encompass heterogeneous markets, multiple disciplines, and large-scale complex systems.

Offered in Spring and Summer

Units: 3

Nonlinear optimization techniques with applications in various aspects of engineering design. Terminology, problem formulation, single and multiple design variables, constraints, classical and heuristic approaches, single and multiobjective problems, response surface modeling, and tradeoffs in complex engineering systems. Numerical optimization algorithms and implementation of these optimization techniques. Graduate standing in engineering recommended.

Offered in Fall Only

Units: 3

Fundamental concepts of the finite element method for linear stress and deformation analysis of mechanical components. Development of truss, beam, frame, plane stress, plane strain, axisymmetric and solid elements. Isoparametric formulations. Introduction to structural dynamics. Practical modeling techniques and use of general-purpose codes for solving practical stress analysis problems.

Offered in Fall Only

Units: 3

A practical introduction to electromechanical systems with emphasis on modeling, analysis, design, and control techniques. Provides theory and practical tools for the design of electric machines [standard motors, linear actuators, magnetic bearings, etc]. Involves some self-directed laboratory work and culuminates in an industrial design project. Topics include Maxwell's equations, electromechanical energy conversion, finite element analysis, design and control techniques.

Offered in Spring and Summer

Units: 3

Fundamentals and applications of micro/nano sensors and actuators. Emphasis upon MEMS/NEMS design, microfabrication techniques, and case studies of MEMS devices. Nanomaterials and NEMS devices also covered. Students have opportunity to learn commercial software packages on design and simulation of MEMS and hear from experts from leading MEMS companies through guest lectures. Previous knowledge of MEMS and nanotechnology is not required. The course is restricted to advanced undergrads and graduate students in engineering, materials science, physics and biomedical fields.

Offered in Fall Only

Units: 3

Manufacturing techniques with emphasis on selection of those producing most favorable end result. Classical plate theory, materials properties and failure theories. Micromechanics, repair, plate solutions and elasticity solutions covered as requiredto meet special interests of students.

Offered in Spring Only

Units: 3

Development of principles of advanced strength of materials and elasticity theory leading to solution of practical engineering problems concerned with stress and deformation analysis. Tensor analysis, coordinate transformations, alternative measures of strain, elastic constitutive equations, stress measures, formulation and solution of two and three dimensional elasticity problems. Examples include advanced beam theory for shear deformation and large deformation, contact mechanics, stress concentration, pressure vessels and compound cylinders, thermal stress analysis, and stresses in layered microelectronic devices.

Offered in Fall Only

Units: 3

Concept of elastic stress intensity factor, Griffith energy balance, determination of the elastic field at a sharp crack tip via eigenfunction expansion methods, J integrals analysis, experimental determination of fracture toughness, fatigue crack growth, elastic-plastic crack tip fields. Emphasis on modern numerical methods for determination of stress intensity factors, critical crack sizes and fatigue crack propagation rate predictions.

Offered in Spring and Summer

Units: 3

Review of basic thermodynamics pertinent to gas dynamics. Detailed development of general equations governing fluid motion in both differential and integral forms. Simplification of the equations to those for specialized flow regimes. Similarity parameters. Applications to simple problems in various flow regimes.

Offered in Fall and Summer

Units: 3

Development of fundamental aerodynamic theory. Emphasis upon mathematical analysis and derivation of equations of motion, airfoil theory and comparison with experimental results. Introduction to super sonic flow theory.

Units: 3

Introduction to integration of the governing partial differential equations of fluid flow and heat transfer by numerical finite difference and finite volume means. Methods for parabolic, hyper-bolic and elliptical equations and application to model equations. Error analysis and physical considerations.

Offered in Fall Only

Units: 3

Discussion of inviscid flow fields over wings in subsonic flow. Vortex lattice methods, lifting surface theories and panel methods developed for wings with attached flow and leading-edge separation. Calculation of aerodynamic characteristics and determination of effects of planform and airfoil shapes.

Offered in Spring Only

YEAR: Offered Alternate Years

Units: 1 - 6

Individual or small group investigation of a problem stemming from a mutual student-faculty interest. Emphasis on providing a situation for exploiting student curiosity.

Offered in Fall Spring Summer

Units: 1 - 6

Faculty and student discussions of special topics in mechanical engineering.

Offered in Fall and Spring

Units: 1

For students in non-thesis master's programs who have completed all credit hour requirements for their degree but need to maintain half-time continuous registration to complete incomplete grades, projects, final master's exam, etc.

Offered in Summer