Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular semester. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the Student Link for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

• ENG ME 720: Acoustics II
  Wave equation in cylindrical and spherical co-ordinate systems. Propagation in waveguides. Diffraction: the Rayleigh integral and the Helmholtz-Kirchhoff integral. Green's function and angular spectrum methods. Diffraction of sound beams: Guassian beams, unfocused and focused sources, and arrays. Diffraction by apertures, discs and wedges. Scattering of sound; Rayleigh scattering, scattering cross-section, elastic scatters. Propagation in inhomogeneous media: rays, the eikonal equation, the Blokhintzev invariant and the acoustic field near caustics. Absorption and dispersion of acoustic waves. Transmission and reflection at a fluid-solid interface.
• ENG ME 721: Acoustic Bubble Dynamics
  Bubbles and acoustic cavitation play an important role in many aspects of application of sonic and ultrasonic energy in fluids and biological tissue. This course will introduce the study of bubble phenomena in sound fields. The fundamental physical acoustics of bubbles (and the fundamental physics which can be illustrated by the study of bubble dynamics) will be stressed. The family of Rayleigh-Plesset equations for time-dependent bubble behavior will be derived from the Navier-Stokes equations. Analytical approximations to the Rayleigh-Plesset equations in limiting cases will be derived and studied. Approximations to the thermodynamic behavior of oscillating bubbles will be considered in detail. Thermal, acoustic and viscous contributions to dissipation will be treated. Numerical solutions will also be studied, specifically in the context of highly nonlinear behavior during acoustically-forced oscillations. Specific experiments, and experimental techniques for measuring bubble dynamics will be studied in detail. Topics covered will contrast agent microbubbles, acoustics of bubbly liquids, bubble-mediated bioeffects, shape instabilities, acoustic levitation, sonoluminescence, heat and mass transfer during bubble oscillations, sonochemistry and cavitation detection and monitoring.
• ENG ME 724: Advanced Optimization Theory and Methods
  Complements ENGEC524 by introducing advanced optimization techniques. Emphasis on nonlinear optimization and recent developments in the field. Topics include: unconstrained optimization methods such as gradient and incremental gradient, conjugate direction, Newton and quasi-Newton methods; constrained optimization methods such as projection, feasible directions, barrier and interior point methods; duality; and stochastic approximation algorithms. Introduction to modern convex optimization including semi-definite programming, conic programming, and robust optimization. Applications drawn from control, production and capacity planning, resource allocation, communication and sensor networks, and bioinformatics. Meets with ENGEC724 and ENGSE724. Students may not receive credit for both.
• ENG ME 725: Queueing Systems
  Performance modeling using queueing networks, analysis of product form and non-product form networks, numerical methods for performance evaluation, approximate models of queueing systems, optimal design and control of queueing networks. Applications from manufacturing systems, computer systems and communication networks. Meets with ENGEC725 and ENGSE725. Students may not receive credit for both.
• ENG ME 726: Fundamentals of Biomaterials
  Provides the chemistry and engineering skills needed to solve challenges in the biomaterials and tissue engineering area, concentrating on the fundamental principles in biomedical engineering, material science, and chemistry. Covers the structure and properties of hard materials (ceramics and metals) and soft materials (polymers and hydro-gels). Same as ENG BE 726 and ENG MS 726. Students may not receive credit for both.
• ENG ME 727: Principles and Applications of Tissues
  Provides the chemistry and engineering skills needed to solve challenges in the biomaterials and tissue engineering area, concentrating on cell-biomaterial interactions, soft tissue mechanics and specific research topics. Students will write a NIH-style grant proposal on a specific research topic. Note that the laboratory portion is not offered in ENG ME 727. Same as ENG BE 727/ENG MS 727. Students may not receive credit for both.
• ENG ME 733: Discrete Event and Hybrid Systems
  Review of system theory fundamentals distinguishing between time-driven and event-driven dynamics. Modeling of Discrete Event and Hybrid Systems; Automata, Hybrid Automata, Petri Nets, basic queueing models, and stochastic flow models. Monte Carlo computer simulation: basic structure and output analysis. Analysis, control, and optimization techniques based on Markov Decision Process theory with applications to scheduling, resource allocation, and games of chance. Perturbation Analysis and Rapid Learning methods with applications to communication networks, manufacturing systems, and command-control. Meets with ENGEC733 and ENGSE733. Students may not receive credit for both.
• ENG ME 734: Hybrid Systems
  The course offers a detailed introduction to hybrid systems, which are dynamical systems combining continuous dynamics (modeled by differential equations) with discrete dynamics (modeled by automata). The covered topics include modeling, simulation, stability analysis, verification, and control of such systems. The course contains several applications from both natural and manmade environments, ranging from gene networks in biology, to networked embedded systems in avionics and automotive controls, and to motion planning and control in robotics. Same as ENG ME 734 and ENG SE 734. Students may receive credit for one.
• ENG ME 740: Vision, Robotics, and Planning
  Methodologies required for constructing and operating intelligent mechanisms. Comprehensive introduction to robot kinematics for motion planning. Dynamics and control of mechanical systems. Formal treatment of differential relationships for understanding the control of forces and torques at the end effector. Discussion of robot vision and sensing and advanced topics in robot mechanics, including elastic effects and kinematic redundancy. Meets with ENGSE740. Students may not receive credit for both.
• ENG ME 760: Control of Sound and Vibration
  Physical principles and multivariable control techniques involved in the active control of sound and vibration. Topics in sound control include reduction of noise in ducts, structural control to reduce acoustic radiation, and sound field control in enclosures. Vibration control for both lumped and distributed parameter systems, with examples from space structure control and active vibration isolation. Control techniques include feedback and feed forward approaches, LMS adaptive algorithms, linear quadratic regulators, and modern robust control techniques. Effects of system modeling errors and simplifications (i.e., modal truncation) are studied. Laboratory experience implementing a vibration-control scheme for a cantilever beam.
• ENG ME 762: Nonlinear Systems and Control
  Introduction to the theory and design methods of non-linear control systems. Application to robotics, vibration and noise control, fluid control, manufacturing processes, and biomedical systems. Mathematical methods based on the theory of differentiable manifolds; non-linear control techniques include feedback linearization, back-stepping, forwarding, and sliding mode control. Additional course topics will include controllability and observability, Lyapunov stability and its applications, limit cycles, input-output stability, zero dynamics, center manifold theory, perturbation theory, and averaging.
• ENG ME 765: Production Systems Design
  Theory and applications related to the design of complex production systems. Simulation theory, stochastic modeling and control, and mathematical decomposition techniques are developed and applied hierarchically to combine production statistics estimation, operations protocol design, and capacity selections in an integrated design of complex manufacturing systems. Meets with ENGSE765. Students may nor receive credit for both.
• ENG ME 766: Advanced Scheduling Models and Methods
  Emphasizes basic methodological tools and recent advances for the solution of scheduling problems in both deterministic and stochastic settings. Models considered include classical scheduling models, DEDS, neural nets, queueing models, flow control models, and linear programming models. Methods of control and analysis include optimal control, dynamic programming, fuzzy control, adaptive control, hierarchical control, genetic algorithms, simulated annealing, Lagrangian relaxation, and heavy traffic approximations. Examples and case studies focus on applications from manufacturing systems, computer and communication networks, and transportation systems. Meets with ENGSE766. Students may not receive credit for both.
• ENG ME 778: Micromachined Tranducers
  The field of micro-electromechanical devices and systems (MEMS) has been growing at an exciting pace in recent years. The interdisciplinary nature of both micro-machining techniques and their applications can and does lead to exciting synergies. This course will explore the world of mostly silicon-based micro-machined transducers, i.e., micro-sensors and micro-actuators. This requires an awareness of material properties, fabrication technologies, basic structural mechanics, sensing and actuation principles, circuit and system issues, packaging, calibration, and testing. The material will be covered through a combination of lectures, case studies, individual homework assignments, and design projects carried out in teams.
• ENG ME 780: Perturbation Methods in Mechanics
  Regular and singular perturbation theory. Topics taught through examples related to solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, and dynamics, and include: matched asymptotic expansions, method of multiple scales, WKB, strained coordinates, asymptotic expansion of integrals, method of averaging, exponential asymptotics, asymptotic summation, perturbation of dimension.
• ENG ME 781: Electroceramics
  This course will explore the structure property relationships and phenomena in ceramic materials used in electronic, dielectric, ferroelectric, magnetic, and electrochemical applications. In particular we will discover how to functionalize a component for a particular application - a capacitor, a thermistor, actuator, or a fuel cell. Such a discovery process demands an in- depth understanding of the roles and interrelationships between the crystal structure, defect chemistry, microstructure, and texture in such materials. Statistical thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, and solid mechanics principles will be used as and when necessary in the course. The course is intended to fit in the space and act as a bridge between solid state theory where the emphasis is largely on theory and a ceramic materials course where the emphasis is largely on processing.
• ENG ME 785: Computer-Integrated Manufacturing
  Elements of CAD/CAM systems examined with an emphasis on system integration tools, graphical programming of spatially oriented tasks, as well as automatic code generation necessary to provide the voluminous code needed to drive a factory floor. Students gain insight into the interplay between system components, interfaces, and the overall system. (Formerly ENGMN785)
• ENG ME 788: Soft Tissue Biomechanics
  This course will introduce students to the mechanics of soft biological tissue. In particular, the response of the heart, vasculature, and tissue scaffolds to mechanical loads from the perspective of nonlinear solid mechanics will be studied. Constitutive models for hyperelastic materials will be adapted to biomaterials to handle mechanical characteristics such as nonlinearity, viscoelasticity, and orthotropy. Basic experimental methods, and anatomy and physiology of particular tissue types will also be introduced. Emphasis is placed on integrating the basic analytical, experimental, and computational methods for a more complete understanding of the underlying mechanobiology. Meets with ENG BE788. Students may not receive credit for both.
• ENG ME 790: Graduate Seminar in Mechanical Engineering
  Discussion of current topics in mechanical engineering. Students are expected to attend and actively participate in weekly discussion meetings. Meetings organized around presentations by invited guests who discuss their research programs, strategies, and approaches. 1 cr. P/F. Fall semester.
• ENG ME 791: Mechanical Engineering PhD Research Placement Program
  Through trial placements in multiple research labs, first-year PhD students have the opportunity to become familiar with the activities of research groups that are of interest to them. It is recommended that first-year PhD students identify and complete three placements: one in the first semester of their first year and two in their second semester. These placements are intended to help students sample research activities available within Mechanical Engineering and identify the research group and faculty advisor with whom they will perform their dissertation research. Normally each placement will last up to seven weeks. VAR cr. P/F. Either sem.

Back to full list of College of Engineering