11.6.8 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 degree in
the area of mechanical engineering.
Two basic plans are available for earning an M.S. 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, air-conditioning (HVAC),
manufacturing, propulsion and space exploration, vibrations, and
vehicle dynamics. To support research, the department maintains
well-equipped laboratories for engines, computer-aided automation,
HVAC, 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
Information on the University’s policies and requirements regarding
admission is in the “Academic Policies” section of this catalog. An
applicant for a mechanical engineering graduate 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 Ph.D. program usually requires completion of a
Master’s degree; however, exceptionally qualified applicants may be
admitted directly to the Ph.D. 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
must generally submit TOEFL or equivalent scores in English language
proficiency.
Degree Requirements
Also refer to the “Graduate Handbook” on-line on the departmental
homepage.
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 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, 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 Ph.D. degree:
- A minimum of 48 semester hours
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.
Course Descriptions
ME 500 Intermediate Fluid Mechanics. (3-0) Three hours. Same as AEM
500.
Prerequisites: MATH 238, ME 215, and AEM 311.
For description, see AEM 500.
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 517 Controlled Environment System Design. (3-0) Three hours.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing and ME 407. Not open to students
who have earned credit for ME 417.
Design and simulation of conventional and unconventional environment
control systems. Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC),
thermal storage, solar, geothermal, demand reduction, measurement,
and control.
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 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 553 Mechanical Reliability. (3-0) Three hours.
Prerequisites: ME 350 and ME 450.
Probabilistic methodology for assessing the reliability of a
mechanical system at the design stage.
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 567 Robotics and Control Hardware. (3-0) Three hours.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing and ME 360.
Corequisite: ME 475. Not open to students who have earned credit for
ME 467.
Familiarizes graduate students with the design of robots and control
systems, with an emphasis on hardware used in real-world
implementations. Extra outside reading assignments and projects
distinguish ME 567 from its undergraduate counterpart, ME 467.
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 problems with
single and multiple DOFs. Both modal and frequency response
techniques are discussed.
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/ECE
577.
Prerequisite: ME 475.
For description, see ECE 577.
ME 578 Nonlinear Control Systems. (3-0) Three hours. Same as ECE
674/AEM 578.
Prerequisite: ME 475.
For description, see ECE 674.
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 615 Statistical Thermodynamics. (3-0) Three hours.
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.
Statistical ensembles: Maxwell-Boltzmann, Bose-Einstein, and
Fermi-Dirac statistics. Application of statistical mechanics to
thermodynamic processes.
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 620 Finite Difference Methods in Fluid Dynamics. (3-0) Three
hours. Same as AEM 620.
Prerequisites: GES 132, MATH 238, and AEM 311.
For description, see AEM 620.
ME 621 Boundary Layer Theory I. (3-0) Three hours. Same as AEM 621.
For description, see AEM 621.
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 665 Advanced Design of Automated Manufacturing Systems. (3-0)
Three hours.
Prerequisite: ME 465.
Advanced studies in the design of industrial robotic systems using
analytical and interactive computer-graphics techniques. Topics
include robot kinematics and dynamics, the reverse kinematics
problem, numerical techniques, adaptive control theory, robot motion
planning, and trajectory specifications.
ME 677 Optimal Control. (3-0) Three hours. Same as ECE 677.
Prerequisite: ME 577.
For description, see ECE 677.
ME 678 Advanced Topics in Control. (3-0) Three hours. Same as
ECE
678.
For description, see ECE 678.
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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