Mechanical Engineering is a Very Promising Field of Practice

Mechanical engineering goes beyond operating trains only as it has been understood in the early days. Mechanical Engineering pertains to the workings and functions of mechanical systems.

Applications of Mechanical Engineering as Seen in History

Throughout history, there have been many instances that man has utilized the discipline of mechanical engineering.

In Greece, early inventors like Archimedes and Heron of Alexandria have done wonders following the principles of mechanical engineering. Their influences led to the development of mechanics in Western tradition. In China, inventions of early water clock, seismometer, and gears in chariots were the contributions that we see up to these days.

England and Scotland paved the way for the development of the field of engineering devoted to designing and producing engines to power machine tools. Britain's organization of mechanical engineers was formed as early as 1847.

United States followed suit in gathering great minds in the field of mechanical engineering when they organized the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1880.

The boom of mechanical engineering was fully utilized during the World Wars when nations needed war machines to win their battles. Funds were released for the development of new air crafts, automobiles, tanks, and other weapons.

The scope of influence of mechanical engineers in our history proves how vital it is to closely work with them to make our lives a lot easier.

Education and Training

If you want to be a mechanical engineer, you have to go through extensive education and training. If you will major in the field you have to learn or better so master subjects like the following: Math, Physics, Solid Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Fluid dynamics, Materials Science, manufacturing processes, and a lot more.

As a mechanical engineering major you will be exposed to a lot of lecture and homework format which focuses on solving problems related to your subjects. The curriculum often lets students interact with other engineering fields to start you early on the reality of the practice. As a mechanical engineer you will be working with other engineers in various disciplines.

The engineering departments of different universities worldwide make certain that you will also have the soft skills necessary to be successful in your field. This training may enhance your skills on writing, speaking, and planning.

Most universities also require a thesis from their students during the final year. If you will be a mechanical engineer major you will be tasked to design and develop a mechanical device like a vehicle or a robot. This will make you appreciate your text book by seeing the different principles being applied in real life.

After graduating from the university, most countries will require you to take a licensure to assess your technical knowledge, application capabilities, and legal know how as a mechanical engineer.

Working as a Mechanical Engineer

Your licensure will most likely guarantee you a job. Statistics show an increasing demand for mechanical engineers in different parts of the world from the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia.

By Benedict Yossarian

What Is Civil engineering?

Civil engineering is a technology that includes numerous other disciplines that produce useful facilities for the human beings, including roads, dams, waste disposal and other facilities that are used in our daily life. Civil engineering is progressing at a fast pace as are other technologies.

Works By Civil Engineering

Civil engineering is considered as the first discipline of the various branches of engineering after military engineering, and includes

the designing, planning, construction, and maintenance of the infrastructure. The works include roads, bridges, buildings, dams, canals, water supply and numerous other facilities that affect the life of human beings. Civil engineering is intimately associated with the private and public sectors, including the individual homeowners and international enterprises. It is one of the oldest engineering professions, and ancient engineering achievements due to civil engineering include the pyramids of Egypt and road systems developed by the Romans.

Civil Engineering In Daily Life

Civil engineering has a significant role in the life of every human being, though one

may not truly sense its importance in our daily routine. The function of civil engineering commences with the start of the day when we take a shower, since the water is delivered through a water supply system including a well designed network of pipes, water treatment plant and other numerous associated services. The network of roads on which we drive while proceeding to school or work, the huge structural bridges we come across and the tall buildings where we work, all have been designed and constructed by civil engineers. Even the benefits of electricity we use are available to us through the contribution of civil engineers who constructed the towers for the transmission lines. In fact, no sphere of life may be identified that does not include the contribution of civil engineering. Thus, the importance of civil engineering may be determined according to its usefulness in our daily life.

Sub-disciplines Of Civil Engineering

Civil engineering is a multiple science encompassing numerous sub-disciplines that are closely linked with each other. The various sub-disciplines of civil engineering are mentioned below:

Structural Engineering: This discipline involves the design of structures that should be safe for the users, be economical, and accomplish the desired functions. The design and analysis should initially identify the loads that act on the structures, stresses that are created due to loads, and then design the structure to withstand these loads. It includes steel structures, buildings, tunnels, highways, dams, and bridges.

Geotechnical Engineering: Geotechnical engineering deals with soils, rocks, foundations of buildings and bridges, highways, sewers and underground water systems. Technical information obtained from the sciences of geology, material testing, and hydraulics is applied in the design of foundations and structures to ensure safety and economy of construction.

Water Resources Engineering: This discipline of civil engineering concerns the management of quantity and quality of water in the underground and above ground water resources, such as rivers, lakes and streams. Geographical areas are analyzed to forecast the amount of water that will flow into and out of a water source. Fields of hydrology, geology, and environmental science are included in this discipline of civil engineering.

Environmental Engineering: : It is related to the science of waste management of all types, purification of water, cleaning of contaminated areas, reduction of pollution, and industrial ecology. Technical data obtained due to environmental engineering assists the policy makers in making decisions related to environmental issues.

Other Disciplines: Some of the other disciplines included in civil engineering include coastal engineering, construction engineering, earthquake engineering, materials science, transportation engineering, and surveying.

Future Of Civil Engineering

Civil engineering utilizes technical information obtained from numerous other sciences, and with the advancement in all types of technologies, the civil engineering has also benefited tremendously. The future of civil engineering is expected to be revolutionized by the new technologies including design software, GPS, GIS systems and other latest technical expertise in varied fields. Technology will continue to make important changes in the application of civil engineering, including the rapid progress in the use of 3-D and 4-D design tools.

Civil Engineering: Fluid Mechanics/Hydraulics in Civil Engineering

The widespread applications of fluid mechanics and hydraulics in civil engineering include transportation of fluids in pipes and in open channels, as well as flow measurement for both pipes and open channels. These areas of application use a variety of calculations for design and for analysis.

Pipe Flow Calculations

Liquids and gases are transported through pipes for a wide variety of applications. Engineers need to be able to calculate i) the pipe size needed for a given flow rate and available pump head, ii) the head loss due to a given flow rate through a pipe of known size, or iii) the the flow rate through a specified pipe with a given head loss. These articles present the calculation procedure and the equations to be used for each of these types of calculations, as well as example calculations. There are articles on the use of Darcy-Wiesbach/friction factor calculations and on the use of the Hazen Williams formula. Information is also presented on the use of Excel spreadsheets for pipe flow calculations.

• Pipe Flow Calculations 1 - The Entrance Length for Fully Developed Flow
• Pipe Flow Calculations 2 - Reynolds Number for Determining Laminar or Turbulent Flow
• Pipe Flow Calculations 3 - The Friction Factor and Frictional Head Loss
• Pipe Flow/Head Loss/Friction Factor Calculations with Excel Spreadsheets
• Excel Formulas to Calculate Water Flow Rates for Different Pipe Sizes

Uniform Open Channel Flow Calculations

For open channel flow, a free liquid surface is open to atmospheric pressure, so the driving force for flow is gravity, rather than a pressure difference as in pipe flow. Examples of open channel flow include flow in rivers and streams, in storm sewers, in arroyos and irrigation channels, and in man-made open channels such as those used in wastewater treatment plants. Uniform open channel flow occurs when a constant flow rate passes through a channel with constant bottom slope, constant surface roughness, and constant shape and size. These articles center on the use of the Manning equation for uniform open channel flow, including calculation of the hydraulic radius, determination of the flow rate in a given channel at a given depth of flow and determination of the normal depth of flow, for a given channel and flow rate. There are articles on natural channel calculations and articles that emphasize calculations for man-made channels.

• Introduction to the Manning Equation for Uniform Open Channel Flow Calculations
• Calculation of Hydraulic Radius for Uniform Open Channel Flow
• Calculation of Normal Depth for Open Channel Flow
• Calculating Uniform Open Channel Flow/Manning Equation Solutions with Excel Spreadsheets
• Use of the Manning Equation for Open Channel Flow in Natural Channels
• Determining the Manning Roughness Coefficient for a Natural Channel
• Manning Equation Calculations for Partially Full Pipe Flow
• How to Use the Manning Equation for Storm Sewer Calculations

Open Channel Flow Measurement

Weirs and flumes are the most common devices for measuring flow rate in open channels. These articles include information about sharp crested, rectangular and V-notch weirs, broad crested weirs, and Parshall flumes. The information includes descriptive material, diagrams, equations, example calculations, and discussion of the use of Excel spreadsheets for the calculations.

• Open Channel Flow Measurement 1: Introduction to the Weir and Flume
• Open Channel Flow Measurement with V-Notch Weirs
• Open Channel Flow Measurement with Rectangular, Sharp-Crested Weirs
• Open Channel Flow Measurement with Parshall Flumes
• Open Channel Flow Measurement with Broad Crested Weirs
• Excel Spreadsheets for V-Notch Weir Flow Measurement Calculations
• Excel Spreadsheets for Rectangular Weir Flow Measurement Calculations
• Excel Spreadsheets for Parshall Flume Flow Measurement Calculations
• Excel Spreadsheets for Broad Crested Weir Flow Measurement Calculations

Pipe Flow Measurement

A widely used type of flow measurement device for pipe flow is the differential flow meter, including flow nozzle, orifice, and venturi meters. These meters use a constriction in the flow area to increase the fluid velocity and thus decrease the fluid pressure. The amount of pressure decrease can then be measured and used to calculate the flow rate. Descriptive material, equations, and example calculations are included for flow nozzle, orifice, as well as venturi meters, along with information about pitot tubes, rotameters, and magnetic flow meters.

• The Orifice, Flow Nozzle, and Venturi Meter for Pipe Flow Measurement
• Use ISO 5167 to Find the Orifice Discharge Coefficient for an Orifice Flow Meter
• Excel Templates for Venturi and Orifice Flow Meter Calculations
• How to Measure Fluid Velocity with a Pitot Tube
• Measurement of Pipe Flow Rate with a Rotameter Flow Meter
• Pipe Flow Measurement with a Magnetic Flow Meter

Hydraulic Jumps and Supercritical Open Channel Flow

Hydraulic jumps occur in order to make a transition from supercritical flow to subcritical flow on a channel that isn't steep enough to maintain supercritical flow. The articles in this section provide background information about subcritical, critical, and supercritical flow, about hydraulic jump calculations, and about calculation of parameters like critical depth and critical slope for open channel flow.

• Subcritical, Critical and Supercritical Open Channel Flow
• Open Channel Flow Basics - Hydraulic Jump Calculations
• Use of Excel Formulas for Hydraulic Jump Calculations
• Calculation of Critical Depth and Critical Slope for Open Channel Flow

Fluid Mechanics Fundamentals

Fundamental fluid mechanic principles are useful in a variety of ways. For example, the Ideal Gas Law can be used to calculate the density of air and other gases at different tempertures and pressures. The equations and methods of calculating drag force due to fluid flow past an immersed object can provide insight into the reason why the dimples in golf balls make the golf balls go farther than smooth balls would.

• What is the Ideal Gas Law?
• Drag Force for Fluid Flow Past an Immersed Object
• How Do Golf Ball Dimples Reduce Air Resistance and Make Balls Go Farther?
• The Continuity Equation and Common Fluid Flow Rate Parameters
• Use the Ideal Gas Law to find the Density of Air at Different Pressures and Temperatures