Indonesian Mechanical Engineering Education
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles ofphysics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance ofmechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the design, production, and operation ofmachines and tools.
It is one of the oldest and broadest engineering disciplines.
The engineering field requires an understanding of core concepts:
including mechanics,kinematics, thermodynamics, materials science, and structural analysis. Mechanical engineers use these core principles along with tools like computer-aided engineeringand product lifecycle management to design and analyze manufacturing plants, industrial equipment and machinery, heating and cooling systems, transport systems,aircraft, watercraft, robotics, medical devices and more.
Mechanical engineering emerged as a field during the industrial revolution in Europe in the 18th century; however, its development can be traced back several thousand years around the world. Mechanical engineering science emerged in the 19th century as a result of developments in the field of physics. The field has continually evolved to incorporate advancements in technology, and mechanical engineers today are pursuing developments in such fields as composites, mechatronics, and nanotechnology. Mechanical engineering overlaps with aerospace engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, petroleum engineering, and chemical engineering to varying amounts.
Coursework
Standards set by each country's accreditation society are intended to provide uniformity in fundamental subject material, promote competence among graduating engineers, and to maintain confidence in the engineering profession as a whole. Engineering programs in the U.S., for example, are required by ABET to show that their students can "work professionally in both thermal and mechanical systems areas."
The specific courses required to graduate, however, may differ from program to program. Universities and Institutes of technology will often combine multiple subjects into a single class or split a subject into multiple classes, depending on the faculty available and the university's major area(s) of research.
The fundamental subjects of mechanical engineering usually include:
- Statics and dynamics
- Strength of materials and solid mechanics
- Instrumentation and measurement
- Electrotechnology
- Electronics
- Thermodynamics, heat transfer, energy conversion, and HVAC
- Combustion, automotive engines, fuels
- Fluid mechanics and fluid dynamics
- Mechanism design (including kinematics and dynamics)
- Manufacturing engineering, technology, or processes
- Hydraulics and pneumatics
- Mathematics - in particular, calculus, differential equations, and linear algebra.
- Engineering design
- Product design
- Mechatronics and control theory
- Material Engineering
- Design engineering, Drafting, computer-aided design (CAD) (including solid modeling), and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM)
Mechanical engineers are also expected to understand and be able to apply basic concepts from chemistry, physics, chemical engineering,civil engineering, and electrical engineering. Most mechanical engineering programs include multiple semesters of calculus, as well as advanced mathematical concepts including differential equations, partial differential equations, linear algebra, abstract algebra, and differential geometry, among others.
In addition to the core mechanical engineering curriculum, many mechanical engineering programs offer more specialized programs and classes, such as robotics, transport and logistics, cryogenics, fuel technology, automotive engineering, biomechanics, vibration, optics and others, if a separate department does not exist for these subjects.
Most mechanical engineering programs also require varying amounts of research or community projects to gain practical problem-solving experience. In the United States it is common for mechanical engineering students to complete one or more internships while studying, though this is not typically mandated by the university. Cooperative education is another option.
(Wikipedia)
