What Is Mechanical Engineering? Is It the Right Course for Me?

Choosing a career in engineering can be a difficult decision due to the wide array of options offered by Universities and Colleges. The first step is identifying your passions and interests and to see how well they match each of the engineering disciplines. Mechanical engineering is one of the four major disciplines along with civil, electrical and chemical.

Mechanical engineering focuses on dynamic, or moving, systems. It is a very broad field that overlaps with civil engineering in many instances. The ability of a mechanical engineer to consider dynamic events and design for load transfer (a car experiences load transfer when the brakes are applied by the driver and the weight of the car shifts to the front wheels) is what distinguishes them from civil engineers. Mechanical engineers design machinery and components for use in the construction, transportation and automotive industries using a wide array of computer software such as CAD (Computer Aided Design) and FEA (Finite Element Analysis). CAD allows an engineer to design a component before simulating its durability and strength using FEA. This process saves countless hours and dollars for companies as they are now able to test a component before they have to build it.

Anyone who has a good level of mechanical aptitude and is curious about complex systems and vehicles is a good candidate to undertake a course of best mechanical engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu. It teaches the general principles of mechanical systems whereas the sub-disciplines focus only on one field of development. For example, a student who builds robots as a hobby would be most suited to a mechatronics course rather than the mechanical course. The major sub-disciplines of mechanical engineering are briefly described below.

Aerospace/Aeronautical
Aerospace engineers are responsible for the advance of aircraft and space vehicles. They specialise in designing highly sophisticated commercial and military aircraft. Wind tunnels are their weapon of choice, with many hours dedicated to aerodynamic testing within them. Aerospace engineers are also used extensively in the automotive industry, mainly in high performance fields such as Motorsport. This course may also serve as a pathway to obtaining a pilot's license and vice versa.

Automotive
A branch of mechanical engineering that focuses on understanding the vehicle manufacturing process and the future direction of the automotive industry. This course prepares graduates for a career with an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer), component suppliers, or road transport agencies. Greater emphasis on hybrid and electric cars may create more opportunities for automotive engineers in the near and long term future.

Marine
Marine engineering includes marine vessel design, operation, maintenance and the design of any infrastructure that exists for the marine industry. All marine vessels contain mechanical and electrical systems such as turbines, fuel systems and air conditioning, requiring engineers to have knowledge in both areas.

Mechatronics
Mechatronics is a mechanical/electrical hybrid engineering discipline that is mostly concerned with optimising products and processes using cutting edge technology. This field is a great choice for those with a passion for robotics.

Nuclear
The field of nuclear power is the sole focus of nuclear engineers. Power generation, radiation and nuclear reactions (fission and fusion energy) are the fundamental research areas of nuclear engineering. A large portion of nuclear engineers work on power plant design and may be stationed on-site to supervise the operation of the plant. Many opportunities exist for research and development of nuclear power; mainly in the United States.

If you are able to identify yourself with any of the above sub-disciplines you are halfway to deciding on an engineering course. If you are interested in mechanical systems but are not particularly passionate about a specific field, then it is advisable to choose a best mechanical engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu which will expose you to a broad range of subjects. Once enrolled in a course, it is always possible to transfer into a related discipline should you change your mind.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Aeronautical Engineering - For Flying Colors Underneath The Indian Skies

Ever stopped for a moment to look up at the sky and wander the skies startled by the brains behind the flying man-made birds? Dating back to sketches of Leonardo da Vinci on the magnanimous journey of the Wright Brothers, the sky set the limit and man has been reaching beyond ever since. If you been always thinking that sky is never the limit and a career beyond is conventional - you landed right here. The ABCs A degree in best aeronautical engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu is a passport for the launch pad of your successful and rewarding career in the aerospace industry turning your ideas into reality. By the application of principles derived from science and technology, aeronautical engineering calls for the research, design, manufacture, operations, and maintenance of highly sophisticated products such as aircraft, space satellites, and missiles etc. in the field of aviation, space exploration, and defense systems. Working under the supervision of senior engineers with super...
Read more

6 Specialties of Engineering You Should Consider

  A lot of young people, not to call them teenagers, are always experiencing hardships when it comes to choosing a college they are going to attend in the fall. Even though the glossy brochures seem very appealing to most of them, and the historical campus stories always seem to score higher than the actual academic-related activities. This is a pretty serious decision. Guidance is always more than welcomed and former students of some of the colleges you are thinking to attend are of course more than welcomed in the picture also. Having the ability to compare and contrast, analyze, and see which are the best paying college degrees, you could opt for turn this whole experience into a pretty hectic, but much needed one. If engineering is something you think might interest you, whether you are a young man or woman on the verge of going to college anytime soon, you might be thinking about the actual specialties you could consider. Here is a brief list featuring some of the best choic...
Read more