Upperclass Concentrations in Mechanical Engineering

Students must complete two upper level courses within a concentration. The concentrations listed below build upon one or more of the required mechanical engineering core courses.

Aerospace Engineering

 Aerospace Engineering deals with a large variety of engineering problems associated with the flight of aircraft and space vehicles. A student interested in this major should obtain a solid background in basic engineering fundamentals and mathematics. There is no undergraduate degree program in aerospace engineering, but students interested in the area may supplement a basic mechanical engineering program with electives chosen from the following courses:

• MAE 3050(305) Intro to Aeronautics
• MAE 3060(306) Spacecraft Engineering
• MAE 4150(415) GPS: Theory and Design
• MAE 4230(423) Intermediate Fluid Dynamics
• MAE 5060(506) Aerospace Propulsion Systems (offered alternate years, offered Spring 2008, 2010)
• MAE 5070(507) Dynamics of Flight Vehicles (offered alternate years, next offered Spring 2009)

 Biological systems present a wide range of analysis and design problems that include all aspects of mechanical engineering. Our current focus in this concentration is on the mechanics and control of the musculoskeletal system. Mechanical engineers are engaged in understanding the behavior of components of the skeletal system such as bones, ligaments, tendons, and muscles, and the performance of systems comprised of these components. Mechanical engineers are also involved in the design of diagnostic and surgical procedures for diseases that damage the musculoskeletal system. Courses of interest are:

• MAE 4640(464) Orthopaedic Tissue Mechanics (offered alternate years, offered Spring 2008, 2010)
• MAE 4660(466) Biomedical Engineering Analysis of Metabolic & Structural Systems
• MAE 5680(568)/BME 5810(581) Soft Tissue Biomechanics

Energy and the Environment (new as of Fall 2007)

Energy is central to modern society: for transportation, for production of goods and electricity, for heating and cooling buildings, and for the new habitats of space and ocean. The increasing energy demands and the associated environmental impacts such as global climate change have made sustainable development a vital issue of our time. The Energy-Environment interaction is the core of the sustainable development problem as well as our energy security. Mechanical engineers are involved with all aspects of the development of sustainable energy sources, and with the production and conversion of energy to provide the power needs of society in an efficient and environmentally safe fashion. Mechanical engineering activities range from research and development of solar, wind and other renewable energy conversion devices to the efficient use of conventional and nuclear fuels for generating electric power, and for all aspects of terrestrial and aerospace propulsion.

• MAE 4020(402) Wind Power (next offered Fall 2008)
• MAE 4230(423) Intermediate Fluid Dynamics
• MAE 4490(449) Combustion Engines and Fuel Cells (tentitively offered Spring 2010)
• MAE 4580(458)/ECE 4130(413)  Introduction to Nuclear Science and Engineering
• MAE 4590(459)/NSE 4840(484) Introduction to Controlled Fusion
• MAE 5010(501) Future Energy Systems
• MAE 5430(543) Combustion Processes

Engineering Materials

 Engineering materials are the building blocks upon which all engineered products rely. They include biological tissues, metals, plastics and composites. This concentration focuses on the properties that these materials bestow upon mechanical systems.

• MAE 4550(455) Introduction to Composite Materials
• MAE 4640(464) Orthopaedic Tissue Mechanics (offered alternate years, offered Spring 2008, Spring 2010)
• MAE 4700(470) Finite Element Analysis for Mechanical and Aerospace Design (next offered Fall 2008)
• MAE 3120(312) Mechanical Properties of Materials, Processing and Design (also MSE 3020(302))
• MAE 3130(313) Atomic and Molecular Structure of Matter (also MSE 2060(206))
• MAE 4040        Materials Selection for Clean Mechanical Designs  (alternate years, First offered S09)
• MAE 4140        Mechanics of Lightweight Vehicles (alternate years, First offered F09)
• MAE 5130(513) Mechanical Properties of Thin Films (also MSE 5120(512)) (next offered Spring 2010)

 Mechanical engineers engage in the design of a very broad range of equipment: for example, steam, gas, and water turbines and diesel engines, automatic production machinery and machine tools; mining and oil production equipment; refrigerating and air-conditioning equipment; printing machines and reproduction equipment and consumer products of great variety. Mechanical engineers can be found designing nuclear and electrical machinery and hardware; heating, flow and storage equipment for chemical plants and for food making, and such computer peripherals as disk drives and printers. Courses of interest are:

• MAE 3780(378) Mechatronics (*see note below)
• MAE 4150(415) GPS: Theory and Design
• MAE 4170(417) Intro to Robotics: Dynamics Control, Design
• MAE 4700(470) Finite Element Analysis for Mechanical and Aerospace Design (next offered Fall 2008 and )
• MAE 4770(477) Engineering Vibrations  
• MAE 4780(478) Feedback Control Systems
• MAE 5200(520) Dimensional Tolerancing in Mechanical Design (**see note below)

*Note: Students taking MAE 3780 to fulfill the electrical circuits requirement may not also use M&AE 3780 to be included in the Mechanical Systems and Design concentration.

** Note: MAE 5200 is a 2-credit course.  If it is used in a concentration, another course or courses in the concentration must be selected so that the total number of credits in the concentration is 6 or greater.

Analysis of propulsion systems, energy generation processes, and biomedical technologies requires knowledge of thermodynamics, heat and mass transfer, combustion, and laminar and turbulent fluid flow.  This concentration includes both courses in the fundamentals of the thermal/fluids discipline and in applications.  Courses of interest:

• MAE 4230(423) Intermediate Fluid Dynamics
• MAE 4490(449) Combustion Engines and Fuel Cells (next offered tentatively Spring 2010)
• MAE 4530(453) Computer-Aided Engineering: Applications for Biomedical Processes (also BEE 453)
• MAE 5010(501) Future Energy Systems
• MAE 5430(543) Combustion Processes

Vehicle Engineering

 Transportation is vital to the operation of our society and comprises about one-fifth of the Gross National Product. Our Transportation requirements are being met primarily by automobiles and by heavy-duty trucks. In the future, questions of economy, pollution, safety and convenience will cause the major of vehicle engineering to remain a very important area for mechanical engineers.

The mechanical engineer is involved in transportation through the design of the vehicle, its engine, and its other components. In addition, the mechanical engineer is concerned with solving many of the problems associated with vehicle operation.

At Cornell, vehicle engineering currently includes studies of engine design and emissions as well as of vehicle design, handling and braking. The following courses are concerned with these and other aspects of vehicle engineering. They are suggested for those who have an interest in eventual work in vehicle engineering.

• MAE 3050(305) Intro to Aeronautics
• MAE 3060(306) Spacecraft Engineering
• MAE 4860(486) Automotive Engineering (offered Spring 2008, next offered Spring 2009, tentatively offered each Spring)
• MAE 4140        Mechanics of Lightweight Vehicles (offered alternate years, first offered F09)
• MAE 4250(425) FSAE
• MAE 4490(449) Combustion Engines and Fuel Cells (next offered Spring 2010)
• MAE 5060(506) Aerospace Propulsion Systems (offered alternate years, offered Spring 2008, 2010) 
• MAE 5070(507) Dynamics of Flight Vehicles (offered alternate years, next offered Spring 2009)