Mechanical Engineering
The primary responsibility of the Department of Mechanical Engineering is to produce mechanical and aerospace engineers capable of designing, manufacturing, installing, operating, servicing and maintaining mechanical machinery and systems, and aero craft and systems, respectively. The wide scope of mechanical machinery and systems means the training offered to students needs to be broad yet thorough and focused, in-depth, and of high quality in order to equip them with the requisite knowledge, preparation, and confidence they need to effectively practise as mechanical and aerospace engineers, and solve industry’s problems efficiently toward national development.
The Department of Mechanical Engineering has the following research grouping.
Thermal and Fluids (Thermo-Fluids) and Energy Systems Engineering Research Group
Thermal and fluids (thermo-fluids) engineering relates to numerous engineering applications that may require the integration of principles and tools from the disciplines of thermodynamics, heat transfer and fluid mechanics. Many production processes are based on fluids or gases flowing in installations, undergoing temperature changes and chemical reactions that are needed to achieve the final product. The design and optimization of these installations, which can be found in the process industry and energy industry is the focus of thermo-fluids engineering.
Industrial Engineering Research Group
Industrial Engineering Research Group typically employs computer simulation (especially discrete event simulation), along with extensive mathematical tools and modeling and computational methods for system analysis, evaluation and optimization.
Design and Manufacturing Research Group
Mechanical Engineers working in this group focus on the specialization in mechanical product and systems design to equip students for a career in design and manufacturing. Graduates with this background may work in the product development sector.
Applied Mechanics and Automobile Engineering Research Group
Applied mechanics is a branch of the physical sciences and the practical application of mechanics. It examines the response of bodies (solids and fluids) or systems of bodies to external forces. In the engineering context it is commonly referred to as engineering mechanics.
Automobile engineering focuses on the design, manufacturing, usage and maintenance of automobile. Research in the this group covers areas such as transmission systems, design of vehicle structures encompassing layout, integral body design, vehicle body engineering, design for comfort accommodation etc.and the maintenance and management of automobiles.
Aerospace Engineering Research Group
Aerospace engineering deals with how to reliably design, develop and test aircraft, spacecraft and missiles and supervise their manufacture, use and maintenance. Aerospace engineering is about how fluids flow. It is also about control system. General areas of specialization include structures, propulsion systems, vehicle movement and control, communications and overall vehicle design.
The following are completed research projects in the Department.
- Manufacturing systems modelling in support of cost and value stream analyses.
- Development of a multiproduct cost and value stream modeling methodology.
- A methodology for assessing the cost effectiveness of assembly processes.
- Integrated product and process design Methods for cost effective product realisation
