Mechanical Engineering - BEng (Hons) / MEng

The module aims to provide a basic understanding of thermodynamic and fluid mechanic concepts. The understanding of the transfer of energy within thermodynamic systems and the incurred losses is vital to improve efficiencies of such systems, especially in light of growing environmental concerns and increased economic cost.

The knowledge and understanding will be gained through a balanced mixture of lectures and tutorials, whereby the learning will be supported by experiments.

The module provides you with the opportunity to learn about design, sustainable development, teamwork and communication whilst contributing towards real international development projects.

You will also gain the ability to communicate design ideas and practical details, to evaluate and apply both tangible and subjective feedback, and to conceive, design, implement and operate practical solutions to design opportunities.

It is anticipated that the project vehicle for this module will be the Engineers without Borders Design for People Challenge.

The module introduces the mathematical concepts such as transform calculus and matrix theory used to solve systems of first and second order differential equations underpinning the engineering disciplines undertaken within the Faculty.

This provides you with the capability of modelling systems using both the transfer function and statespace paradigms. In particular, you will be able to model linear systems in continuous and discrete time as well as by frequency response methods.

Teaching and assessment will comprise not only traditional lectures and tutorials but also provide training in industry standard software for problem solving within coursework assessment.

An interdisciplinary module, you will work with students from all fields of engineering to develop skills in engineering leadership and experience creating a purposeful vision and delivering on that vision. This will set the professional skills for business in context by combining your technical course-specific knowledge with professional skills. It is proposed that the vehicle to deliver this will be the biomimicry global design challenge. 

The Mechanical Science module applies the principles of engineering, physics, and materials science to the design, analysis, manufacture, and maintenance of mechanical systems and components. It is a branch of engineering that enables you to design, produce, and operate machinery. In keeping with the programme philosophy the module encourages learning through the practical application of fundamental mechanical science principles to the analysis and solution real world problems.

The course is delivered by way of an introductory lecture to a particular real world problem, such as vibration, and the underlying mechanical science principles used to tackle the problem. You will then engage in interactive tutorials where you will practice applying underlying mechanical science principles to real world problems. 

This module develops your research skills, idea generation techniques, and ability to create CAD models and manufactured components.

You will also gain the ability to communicate design ideas and practical details, to evaluate and apply both tangible and subjective feedback, and to conceive, design, implement and operate practical solutions to design opportunities.

This module is designed to provide you with the opportunity to undertake a credit bearing, 40- week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Undergraduate Degree. 

The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market. Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace. 

In the development cycle of new and existing components, processes and systems the use of computer analysis has a strong role to play. Reduced lead times can mean faster arrival at the market than competitors and therefore gaining an advantage. Engineers are at the centre of the development process and therefore require a good understanding of the key aspects of computer aided engineering (CAE).

This module will expose you to key aspects of computer aided engineering with regards to the fundamental principles behind the screen, the selection of appropriate boundary conditions and methods for a solution, as well as raising awareness of the limitations of CAE.

The module introduces you to the mathematical tools underpinning the analysis, modelling and design of complex vibrating systems and mechanisms as well as the software tools within an appropriate simulation environment used for their solution. Industry standard software will also be used for the design of dynamical control systems using both time and frequency domain techniques.

Teaching and assessment will comprise not only traditional lectures/tutorials, but also use of industry standard software for the purposes of mathematical modelling, all of which are assessed by examination.

Mechanical engineers nowadays solve problems of high and multidisciplinary complexity. Although computational solutions generally lead to reliable results, the engineer should always attempt to validate the findings by alternative methods. This requires a thorough understanding of the underlying problems, but also the approach of reasonable simplification of complex systems without compromising validity.

The dependency of the current economy of fossil fuels as source of power requires a shift in thinking by engineers and companies to design and develop more efficient machines, processes and systems. The module therefore aims to provide you with the knowledge and understanding required to analyse thermodynamic systems concerned with conversion processes between heat and work. In addition the issues and limitations of the energy generation process play also a vital part and how energy can be recovered from processes to improve the overall efficiency.

The module follows the Mechanical Engineering programme philosophy of developing your intellectual and practical competence in the thermodynamic, power generation and energy conversion aspects of mechanical engineering. Formal lectures, tutorials, hands-on experience in labs and solving of problem based scenarios will enhance the learning process.

The purpose of the module is to enable you to undertake a sustained, in-depth and research-informed project exploring an area that is of personal interest to you. In agreement with your supervisor, you will decide upon your topic which will take the form of a practical outcome (artefact) with accompanying contextual material. The main consideration when choosing your topic is that it must be aligned to the programme you are studying, and you should consider the relevance of this topic to your future academic or professional development.

At this level, you will be expected to work independently but you will receive additional one-to-one support from your supervisor, who will be familiar with your chosen topic area. As you progress on the module, extra support will be available and this may take the form of group seminars, workshops and online materials that will help to develop your project. 

The purpose of the module is to enable you to undertake a sustained, in-depth and research-informed group project exploring an area that is of personal interest to you. In agreement with your supervisor, your group will decide upon your topic which will take the form of a practical outcome (artefact) with accompanying contextual material. The main consideration when choosing your group’s topic is that it must be aligned to the programme you are studying, and you should consider the relevance of this topic to your future academic or professional development. 

This module provides you with an awareness of advanced structural techniques used for study of deformable solids, a general knowledge of the techniques employed and skills to perform analysis for selected solid components and structures. It aims to provide you with the following: the skills and confidence to perform advanced analysis of solid components and structures; the knowledge of selected advanced analysis techniques employed on the more common components and structures; and an understanding of the behaviour of solids under two or three dimensional stress fields, and the limitations imposed by assumptions and boundary conditions.

The module utilises the mathematical concepts such as transform calculus and matrix theory used to model systems using both the transfer function and state-space paradigms. You will then be able to design controllers for linear systems using time and frequency response methods, in particular, pole placement techniques will be applied using both input-output and state-feedback approaches. These will then be extended to observer design and LQR optimization.

Teaching and assessment will comprise not only of traditional lectures and tutorials, but also the use of industry standard software for problem solving.

The Automotive and Mechanical Engineering programmes share the common philosophy of one which aims to provide engineers with a rigorous grounding in industrial standard design, analysis and simulation capability. This module is consistent with this approach since it directly includes content and resources that specifically help you meet these needs.

A principal aim of both programmes is to respond to the market need for engineers who are competent and skilled in the use of advanced computer modelling and simulation techniques. This module delivers against this aim, providing you with a thorough technology grounding supported by directly relevant design, simulation and analysis experiences.

This module provides you with the opportunity to learn about the Fundamentals of Thermofluids: the conservation laws and their application, viscosity and the constitutive equations, boundary layers, turbulence and thermofluid properties. Computational Fluid Dynamics. Overview of discretisation methods: FD, FE, FV etc. The finite volume method of discretisation. Newtonian and non-Newtonian flows, boundary layers, turbulence, compressible flows, flows with heat transfer. Validation of CFD.