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11.6.7 DEPARTMENT
OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING (ME)
Head: Professor William H.
Sutton, Office: 290 Hardaway Hall
The department offers programs leading to the master of science in
mechanical engineering degree and the doctor of philosophy in
the area of mechanical engineering.
Two basic plans are available for earning an MS degree, one
requiring a thesis (Plan I) and one not requiring a thesis (Plan
II). During the first semester in residence, a student enrolled in
any graduate program should form a supervisory committee and, in
counsel with an advisor, submit a program of courses for the degree.
Forms and information for this purpose can be obtained in the
departmental office.
Research
The department has active research programs in
automotive engineering, acoustics, biomedical engineering,
combustion, computational modeling and simulation, IC engines,
control systems, energy systems, energy conservation,
manufacturing, propulsion and space exploration, vibrations, and
vehicle dynamics. To support research, the department maintains
well-equipped laboratories for engines, computer-aided automation, numerical modeling, vibro-acoustics and sound quality,
metrology and precision engineering, combustion, and propulsion and
space exploration. The department also maintains a modularized area
capable of supporting many separate projects, as well as a student
machine shop. Students have easy access to modern computer
facilities, including a departmental computer room.
Admission Requirements
Descriptions of the Graduate School
Admission
Criteria
and the College of Engineering
General
Admission requirements are in earlier
sections of this catalog.
A master's degree
applicant for a mechanical engineering program should
normally have a baccalaureate degree in mechanical engineering from
an ABET-accredited curriculum or a recognized international
university. Applicants in related areas such as science and
mathematics are encouraged; however, prerequisite undergraduate
courses will be required that will not apply for graduate credit.
Admission to the PhD program usually requires completion of a
master’s degree; however, exceptionally qualified applicants may be
admitted directly to the PhD program from the bachelor’s degree.
The GRE is not required for graduates from ABET-accredited programs.
All other applicants must submit GRE scores. International students
generally must submit TOEFL or equivalent scores in English language
proficiency.
Degree Requirements
Graduate School
Degree
Requirements and College of Engineering
MS
and
PhD
degree requirements are detailed in earlier sections of this
catalog. Also refer to the
online Graduate Handbook on the departmental homepage.
Master's Degree Requirements
Plan I. All students on teaching or research assistantships
in the department are expected to pursue the Plan I option. The
following are the department’s requirements for the Plan I Master’s
degree:
-
A minimum of 24 semester hours
of approved courses (excluding ME 599) that together satisfy all other course
requirements for the degree
-
A minimum of 12 semester hours
in a major area, of which 3 hours may be in a closely related
supporting area; at least 12 of the major hours must be at the
500 and/or 600 level
-
A minimum of 6 semester hours
of mathematics taken in the Department of Mathematics or the
College of Engineering
-
An approved thesis and a
minimum of 6 semester hours of ME 599.
Plan II. The following are
the department's requirements for the Plan II Master's degree:
-
minimum of 33 semester hours
of approved courses that together satisfy all other course
requirements for the degree
-
A minimum of 18 semester hours
in a major area at or above the 500 level, of which 6 hours may be in closely related
supporting areas
-
A minimum of 6 semester hours
of mathematics taken in the Department of Mathematics or the
College of Engineering
-
A comprehensive exam.
Doctor of Philosophy. The
following are the department's requirements for the PhD degree:
-
A minimum of 48 semester hours
(excluding ME 699) of approved courses that together satisfy all other course
requirements for the degree
-
A minimum of 24 semester hours
of coursework in the major technical area, of which 9 hours may
be in closely related supporting areas
-
A minimum of 12 semester hours
in any minor technical areas included in the student's program
of study
-
A comprehensive exam
-
An approved dissertation and a
minimum of 24 semester hours of ME 699.
Early in the graduate program, each student confers with a faculty
adviser to select courses, discuss when and by which method the
doctoral residency requirement will be completed, discuss research
interests, and so forth. Then a Plan of Study is prepared and
submitted to the Graduate School. The
PhD Plan of Study
is available at the Graduate School website. All doctoral students
must have a completed Plan of Study approved by the Graduate School
no later than the semester during which the student will complete 30
semester hours of UA and/or transfer credit for the doctoral
degree. Otherwise, a "hold" may be placed on future
registration.
If
later there are changes in the Plan of Study, the student simply
submits an amended PhD Plan of Study to the Graduate School at the time that the
form for
Admission to Candidacy for Doctoral Degree
is submitted.
A department-approved Admission to Candidacy for the Doctoral Degree is submitted to the
Graduate School as soon as possible after passing the comprehensive
(preliminary) examination.
See the online Graduate
Catalog (Sec.
4.11.3)
for details on Plan of Study, Admission to Candidacy, and all other
Degree
Requirements.
Course Descriptions
ME 500 Intermediate Fluid Mechanics. (3-0) Three hours.
Same as AEM 500.
Prerequisites: MATH 238, ME 215, and AEM 311.
Development and use of the integral and differential forms of the equations
of continuity, momentum, and energy with ideal fluids and compressible
fluids. Advanced topics in fluid mechanics, including potential flow,
boundary layer flow, compressible flow, and open channel flow.
ME 501 Mechanical Engineering Analysis I. (3-0) Three hours.
Prerequisites: ME 309, ME 349, and ME 372.
Analysis of mechanical engineering systems; presentations and
application of advanced analysis techniques for continuous and
discrete dynamic systems.
ME 502 Transport Phenomena. (3-0) Three hours.
Prerequisites: ME 215 and AEM 311.
Steady and transient mass; energy and momentum transport in ideal
and real substances.
ME 503 Intermediate Gas Dynamics. (3-0) Three hours. Same as
AEM
503.
Prerequisites: ME 215 and AEM 311.
Basic equations and concepts of compressible flow; shock and
expansion waves; and development of the generalized one-dimensional
equations and solution of these equations for various types of flow,
using computer software.
ME 506 Foundations of Thermal Power Generation. (3-0) Three hours.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing. Not open to students who have taken
ME 406.
Thermal power systems; components, process analysis and modeling,
fuels, combustion, environmental aspects, and availability analysis
in steam and gas turbine plants. Examination of recent trends such
as cogeneration and combined cycles.
ME 509 Intermediate Heat Transfer. (3-0) Three hours.
Prerequisites: ME 309 and AEM 311.
Intermediate treatment of conduction, convection, and radiation heat
transfer.
ME 516 Foundations of Energy Conservation and Management. (3-0)
Three hours.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing. Not open to students who have taken
ME 416.
Analysis and management of energy use in residential, commercial,
and industrial applications, including lighting, heating and
cooling, controls, and energy management systems. Topics include
economics, auditing, energy management, and alternative energy
sources.
ME 518 Principles of Combustion I. (3-0) Three hours.
Combustion thermodynamics, flame temperature and equilibrium
compositions, ignition processes, detonation and deflagration,
diffusion flames, and similitude; assigned papers.
ME 525 Statistical Quality Control. (3-0) Three hours.
Prerequisites: GES 255, or GES
400/500, or consent of instructor. Not open to students who earned credit in ME 425.
Use of statistical tools and
techniques in control of quality of manufactured products. Shewhart control charts; advanced control charts; capability
analysis; single, double, and multiple sampling inspection plans.
ME 526 Design and Analysis of
Experiments. (3-0) Three hours.
Prerequisites: GES 255, OR GES
400/500, or consent of instructor. Not open to students who
have earned credit in ME 426.
Design or experiments and application
of analysis of variance, regression analysis, and related
statistical methods.
ME 541 Introduction to Biomedical Engineering. (3-0) Three hours.
Prerequisites: MATH 238, PH 106, and either AEM 201 or AEM 361.
Introduction to the relationship between engineering and medicine.
Modeling musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems. Review of
medical devices such as non-invasive imaging devices, biopotential
electrodes and amplifiers, and assistive technology.
ME 550 Advanced Mechanical Design. (3-0) Three hours.
Constitutive relationships, Castigliano's method, fatigue,
stochastic relationships, time-dependent properties, and other
advanced topics.
ME 561 Techniques in Experimental Research. (2-3) Three hours.
Prerequisite: ME 360.
Design of experimental research systems; study of instrumentation,
transducers, and related electronic components; data acquisition,
error analysis, experiment planning, and proposal writing.
ME 562 Intermediate Dynamics. (3-9) Three hours. Same as
AEM 562.
Prerequisites: MATH 238 and AEM 264, or permission of the
instructor.
Dynamics of systems in moving coordinate frames; Lagrangian
formulation and Hamilton 's principle; stability and perturbation
concepts for rigid body motion; motion of systems of rigid bodies in
three dimensions.
ME 564 System Simulation.
(3-0) Three hours.
Prerequisites: ME 203 and GES 132, or
consent of instructor.
Co-requisite: GES 257 or GES
400/500, Not open to students who have credit for ME 464.
Simulation methodology, emphasizing
discrete, computer-simulation modeling.
ME 566 Manufacturing Systems
Design. (3-0) Three hours.
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.
Not open to students who have credit for ME 466.
Investigation of design issues and
approaches for the analysis and design of manufacturing systems.
ME 569 Production Planning and
Control. (3-0) Three hours.
Prerequisites: GES 255 or GES
400/500 and GES 501. Not open to students with credit for ME
469.
Forecasting and estimation; aggregate
planning; charts and network models; resource allocation; inventory
control; sequencing and scheduling; dispatching; flow control; bills
of materials; and requirements planning.
ME 570 Mechanical Vibrations. (3-0) Three hours. Same as
AEM 570.
Prerequisites: ME 372 and AEM 250.
Formulation and solution of free and forced vibration iscussed.
problems with single and multiple DOFs. Both modal and frequency
response techniques are d
ME 571 Fundamentals of Acoustics. (3-0) Three hours. Same as
AEM
571.
Prerequisites: MATH 238, PH 106, and either ECE 320 or ECE 225.
Fundamental physical principles underlying wave propagation and
resonance in mechanical systems. Introduces applications and
provides experience in acoustic and audio measurements
and the
associated instrumentation.
ME 577
Advanced Linear Control. (3-0) Three hours.
Same as AEM 577.
Prerequisite: ME 475
or permission of the instructor.
Modern techniques for the analysis and design of linear control
systems. Matrix formulation; multivariable control systems;
state-variable concepts; discrete-time systems; optimization; and
statistical design methods.
ME 583 Computer-Aided
Manufacturing. (3-0) Three hours.
Prerequisites: DR 133 and ME 383
Introduction and application of
several technologies used in computer-aided design/manufacturing,
including computer-aided design, solid modeling, rapid prototyping,
geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, machining process
optimization, NC programming CNC machines, software-based product
and process design in machining.
ME 591 Special Problems (Area). Variable credit.
Credit awarded is based on the amount of work undertaken.
ME 594 Special Project. Two to six hours.
Planning, executing, and presenting results of an individual project
involving a research design, analysis, or similar undertaking.
ME 598 Research Not Related to Thesis. Variable credit.
ME 599 Master's Thesis Research. One to six hours.
ME 605 Classical Thermodynamics. (3-0) Three hours.
Prerequisite: ME 215.
Classical macroscopic thermodynamic analysis of systems, pure
substances, mixtures, and reacting systems.
ME 607 Conduction Heat Transfer. (3-0) Three hours.
Prerequisite: AEM 309 or equivalent.
Transient, multidimensional heat conduction in various geometries,
and the mathematical and numerical means to analyze them.
ME 609 Convection Heat Transfer. (3-0) Three hours.
Prerequisite: ME 309 or equivalent.
Laminar and turbulent internal and external flow, natural
convection, and the mathematical and numerical means to analyze
them.
ME 611 Finite-Element Analysis of Convective Heat Transfer. (3-0)
Three hours.
Prerequisites: ME 309, AEM 311, and ME 349; or permission of the
instructor.
Introduction to finite-element theory; Galerkin method of weighted
residuals; shape functions; isoparametric elements; finite-element
convective-diffusion equation; upwind methods; turbulence modeling;
and utilization of commercial finite-element codes for analysis of
convective heat transfer.
ME 618 Principles of Combustion II. (3-0) Three hours.
Prerequisite: ME 518.
Parameters of confined combustion; evaporation of fuel, velocity of
flames, detonation, and chamber design; dynamic effects; and
measuring techniques. Assigned papers.
ME 621 Boundary Layer Theory I. (3-0) Three hours. Same as
AEM 621.
Development of basic boundary layer equations and concepts. Classical
incompressible solutions for laminar boundary layer, approximate solutions,
and concepts of turbulence.
ME 629 Radiation Heat Transfer. (3-0) Three hours.
Prerequisite: ME 309.
Physical laws of thermal radiation; implications of entropy and
probability; view factors; geometrical and spectral characteristics;
and absorbing-scattering media.
ME 662 Advanced Dynamics. (3-0) Three hours.
Prerequisite: ME 562.
Stability of autonomous and non-autonomous dynamical systems;
Hamilton mechanics and canonical systems; analytical solution
applying perturbation techniques; and analysis of dynamic behavior
using geometric theory.
ME 677
Optimal Control.
(3-0) Three hours.
Prerequisite:
ME 577.
Optimal control of dynamic processes; calculus of variations;
Hamilton-Jacobi Theory; Pontryagin’s maximum principle; dynamic
programming.
ME 678 Advanced Topics in Control.
(3-0) Three hours.
Advanced topics in nonlinear, discrete-time, optimal, and learning
systems.
ME 691:692 Special Problems (Area). Variable credit. Credit awarded
is based on the amount of work undertaken.
ME 693 Selected Topics (Area). One to three hours.
Topics of current research in dynamics and controls, solid mechanics
and structures, or thermal/fluid sciences; applications to
mechanical engineering.
ME 694 Special Project. Two to six hours.
Planning, executing, and presenting results of an individual project
involving a research design, analysis, or similar undertaking.
ME 698 Research Not Related to Dissertation. One to six hours.
ME 699 Doctoral Dissertation Research. Three to twelve hours.
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