Lesson 2 What is Mechanical Engineering? Part 2

To put it simply, mechanical engineering deals with anything that moves, including the human body, a very complex machine. Mechanical engineers learn about materials, solid and fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, control, instrumentation, design, and manufacturing to understand mechanical systems. Specialized mechanical engineering subjects include biomechanics, cartilage-tissue engineering, energy conversion, laser-assisted materials processing, combustion, MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems), microfluidic devices, fracture mechanics, nanomechanics, mechanisms, micropower generation, tribology (friction and wear), and vibrations. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) currently lists 36 technical divisions, from advanced energy systems and aerospace engineering to solid-waste engineering and textile engineering.

The breadth of the mechanical engineering discipline allows students a variety of career options beyond some of the industries listed above. Regardless of the particular path they envision for themselves after they graduate, their education will provide them with the creative thinking that allows them to design an exciting product or system, the analytical tools to achieve their design goals, the ability to overcome all constraints, and the teamwork needed to design, market, and produce a system. These valuable skills could also launch a career in medicine, law, consulting, management, banking, finance, and so on.

For those interested in applied scientific and mathematical aspects of the discipline, graduate study in mechanical engineering can lead to a career of research and teaching.

Vocabulary

solid mechanics - механика твёрдого тела

heat transfer - теплообмен

instrumentation - приборостроение

cartilage-tissue – хрящевые ткани  [‘ka:tilidʒ]

combustion - возгорание

fracture mechanics - механика гидроразрыва

friction - трение

wear - износ

tribology [trai’bolədʒi]– трибология (наука о трении)

regardless of - независимо от

envision – рассчитывать на что-то, предусматривать,

constraint – трудность

launch – [lɔ:ntʃ] – начинать, запускать,

applied – прикладной

research – исследование, исследовать

Exercise 1

Find Russian equivalents to the following words in the text. Learn them by heart.

Иметь дело с/рассматривать, твердый, передача, включать, преобразование, обработка, трение, износ, обеспечить чем-то, достигать/добиваться, цель, начинать/запускать, привести к, исследование

Exercise 2

Make the underlined sentences negative and interrogative. Use grammar references.

Exercise 3

Ask special questions to the sentence in bold. Use grammar references.

Exercise 4

Match the antonyms.

Soft, launch, solid, aim, be part of sth, achieve, tool, give up, finish, include

Exercise 5

Make up sentences from the words below

1) deals, numbers, figures, mathematics, with, formulas, and, geometric

2) must, hard, to, I, my, achieve, work, goal

3) launched, product, this, a, market, new, into, company, the

4) library, all, provides, books, school, its, the, students, with, necessary