Applicants for the mechanical engineering major must have a good engineering background, that is, very good scores in mathematics and physics. There are still many research directions in mechanical engineering design. According to different focuses, the mechanical engineering major can be subdivided into four categories: materials, energy, manufacturing, and control. These four categories are further divided into several research directions, as follows: (Mechanical engineering is abbreviated as ME): (1) Major categories of materials: mainly related to nano-micron materials in the mechanical field, polymer engineering, and biomachinery.
◆Main research directions of nano-micron mechanical materials:
The continuous development of nanotechnology provides a new possibility of material selection in the mechanical field. The current research areas intersecting with machinery are mainly focused on: advanced materials science, materials and solid mechanics, materials and mechanical systems, material processing, material mechanical properties, material mechanics, material mechanics and manufacturing.
Relevant background required for application: A strong background in materials science is required, as well as a background in solid mechanics, materials mechanics, and engineering mechanics.
Difficulty of application: Since many students who study materials will turn to these subjects that are very related to them to apply, all applicants with a purely mechanical background have a very small chance of success. Moreover, as an emerging technology, nanotechnology is valued by various countries, and a large number of American students will apply. Therefore, it is very difficult to apply for this major. If you don’t have a great background, please don’t try it easily.
◆Main research directions of biomechanics:
Biomechanics, biomechanics, biomechanical engineering, biomaterials and equipment, material mechanics, biosensors, nanotechnology, living cell encapsulation, Engineering biomechanics, biomedical mechanical engineering, neuroengineering, orthopedic engineering, sensory and nervous system research, sports biomechanics, artificial heart.
Relevant background required for application: This is a typical combination of emerging disciplines and traditional basic disciplines. Generally speaking, this direction requires a knowledge background in the three fields of biology, mechanical engineering and medical knowledge. It is difficult to adapt to the requirements of this discipline with a pure biological or medical background. It is necessary to have biological or medical knowledge, especially biological knowledge, in addition to a mechanical background. The mechanical background mentioned here mainly refers to the basic manufacturing, mechanics, and material background in machinery. But the requirements will not be as high as those for pure mechanics or materials background in the previous disciplines. In addition, for neuroengineering, sensory and nervous system research, and artificial hearts, in addition to knowledge of medicine, biology, and engineering, a good EE background (signal simulation, signal transmission, etc.) is also required.
Difficulty of application: This subject is an emerging subject, and more American students apply for it. Since it is an interdisciplinary subject, researchers in the three fields can apply as long as they have certain backgrounds in the other two related fields. Applications are highly competitive. It is best not for students who have graduated from pure mechanical engineering colleges in China to try this direction, as the chances of success are slim.
◆Main research direction of polymer engineering:
Mainly provide new materials for the mechanical field through molecular polymerization technology
Relevant background required for application: need to have good knowledge The background is related to polymer materials, and the requirements for material mechanics are also relatively high.
Difficulty of application: Generally speaking, most polymer students will choose to study in the Department of Chemistry. After all, there are still only a few people who turn to ME colleges. It is said that if you have a good polymer background and a certain mechanical foundation, your chances of success will be very high. Generally speaking, this direction is easy to apply for as long as you have a good background.
(2) Energy category, the main subjects involved are: energy, friction, combustion, and fluids.
◆Main research directions of energy:
Energy and fluids, mainly including energy conversion of wind energy and water energy, design and manufacturing of energy conversion systems and equipment, energy systems and thermodynamics, Energy applications (heating/ventilation/air conditioning and refrigeration energy use), energy and environment, environmental energy technology assessment, thermophysics, solar energy, clean energy, clean energy technology.
Relevant background required for application: Applying for this direction requires a strong foundation in physics; when partial fluidics is related, then the applicant must have corresponding background in fluid mechanics, aerodynamics, thermodynamics, etc.; if If you want to study the overall energy system, you need to have good mathematical modeling capabilities; in the field of energy conversion system equipment manufacturing, you need to have a good background in Design and Manufacturing.
Difficulty of application: Since energy issues are currently attracting great attention from various countries, the main research on energy focuses on the development of new energy sources and the design and manufacturing of various energy conversion equipment. Funding mainly comes from federal government grants. Due to the strategic significance of this field and the difficulty of research, those with research strength are from schools with relatively high comprehensive rankings, so it is more difficult to apply. However, once admitted, the chance of getting an offer is Very big.
◆The main research direction of friction:
The conversion of energy during friction is very closely integrated with thermophysics and is combined with the research and development of new materials. It is related to certain materials. Friction properties were studied.
Relevant background required for application: One of the research contents of physics, so you must have a good physics background to apply for this major. In addition, there should be background in thermodynamics or materials science according to different directions.
Difficulty of application: Generally speaking, most of the applicants for this direction are physics theory researchers, and the number of applicants is not large, so it is a relatively easy category to apply for in the ME major.
◆Main research directions of fluids:
Mainly focus on two main directions: aerospace field and energy field. The former has aerodynamics, propulsion, and space exploration systems, while the latter has hydropower and wind power-based fluid energy conversion. There are also majors in environmental and biological fluid mechanics, fluid dynamics, fluid physics, thermodynamics, and matter.
Relevant background required for application: If you are engaged in theoretical research, the requirements for physics, mathematical modeling and fluid mechanics are very high. If you are engaged in the research of partial related equipment, you must have a good mechanical background.
Difficulty of application: AME in the United States is in great need of theoretical research talents in this area. Most of the researchers originally engaged in physics and fluid mechanics apply in this direction. Generally, pure mechanical applicants apply in these fields. There is no advantage. Generally speaking, if you have a theoretical foundation, you will be very competitive in your application.
Applicants with theoretical research backgrounds in physics, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, aerodynamics, etc. are recommended to choose the above directions.
◆Main research directions of combustion:
Combustion, combustion and propulsion, combustion and energy, energy conversion, combustion and heat transfer, electrical propulsion, turbine and propulsion, internal combustion engine in automotive engineering Combustion research, etc.
Relevant background required for application: Just like friction, a physical background is essential, and thermodynamics is very important. Of course, if you are interested in equipment, you will need a mechanical design, manufacturing and control background.
Difficulty of application: Combustion is extremely closely combined with energy, but it is even more closely integrated with the application of actual engineering, so there are more applicants, and the competition is fiercer than energy and friction.
(3) Manufacturing, mainly including the two major directions of design and manufacturing
◆The main research directions of design:
Mechanical design, product design, design methodology , computer-aided design, engineering design
Relevant background required for application: Design is mainly set up in the form of industrial design colleges in China. For Design in ME, suitable applicants generally have a mechanical theoretical foundation (divided into two major aspects: specific mechanism and overall manufacturing process theory), as well as a design foundation - including certain artistic skills (sketching), computer drawing software (Photoshop, ProE, etc.).
Difficulty of application: For domestic ME students, if they apply for design alone, the main shortcomings are the backwardness of design concepts and theories, and their grasp of the overall process is far behind applicants from industrially developed countries. big. Engineering students are relatively lacking in basic knowledge of mechanical theory, so not many fresh graduates can successfully apply. Most of the applicants who are admitted are applicants with certain work experience, so the number of people participating in the competition is small. It is easier to apply if you have relevant background.
◆Main research directions in manufacturing:
Computer-aided manufacturing, product realization, advanced manufacturing, manufacturing science, manufacturing systems, nano-manufacturing.
Relevant background required for application: The main application direction of domestic ME students is concentrated here, and most of them focus on mechanical manufacturing and computer-aided manufacturing. For students in this major, application first requires a basic mechanical engineering background, including: mechanical principles, mechanical manufacturing and solid mechanics background. In addition, for product realization, advanced manufacturing and computer-aided manufacturing, one must have a strong computer background, including computer language programming and the use of design software; for nano-manufacturing, one must first have a good background in nanotechnology application, and then have certain Engineering knowledge.
Difficulty of application: Most domestic ME students are more suitable for this direction, so there are very many applicants and the competition is fierce. However, there are very few American universities that set up Manufacturing as a main subject. They basically exist in Design & Manufacturing. The competition among domestic students in the pure manufacturing field is very fierce. If you have sufficient computer design background, your chances of successfully getting admitted will be very high.
(4) Control category, including computer-aided engineering, system and automatic control, microelectronic system
◆The main research direction of computer-aided engineering:
Computing Fluid mechanics, computational engineering and information technology, computational mechanics, computational science and engineering, computer-aided engineering, computer-aided design, mechanical modeling, mathematical computational modeling, digital propulsion, digital methods, digital simulation, virtual reality applications.
Relevant background required for application: Strong mathematical background - applied mathematics, mathematical modeling, computational engineering, computer language skills and computer software application skills are also required. If you can possess these abilities while also having corresponding other backgrounds (such as fluid dynamics background for computational fluid dynamics applications, design experience for computer-aided design applications, and EE background for computational engineering and information technology), then you will be successful in your application. Get a lot of bonus points.
Difficulty of application: Due to the preference for CS and EE, American applicants and international students like this major, so the difficulty of application is greatly increased. Although not as good as EE and CS, in order to avoid the difficult application process of this major, many EE and CS applicants have turned to this direction that is closely integrated with this major and has good employment prospects, resulting in this direction being the same as the previous three. The direction is much more difficult.
◆Main research directions of systems and automatic control:
System control, control/design/manufacturing, control and dynamics, control/robot/instrument, dynamics system and control, Dynamic Systems/Control and Robots, Dynamics of Rotating Machinery, Dynamics/Vibration/Acoustics, System Dynamics and Control, System Identification and Control, Systems/Measurement/Control, Intelligent Mechanical Systems, Intelligent Transportation Systems, Mechanical Systems, Non- Linear dynamics and adaptive control, nonlinear flight control, robotics, robots and control, robots and dynamics, robots and autonomous systems, robots and human-computer interaction, rotary body dynamics, automation, automatic propulsion systems , automatic cruise system.
Relevant background required for application: Mathematics, computer language programming, basic EE related background (electronic circuit knowledge), robust and optimal control of control, robust multivariable control systems, large-scale dynamics Systems, identification of multivariable systems, minmax control and dynamic games, adaptive systems for control and signal processing, stochastic systems, design of linear and nonlinear evaluations, stochastic and adaptive control, etc., also according to different emphases , should have corresponding design and manufacturing, dynamics, instrumentation and other related backgrounds.
Difficulty of application: Compared with computer-aided systems, the research content in this direction is closer to EE, the most difficult major to apply for in science and engineering. Moreover, domestic ME and EE majors all have courses on automatic control. Therefore, this direction is the most concentrated one for Chinese ME students and the most concentrated application direction for American and international students. In addition, there is a shift in the applicant pool for EE and CS. , so this is the most difficult direction to apply for in the ME major.
◆Main research directions of microelectronic systems:
MEMS, nano-manufacturing, micro-mechanical and nano-mechanical devices, ultrasonic microjet and micron-scale motors, nano-scale heat Flow, microfluidics, microgravity, microscale heat transfer, micro/nano systems, nanotribology, nanomechanics.
Relevant background required for application: MEMS is an extremely multi-disciplinary field. The most basic aspect is the processing knowledge of micro-preparation technology and the method of manufacturing tiny structures. It is closely integrated with nanotechnology, so it is very strong. Nanotechnology is essential. At the same time, basic mechanical theoretical knowledge, fluids, and mechanics-related knowledge are also required according to different focuses.
Difficulty of application: This is also an emerging interdisciplinary subject that is very attractive to American students. In addition, since the EE discipline also has settings in this direction, the difficulty of application is second only to systems and automatic control. Applicants with a strong background in nanomaterials will have an advantage in their applications.
(5) Acoustics and optics, mainly including: laser technology, photoelectric measurement, sound dynamics, road noise control, vibration
◆The main research direction of acoustics: sound dynamics, Highway noise control and vibration
Relevant background required for application: physics background, sound dynamics, acoustic sensor application background
Difficulty of application: Applicants are mostly pure physics researchers, so apply The crowd is very small, application competition is not fierce, and admission is easy.
◆Main research directions in optics:
Laser technology, optoelectronics devices, ultrafast electronics, nonlinear optics, microphotonics, three-dimensional vision, optical communication, soft X-ray Related to far-ultraviolet optics, optical printing, optical data processing, optical communication, optical computing, optical data storage, optical system design and holography, volume holography research, composite light digital data processing, image processing and research on optical properties of materials.
Relevant background required for application: strong optical background, measurement technology, image technology
Difficulty of application: Although optics and optoelectronics are very closely integrated in the United States, the two disciplines in China are The degree of integration is far less than that in the United States. Most of the domestic applicants for this field are basic researchers in physics, while domestic EE majors are not heavily established, so there are very few domestic applicants for this field. Competition is not fierce and it is easier to apply.
In general, the difficulty of applying for ME majors is as follows:
The most difficult to apply for: systems and automatic control, MEMS, and computer-aided engineering.
Secondly: manufacturing and design.
Easy to apply: nanomaterials, biomachines, polymer engineering.
The easiest to apply for: acoustics, optics, friction, combustion, energy, fluids