research areas in mechanical engineering

How to Select Mechanical Engineering Research Topics?

Table of Contents

Selecting the right mechanical engineering research topics is crucial for driving impactful innovation and addressing pressing challenges. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you choose the best research topics:

Identify Your Interests: Start by considering your passions and areas of expertise within mechanical engineering. What topics excite you the most? Choosing a subject that aligns with your interests will keep you motivated throughout the research process.
Assess Current Trends: Stay updated on the latest developments and trends in mechanical engineering. Look for emerging technologies, pressing industry challenges, and areas with significant research gaps. These trends can guide you towards relevant and timely research topics.
Conduct Literature Review: Dive into existing literature and research papers within your field of interest. Identify gaps in knowledge, unanswered questions, or areas that warrant further investigation. Building upon existing research can lead to more impactful contributions to the field.
Consider Practical Applications: Evaluate the practical implications of potential research topics. How will your research address real-world problems or benefit society? Choosing topics with tangible applications can increase the relevance and impact of your research outcomes.
Consult with Advisors and Peers: Seek guidance from experienced mentors, advisors, or peers in the field of mechanical engineering. Discuss your research interests and potential topics with them to gain valuable insights and feedback. Their expertise can help you refine your ideas and select the most promising topics.
Define Research Objectives: Clearly define the objectives and scope of your research. What specific questions do you aim to answer or problems do you intend to solve? Establishing clear research goals will guide your topic selection process and keep your project focused.
Consider Resources and Constraints: Take into account the resources, expertise, and time available for your research. Choose topics that are feasible within your constraints and align with your available resources. Balancing ambition with practicality is essential for successful research endeavors.
Brainstorm and Narrow Down Options: Generate a list of potential research topics through brainstorming and exploration. Narrow down your options based on criteria such as relevance, feasibility, and alignment with your interests and goals. Choose the most promising topics that offer ample opportunities for exploration and discovery.
Seek Feedback and Refinement: Once you’ve identified potential research topics, seek feedback from colleagues, advisors, or experts in the field. Refine your ideas based on their input and suggestions. Iteratively refining your topic selection process will lead to a more robust and well-defined research proposal.
Stay Flexible and Open-Minded: Remain open to new ideas and opportunities as you progress through the research process. Be willing to adjust your research topic or direction based on new insights, challenges, or discoveries. Flexibility and adaptability are key qualities for successful research endeavors in mechanical engineering.

By following these steps and considering various factors, you can effectively select mechanical engineering research topics that align with your interests, goals, and the needs of the field.

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research areas in mechanical engineering

Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics

Biomechanics, combustion and energy systems, design and manufacturing, dynamics and control, materials and structures, vibrations, acoustics and fluid-structure interaction.

Research Labs and Groups

Research Areas in Mechanical Engineering

The Aerodynamics, Fluids, and Thermal Engineering research groups and laboratories investigate a wide variety of research topics in the field of Fluid Mechanics.

The biomechanics, biomaterials and biological materials groups cover a wide range of research topics from cardiovascular engineering, voice production, bio-devices, mechanics of biological materials and bio-inspiration and musculoskeletal biomechanics with a focus on spine.

The Combustion and Energy Systems research groups conduct fundamental and applied research on problems in combustion, shock wave physics, heat transfer, and compressible gas dynamics.

The mechanical design groups develop integrated design methods that encompass computational synthesis, multi-scale analysis and selection strategies, and they search for particular applications and industrial sectors.

The Dynamics and Control groups conduct research on aerospace systems, biomechanical dynamics, dynamics of plates and shells, force control, mechatronics, multibody systems, nonlinear dynamics, robotics, space systems and vibrations.

The materials and structures group focuses on the development and the optimization of materials, processes, and devices used for operations in extreme environments and special applications.

This research group conducts experimental, computational, and theorectical research and workshops on topics, such as nonlinear vibrations, nonlinear dynamics of slender structures, fluid-structure interaction, nonlinear rotordynamics, bladed disks, flow-induced vibrations, thermoacoustics, and biomechanical applications.

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Research Overview

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Faculty members in Stanford’s Department of Mechanical Engineering work in four major research areas that reflect the department’s focus and methodologies.

Our philosophy is simple: We push the limits of the possible — the ultra-efficient and hyper-fast, the maximally enduring and most sustainable, the fully autonomous and the super-controlled. We employ a range of methodologies: design thinking, computational simulation, control systems and multi-scale approaches that range from the nanoscale to complex biological and mechanical systems.

Much of the department’s research is multi-disciplinary. Our faculty and students regularly partner with colleagues in other departments in the School of Engineering, in the School of Medicine and in departments as diverse as Art and Art History, Mathematics and Biology.

Computational Engineering

With the advent of large-scale computers, computational approaches have become indispensable for characterizing, predicting and simulating physical events and engineering systems.

Virtually all faculty members in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Stanford are involved in some form of design activity.

Human Health

With over 200 medical device companies within 20 miles and three top-tier hospitals within walking distance, the Stanford campus provides a unique setting for medical innovation.

Sustainability

Improved efficiency of energy systems and development of sustainable, low-carbon-emission energy generation processes are essential for the long-term health of the environment.

Labs and Centers

View the list of labs and centers affiliated with the Mechanical Engineering department.

RESEARCH @ MIT MECHE

Design, manufacturing, and product development.

Design research investigates the complete set of activities involved in the process of bringing new devices, technologies, and services to the marketplace.

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Design and Manufacturing

In the Design research area, everything from a steam turbine to a gaming console is conceived, designed, fabricated, assembled, and delivered by an engineer who understands design, manufacturing, sustainability, and the supply chain.

Research Includes: Precision and machine design, product design and development, environment and sustainability, information and sensing, manufacturing process, and systems.

Design And Manufacturing News + Media

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'Imagine it, build it' describes spirit of 2.679 (Electronics for Mechanical Systems II)

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Visit our Design And Manufacturing lab sites to learn more about our faculty’s research projects.

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Global Engineering Research Lab
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Park Center for Complex Systems
Zhao Laboratory

Meet Some of Our Faculty Working On Design And Manufacturing Challenges

MechE faculty are passionate, out-of-the-box thinkers who love to get their hands dirty.

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Learn about the impact of our design research.

Research areas in MechE are guidelines, not boundaries. Our faculty partner across disciplines to address the grand challenges of today and tomorrow, collaborating with researchers in MechE, MIT, industry, and beyond.

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Research Areas

Applied Physics

Biomechanics and Biomaterials

Control, Robotics and Dynamical Systems

Fluid mechanics.

Materials Science

Pictured: Lithium Lorentz Force Accelerator (LiLFA) discharges as much as 30 kW through a lithium plasma, exerting up to 700 mN of thrust

Propulsion and Energy Sciences

Mechanical Engineering is a wide field of study, diving into the way things work to create new approaches and tools. At Virginia Tech, the researchers in the Department of Mechanical Engineering work with particular focus in these areas:

Advanced manufacturing and design
Bioinspired engineering
Dynamics, vibrations, and acoustics
Energy systems
Nuclear engineering
Robotics and autonomous systems
Thermo-fluid sciences

Advanced Manufacturing and Design

Advanced Manufacturing started with the early stages of 3D printing and has grown with the technology. Today, a full survey of advanced manufacturing is part of the department’s research strategy. Strengths include novel approaches to materials, multi-axis printing, multi-tool printing and assembly, and integration of industry with education.

Faculty working in this area

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Bioinspired Engineering

Nature is often the best engineer, and studying the complex systems found in the natural world often leads to novel solutions. Researchers in this area have taken the mechanics found in insects, sea creatures, humans, and other organisms to tackle complex global issues.

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Dynamics, Vibrations, and Acoustics

When energy travels, it creates a response. Whether it travels across a solid surface or through the air, the study of those effects yields possibilities for automotives, medical devices, the power grid, and more.

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Energy Systems

Energy use is a critical element in global sustainability, demanding constant development in efficiency and new sources. From novel methods of solar energy collection to microscale-level analysis of propulsion systems, this focus area offers a wide range of possibilities for power.

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Understanding the behavior of complex systems requires a suite of tools based in physics and mathematics, and developing and implementing those tools is the work of the Mechanics Focus Area. This discipline gives results that can be integrated widely across interdisciplinary applications, increasing the understanding of foundational engineering principles.

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Nuclear Engineering

The use of nuclear energy, the policies surrounding its implementation, and the safety of its deployment are the strengths of faculty in the Nuclear Engineering Focus Area. Members of this team have been instrumental in the expansion of nuclear energy in Virginia, and maintain international partnerships to offer highly competitive opportunities to students.

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Robotics and Autonomous Systems

One of the oldest disciplines in mechanical engineering is also the seat of some of its most groundbreaking innovations. In addition to the legacy approach which includes metal parts and controls, faculty have been widely recognized for their contributions in soft robotics, mechatronics, autonomous systems, adaptive systems, and more.

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Thermo-Fluid Sciences

The movement of heat and the flow of fluids has a wide variety of applications including technology, health care, food science, propulsion, and consumer products. Research in this area includes mathematical modeling and physical testing to drive new breakthroughs.

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Department of Mechanical Engineering

We Engineer Excellence

Research Areas

Cutting-edge research activities by an innovative ME faculty six seven broad areas:

Air Quality and Fire Engineering

Bioapplications

Controls, Robotics, and automation

Mechanics, advanced materials, and manufacturing

Nanoscale design and micro-device engineering

Thermal systems and multiphase flows

Research Sponsors

Faculty directed research is sponsored by federal agencies, state agencies and industrial sponsors:

Research Centers

Center for Environmental Research (CE-CERT)

Working closely with industry to transition to broad application technologies such as autonomous vehicles, biofuels, engines that use alternative fuels and computer models of highway air quality

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Winston Chung Global Energy Center (WCGEC)

Focusing on the development of materials and devices for energy storage, which could dramatically increase the range of electric vehicles, enabling their widespread use with all its beneficial effects with respect of pollution and air quality

UC Riverside Stem Cell Center

Developing devices for the precise manipulation of stem cells, thus offering new engineering tools to enable the development of regenerative medicine techniques

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Research Excellence

Bridging disciplines and accelerating discoveries in mechanical engineering.

Cardiovascular devices for infants with congenital heart defects. Underwater robotics for deep sea exploration. New testing tools for infectious diseases. At Johns Hopkins Mechanical Engineering, researchers study everything from wind energy and oil spills to the mechanics of the human eye.

Students and faculty have access to world-class facilities and state-of-the-art equipment for teaching and research. Our researchers participate in a wide range of school-wide and university-wide research centers and initiatives. They also collaborate with major research organizations, private companies, and government agencies on groundbreaking research to tackle the world’s greatest challenges.

Research Areas

Understanding and designing intelligent robotic systems through rigorous analysis, system development, and field deployment

Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Processes

A strong focus is on turbulence and its diverse aspects, investigated by theoretical, computational, and experimental methods

Mechanical Engineering in Biology and Medicine

Areas of excellence include biofluids, integrated biological systems, neural control, mathematical modeling, and biomedical devices and instrumentation, and applications of these areas to medicine

Systems, Modeling, and Control

Applying systems theory to engineering applications, including mathematical modeling and analysis, dynamical systems, control theory, and design

Mechanics and Materials

Studying the deformation, fracture, fatigue, and failure of solids at different time and length scales (from atoms to planets) through advanced analytical, computational, and experimental techniques

Energy and the Environment

Investigating energy and environmental problems in both natural and engineered systems, as well as in interactions between the two

Micro/Nanoscale Science and Engineering

Conducting fundamental research on a wide range of scientific problems related to fabrication, characterization, design and modeling of small-scale materials, devices and their integration into engineered systems

Research Areas

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Advanced Manufacturing and Design

Advanced materials science and engineering, analytics and probabilistic modeling, biomechanical and biomedicine, clean energy technology, complex systems, computational engineering, engineering education, nano and micro-scale engineering, nuclear and radiation engineering, robotics and intelligent mechanical systems, thermal fluids systems and transport phenomena.

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Biomechanical engineering, computational mechanics, data science, environmental fluid dynamics, solid mechanics, sustainable energy, systems engineering, thermal science.

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Research Areas

The faculty in the department are actively engaged in teaching, research and service across a wide spectrum of areas within Mechanical Engineering. Clicking on the research area will show you faculty and labs in that area.

Fundamental and system level research toward next generation aerospace and aeronautical systems.

Examining materials produced using innovative technologies, and the leveraging of innovative technologies to create existing and new products.

Applying mechanics to biological systems, including the study of how the human body responds to the application of force.

Developing mathematical models to represent physical phenomena and applying modern computing methods to analyze these phenomena.

Developing and applying machine learning and artificial intelligence to generate new models and learn governing equations using simulated or physical data sets

Studying the properties of the Earth’s atmosphere and its relation to the science of fluid dynamics, including large scale simulations and field experiments.

Investigating problems related to micro/nano scale materials, devices, biological systems, and phenomena occurring at the micro/nano scales.

Researching design, construction, operation, and use of robots with strong collaboration between Computing and Mechanical Engineering.

Characterizing, designing, and predicting mechanics of soft and hard structures.

Developing clean energy systems, including direct energy production, energy storage, and the integration of energy efficient technologies.

Studies of thermodynamics and heat transfer physics in a wide range of length and time scales that impact engineering and biological applications.

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The Department of Mechanical Engineering actively conducts research to generate new knowledge that will strengthen and support undergraduate and graduate education at Penn State, in the United States, and the world. See the links on the right for more information on each of our research areas.

Our research is enormously collaborative and our faculty participate in interdisciplinary research with national and international universities as well as many of the academic colleges, research centers, and consortia within Penn State. Visit our collaborator’s page for a list of some of the Penn State units with which our faculty work closely.

Department research expenditures total approximately $29.5 million annually. This funding supports student research and helps purchase state of the art equipment for faculty laboratories. Primary research funding comes from industry and government sources, such as the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Army, the Air Force, and NASA.

The department's research is also heavily supported either through direct funding or collaboration with industry partners, such as Lockheed Martin, Pratt & Whitney, and Solar Turbines.

The mechanical engineering department has numerous state-of-the-art research facilities where students can experience hands-on experimental techniques as well as modern computational simulations. Our students and faculty also have access to the Materials Research Institute , which houses numerous experimental facilities. Find out more about ME's lab facilities and research centers.

Several faculty members also serve as directors of University-wide research centers , harnessing the strength of mechanical engineering while drawing upon the interdisciplinary strengths of Penn State as a whole.

Research Areas

With more than 60 faculty members, 330 graduate students, and 1,000 undergraduate students, the Penn State Department of Mechanical Engineering embraces a culture that welcomes individuals with a diversity of backgrounds and expertise. Our faculty and students are innovating today what will impact tomorrow’s solutions to meeting our energy needs, homeland security, biomedical devices, and transportation systems. We offer B.S. degrees in mechanical engineering as well as resident (M.S., Ph.D.) and online (M.S.) graduate degrees in mechanical engineering. See how we’re inspiring change and impacting tomorrow at me.psu.edu.

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Department of Mechanical Engineering

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Phone: 814-865-2519

Penn State Department of Mechanical Engineering

Research Areas
Labs & Facilities

Hard problems. Huge impact.

With incomparable facilities, a great location and long-standing relationships with industry, we’re uniquely positioned to do research that can’t be done anywhere else. Our faculty and students go after mechanical engineering’s toughest challenges, and what they find influences science and changes lives.

Research Centers

We solve problems no one else can..

Michigan Mechanical Engineering is home to four fully-funded, world-class centers.

Automotive Research Center Driving new performance and operation technologies for ground vehicles.

NSF Engineering Research Center for Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems Developing innovative systems to build high-quality, high-performance products

GM/U-M Institute of Automotive Research and Education Developing next-generation, high-efficiency cars and trucks.

SM Wu Research Center Pioneering advances in manufacturing processes.

Current Research Areas

Automotive & Future Transportation

Biomechanics & Biosystems Engineering

Dynamics & Vibrations

Manufacturing

Mechanics & Materials

Mechatronics & Robotics

Micro/Nano Engineering

Multi-scale Computation

Thermal Sciences

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Research & Impact

Research Areas

With $26.6 million in research expenditures in FY23, our department ranks among the top in mechanical engineering programs nationwide, in large part thanks to our active research relationships with major research organizations, private companies, and government agencies.

Mechanical Engineering doctoral student Lena Johnson describes her work on Robo Raven, a flying robotic bird that moves by flapping its wings.

Advanced Manufacturing

Advancing innovative technologies for next-generation product manufacturing and materials development.

Core faculty: David Bigio , Hugh Bruck , Siddhartha Das , Don DeVoe , Avik Dutt , Mark Fuge , Teng Li , Patrick McCluskey , Ryan Sochol

Recent funding:

R. Sochol, CAREER: High-Aspect-Ratio Multi-Material Three-Dimensional Microstructures via Microfluidic Direct Laser Writing , NSF

Applied Mechanics

Building new foundations for the application of theoretical and computational solid mechanics to engineering technology.

Core faculty: Balakumar Balachandran , Hugh Bruck , Peter Chung , Siddhartha Das , James Duncan , Bongtae Han , Teng Li , Patrick McCluskey , Amir Riaz , Jelena Srebric , Eleonora Tubaldi

T. Li & L. Hu, Mechanics of Bioderived-Cellulose-Based Ultra-Strong and Ultra-Tough Materials , NSF

Biomedical Devices & Systems

Creating devices, technologies, and systems to probe biological processes and improve human health.

Core faculty: Shapour Azarm , Don DeVoe , Jin-Oh Hahn , Kenneth Kiger , Elisabeth Smela , Ryan Sochol , Eleonora Tubaldi

E. Smela, P. Abshire, R. Araneda, A. Shrivastava, D. Tomblin, EFRI ELiS: Dessicatable living cell-based sensors to monitor pollutants and pathogens in built environments , NSF

Computational Science

Inventing new uses of high-performance computer architectures, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to simulate complex behaviors.

Core faculty: Shapour Azarm , Michel Cukier , Harry Dankowicz , Siddhartha Das , Avik Dutt , Mark Fuge , Steven Gabriel , Katrina Groth , Johan Larsson , Teng Li , Amir Riaz , Yunfei Zhao

S. Das, Thermodynamics, electroosmosis, and electrokinetic energy generation in nanochannels functionalized with anionic and cationic polyelectrolyte brushes in presence of multivalent counterions , DOE

Design & Optimization

Applying original design and optimization methodologies to solve engineering challenges across multiple physical domains and scales.

Core faculty: Shapour Azarm , Nikhil Chopra , Harry Dankowicz , Hosam Fathy , Avik Dutt , Mark Fuge , Steven Gabriel , Cecilia Huertas Cerdeira , Reinhard Radermacher , Eleonora Tubaldi , Yunfei Zhao

Dynamics & Controls

Discovering ways to analyze and control the behavior of dynamical systems that exhibit complex spatial interactions, time delays, and modeling uncertainty.

Core faculty: Balakumar Balachandran , Amr Baz , Nikhil Chopra , Harry Dankowicz , Yancy Diaz-Mercado , James Duncan , Avik Dutt , Hosam Fathy , Steven Gabriel , Katrina Groth , Jin-Oh Hahn , Cecilia Huertas Cerdeira , Miao Yu , Yunfei Zhao

J.-O. Hahn, H. Fathy, R. Rajamani, CPS: Medium: Automating Complex Therapeutic Loops with Conflicts in Medical Cyber-Physical Systems , NSF

Electronics Reliability & Sustainability

Developing international standards for the reliability critical electronic systems at the level of components, packages, systems, and supply chains.

Core faculty: Damena Agonafer , Aris Christou , Abhijit Dasgupta , Steven Gabriel , Bongtae Han , Teng Li , Patrick McCluskey , Michael Ohadi , Michael Pecht , Peter Sandborn

A. Khaligh, B. Han, Electro-Thermally Integrated Traction Inverter , NSF

Energy Generation and Storage

Developing new materials, devices, and processes for advancing cutting-edge technologies for energy generation, storage, and management.

Core faculty: Damena Agonafer , David Bigio , Hosam Fathy , Steven Gabriel , Katrina Groth , Ashwani Gupta , Cecilia Huertas Cerdeira , Jungho Kim , Teng Li , Michael Ohadi , Reinhard Radermacher , Jelena Srebric , Bao Yang , Miao Yu , Yunfei Zhao

K. Groth, A. Al-Douri, E. Lopez-Droguett, A risk analysis framework for evaluating the safety, reliability, and economic implications of electrolysis for hydrogen production at nuclear power plants (RAFELHyP) , DOE-NE

Energy for the Built Environment

Researching sustainable technologies and design methods for improving energy and air quality management within the built environment.

Core faculty: Jungho Kim , Michael Ohadi , Reinhard Radermacher , Jelena Srebric , Bao Yang

Fluid Mechanics & Hydrodynamics

Investigating the kinematics and dynamics of complex fluid flows including the creation of high-fidelity turbulence simulations.

Core faculty: Balakumar Balachandran , Siddhartha Das , James Duncan , Cecilia Huertas Cerdeira , Kenneth Kiger , Johan Larsson , Amir Riaz

Recent funding:

J. Larsson, I. Bermejo-Moreno, A. Lozano-Duran, Solution-Verification, Grid-Adaptation and Uncertainty Quantification for Chaotic Turbulent Flow Problems , DOE

Heat Transfer & Thermal Systems

Solving problems of thermal management of systems ranging from microelectronics to high-temperature aerospace applications.

Core faculty: Damena Agonafer , Peter Chung , Ashwani Gupta , Kenneth Kiger , Jungho Kim , Patrick McCluskey , Michael Ohadi , Reinhard Radermacher , Jelena Srebric , Bao Yang

P. McCluskey, D. Agonafer, M. Ohadi, P. Sandborn, Multi-Objective Optimization Software for COOLERCHIPS , ARPA-E

Microsystems, Nanoscale Science, and Quantum Systems

Exploring the design, fabrication, and application of devices and systems at the smallest of length scales, including the development of quantum technologies.

Core faculty: Damena Agonafer , Hugh Bruck , Peter Chung , Siddhartha Das , Abhijit Dasgupta , Don DeVoe , Avik Dutt , Elisabeth Smela , Ryan Sochol , Bao Yang , Miao Yu

A. Dutt, P. Lett, J. Vuckovic, P. Maurer, QuSeC-TAQS: Quantum Sensing with Strongly Nonclassical Light Based on Third-Order Nonlinearities , NSF

Risk & Reliability

Integrating computational and experimental approaches to evaluating and managing risk and reliability in complex systems including critical transportation and energy infrastructure.

Core faculty: Shapour Azarm , Aris Christou , Michel Cukier , Steven Gabriel , Katrina Groth , Bongtae Han , Patrick McCluskey , Mohammad Modarres , Michael Pecht , Yunfei Zhao .

K. Groth, CAREER: Modernizing Risk Assessment through Systematic Integration of Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) and Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) , NSF

Integrating sensing, actuation, and controls to advance robotic systems as well as the underlying component technologies.

Core faculty: Balakumar Balachandran , Hugh Bruck , Nikhil Chopra , Harry Dankowicz , Don DeVoe , Yancy Diaz-Mercado , Mark Fuge , Cecilia Huertas Cerdeira , Elisabeth Smela , Ryan Sochol , Eleonora Tubaldi , Miao Yu

Smart Materials & Structures

Investigating active materials and their integration into smart structures to achieve combined sensing, actuation, and controls.

Core faculty: Balakumar Balachandran , Amr Baz , Hugh Bruck , Peter Chung , Don DeVoe , Michael Ohadi , Elisabeth Smela , Teng Li , Bao Yang , Miao Yu

M. Yu, BLUES: Boundary Layer Under-ice Environmental Sensing , NSF

Research Areas

Research within the department can be categorized under the following areas of focus:

Bioengineering

Dynamic systems, controls, and robotics, energy systems and air quality.

Fluid Mechanics

Structural Dynamics and Acoustics

Thermal transport.

Click here to learn about specific research projects happening with professors in the department!

Aerospace engineering focuses on flight systems such as aircraft and spacecraft. Applications also include other "flight" systems such as underwater vehicles, wind turbines, and high performance automobiles. Research in the department includes both computational and experimental research across various applications including aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, turbomachinery, satellites, airports, and wind turbines.

Steve Gorrell ( TRL ): Turbomachinery aerodynamics, CFD modeling of inlet distortion. Matt Allen ( SDRG ): Structural Dynamics of Launch Vehicles, Spacecraft and Hypersonic Aircraft. Larry Howell ( Compliant Mechanisms ): Compliant mechanisms analysis and design, including origami-based design for space mechanisms. Tim McLain ( MAGICC Lab ): Unmanned aircraft systems: guidance, control, and autonomy. Andrew Ning ( FLOW Lab ): Aircraft, UAV, wind turbine, and wind farm design. John Salmon ( BESD Lab ): Systems engineering of aerospace systems particularly UAVs and airport design.

Biomechanics is the application of mechanics to biology and has origins dating back to Aristotle. Biomechanics seeks to understand the mechanics of living systems, from molecules to organisms. Biomechanical engineering is the practical implementation of this understanding, and embodies the attempts of humans to design and develop mechanical devices that mimic, measure, improve, repair, or replace the function of living systems.

Matt Allen ( SDRG ): Wave propagation in Bio-materials, System Identification for Biomechanics
Anton Bowden ( BABEL ): Spinal Biomechanics, Medical Device Design, Nanocomposite Biomaterials
Steven Charles ( Neuromechanics ): Biomechanics and neural control of movement; Movement disorders; Technology to evaluate, assist, or rehabilitate patients with movement disorders.
Douglas Cook : Crop Biomechanics , Agricultural Robotics, Plant biomechanics, Composites Manufacturing
Christopher Dillon ( Bioheat Transfer ): Bioheat transfer and Focused Ultrasound Thermal therapies, Wave-propagation in Bio-materials.
Larry Howell ( Compliant Mechanisms ): Compliant mechanisms analysis and design, including origami-based design for medical devices.
Brian Jensen (BioMEMSDesign): Fabrication and testing of biomedical systems on the nano- and micro-scale.
Matt Jones : Radiofrequency cardiac ablation, Near infrared imaging and spectroscopy, Personal Protective Equipment.
Nathan Usevitch : Assistive device design, wearable haptic devices.

Engineering design affects everyday life - everything around us has been designed. Design involves the systematic interplay between creation and validation with the intent to bring useful parts, products, or systems, to the marketplace. Researchers in engineering design develop theories, methodologies, and tools that improve the design process and bring new capabilities to the hands of the mechanical designer. This includes computer aided engineering, systems design, product development, numerical and optimization methods, and the integration of engineering with other disciplines.

Nathan Crane ( CREATE lab ): Additive Manufacturing process development, design for additive manufacturing, capillary microfluidics, electrowetting.
Larry Howell ( Compliant Mechanisms ): Compliant mechanisms analysis and design, including origami-based design, medical devices, and space mechanisms.
Brian Jensen (BioMEMSDesign): Synthesis of Advanced Materials.
Spencer Magleby : Engineering design, product development, compliant mechanisms.
Chris Mattson ( Design Exploration ): Product development, Engineering for global development, Multiobjective optimization, Sustainable design.
Andrew Ning ( FLOW Lab ): Multidisciplinary optimization, optimization under uncertainty, design of wind energy and aircraft systems.
John Salmon ( CAD Lab ): Mechanisms and automation.
John Salmon ( BESD Lab ): Systems Engineering.
Nathan Usevitch : Design of robotic systems that enable new behaviors.

Many modern engineering systems, including robots, biomedical devices, vehicles, sensors, and machinery are comprised of interconnected dynamic elements. The ability to design, model, and control such systems is essential in modern engineering. Current areas of focus related to dynamic systems and controls at BYU include unmanned air vehicles (UAVs), microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), active noise control, haptic interfaces, and robotics.

Matt Allen ( SDRG ): MIMO Control for Environment Reconstruction, Dynamics and Control of Launch Vehicles, System Identification
Mark Colton : Robotics, haptic interfaces, and mechatronics.
Jeff Hill ( SMASH Lab) : Tensegrity Systems, Light-weight impact resistance designs.
Marc Killpack ( RaD Lab ): Controls, robotics.
Tim McLain ( MAGICC ): Unmanned aircraft dynamics and control.
Nathan Usevitch : Soft robotics, mechanical design of robotic systems.

The dual specters of global warming and political instability in oil exporting countries have made the development of sustainable energy systems a national priority. Research in the department spans various aspects of energy engineering and includes collaborations with other departments, industry, and national labs.

Brad Adams ( AQR Lab ): Combustion systems, combustion simulations, air pollutants.
Brian Iverson ( Flux Lab ): Solar thermal energy and next generation power systems.
Matt Jones : Power harvesting, energy transport and conversion.
Troy Munro ( TEMP Lab ): Nuclear energy.
Andrew Ning ( FLOW Lab ): Wind energy.
Jason Porter (MODES Lab): Optical diagnostics, batteries, and renewable fuels.
John Salmon ( BESD Lab ): Alternative energy systems including solar, electric vehicles, and human-powered.
Dale Tree : Combustion systems and optical diagnostics, Carbon capture, Gas turbine engines.

Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Transport

Fluid mechanics deals with the study of liquids and gases at rest or in motion. Research in fluid mechanics focuses on understanding how fluids move and interact with their surroundings over the range of length scales from the nano-scale to the global scale. Fluid mechanics research encompasses many complicated dynamic systems which are solved through a combination of experiments and direct observation, analytical methods, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Research topics at BYU are broad and include areas such as: biological flows, micro- and nano-fluidic systems, flow physics in turbomachines, turbulence, fluid-structure interactions, atmospheric and oceanic flow dynamics, aircraft aerodynamics, and reacting flows.

Julie Crockett ( Waves ): Stratified flow and internal ocean waves; Superhydrophobic fluid physics and thermal transport.
Steve Gorrell ( TRL ): Turbomachinery aerodynamics, CFD modeling of centrifugal compressors/pumps.
Dan Maynes ( Fluids Lab ): Superhydrophobic surface fluid physics and thermal transport, train aerodynamics, turbomachinery.
Andrew Ning ( FLOW Lab ): Aerodynamics, particularly theoretical and computational aerodynamics. Applications focused on wind turbines and aircraft.
Nathan Speirs : Entry of objects into a body of water, inception and collapse dynamics of vaporous cavitation, microscale interactions of particles and droplets in the atmosphere.

Progress in materials science is at the heart of most exciting advances in modern engineering. Materials science consists in exploring the relationships between structure, properties and processing operations that define a material. The engineering materials group develops novel processing techniques to prepare advanced materials. We use cutting edge microscopy to determine material structure at the nano-scale. Then, we employ mathematical tools to characterize the structure and properties of the material, and we design even better ones.

David Fullwood ( Materials ): Microscopy, Microstructure of Metals, Elastomeric Sensors, Nanocomposites
Eric Homer ( Materials ): Computational materials modeling, Metallic grain boundaries, shape memory ceramics.
Oliver Johnson ( Johnson Group ): Clean Energy, Grain Boundary Networks, Microstructure-Properties Models, Uncertainty Quantification
Troy Munro ( TEMP Lab ): Thermodynamics of biomaterials, Heat transfer in manufacturing.
Jason Porter (MODES Lab): Optical diagnostics, batteries, and renewable fuels.

Acoustics research at BYU is strongly cross-disciplinary in character and focuses on the following areas: active noise and vibration control, sound-structure interaction, nonlinear acoustics, audio acoustics and architectural acoustics. The research in acoustics is both experimental and computational in nature and includes simulation and measurement of physical systems, as well as signal processing. Structural dynamics research focuses on modeling and experimental methods to ensure that structures such as aircraft and launch vehicles can survive the dynamic loads that they experience during operation.

Matt Allen ( SDRG ): Structural Dynamics of Aerospace Vehicles, Dynamic/Acoustic Environments, Noise Reduction
Jon Blotter ( BYU Acoustics ): Structural Acoustics and Vibration, Vibration effects on the Human Body, Vibration and Noise Control, Vibration and Neuroscience

Thermodynamics and Heat and Mass Transfer play a critical role in the design and optimization of energy conversion systems at all length scales (nano-, micro- and meso-scales). At BYU, we investigate methods to enhance and/or control transport of heat and mass to achieve efficient thermal management, chemical reactions and energy systems. Efforts include experimental and analytical approaches and address a host of applications (combustion, aerospace, biosensors, energy harvesting, etc.).

Brad Adams ( AQR Lab ): Radiative heat transfer in combustion systems.
Nathan Crane ( CREATE lab ): Additive manufacturing, Thermal monitoring techniques for quality assurance
Christopher Dillon ( Bioheat Transfer Lab ): Tissue property characterization.
Brian Iverson ( Flux Lab ): Heat transfer in microsystems, microfluidics, spacecraft thermal management, transport at superhydrophobic surfaces.
Matt Jones : Reduced order methods, Analysis and Compression, Thermophysical Property Measurements
Troy Munro ( TEMP Lab ): Fluorescence thermometry, thermophysical property measurement, in situ thermal measurements.
Dale Tree : Combustion and optical diagnostics.
Brent Webb : Spectral modeling approaches for radiation in high temperature gases.

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Thermal & Fluid Systems

(Faculty: Hasan , Koutsakis , Poroseva , Vorobieff , Wang )

Computational fluid dynamics and turbulence flows
Hydrodynamic instabilities; multiphase flows; shock-accelerated flows
Advanced flow field measurement techniques
High-performance computing
Thermal control of space vehicles
Aerospace propulsion

Dynamics & Control

(Faculty: Danielson , Russell , Sorrentino , Wan )

Dynamics and controls of complex dynamical networks
Orbital mechanics
Spacecraft dynamics, maneuvers, guidance, navigation, and control
Modeling and simulation of race car performance
Robotics and autonomous systems

Materials & Solid Mechanics

(Faculty: Chabi, Jackson , Khraishi , Kumar , Shen , Zuo )

Additive manufacturing
Composite materials, smart materials, and nanostructured materials
Materials for energy storage and conversion
Multi-scale mechanics of materials
Advanced materials development

Renewable Energies

(Faculty: Chabi , Poroseva , Sorrentino , Vorobieff)

Renewable energy integration and power transmission
Solar, wind and ocean energy
Management and control of distributed energy systems and microgrid
Electrochemical energy conversion and storage systems: fuel cells, batteries, and supercapacitors

Microsystems Engineering

(Faculty: Jackson , Pleil , Shen )

Design, fabrication and characterization of MEMS and nano devices
Mechanical integrity of microelectronic devices and packages
Micro-devices for energy harvesting
Acoustic resonators

Bioengineering

(Faculty: Jackson , Khraishi , Sorrentino )

Biomechanics
Atomizer technology
Autophagy dynamics

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Ph (505) 277-1325

Physical Location: Department of Mechanical Engineering Redondo Drive, Building 122

Mailing Address: Department of Mechanical Engineering MSC01 1150 1 University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM 87131

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Our faculty members strive to provide students with a comprehensive research experience based on the latest developments of the analytical, numerical and experimental tools available in the field. Judicious application of the fundamental principles of mechanics allow specialized mechanical engineers to impact virtually all fields of science and technology. Our current areas of research are:

Biomechanics and Mechano-biology
Dynamics and Controls
Energy Conversion & Storage
Energy and Mass Transport for Sustainability Applications
Fire Behavior
Nanomechanics and Nanotribology
Mechatronics, Embedded Systems & Automation
Plasmas & Fluid Mechanics
Radiative Heat Transfer
Solar Concentration
Sustainable Water & Energy Technologies
Thermal & Electrochemical Energy Devices
Thermal Science and Energy Conversion
Tribology: Friction, Wear and Lubrication

Mailing Address: University of California, Merced Department of Mechanical Engineering 5200 N. Lake Road Merced, CA 95343

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Versatility and Practicality: The Extensive Scope of Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical engineering is among the broadest disciplines of engineering available to students. Its versatility allows individuals to pursue a wide range of interests and industries that best fits the student’s goals, interests, and expertise. Deciding a major can be difficult, but knowing what doors open as a result of the major you pursue can play a valuable role in deciding what you want to study and practice in the workforce. With the resources and opportunities here at USC, there are so many ways to pursue interests and dabble into different fields even during your college career. Here is a condensed breakdown of mechanical engineering and the opportunities that come with it!

Primary Areas of Study for Mechanical Engineers

1. Design and Manufacturing

Engineering focuses on improving efficiency and effectiveness of various products and systems. To develop the necessary analytical and design skills, mechanical engineering curriculum partially focuses on design and manufacturing. Improvements can be made at any level from conception to execution and mechanical engineers help to minimize error and maximize proficiency.

2. Thermodynamics

The field also focuses on heat transfer and energy systems. Heat is constantly being converted into different forms of energy and is subsequently used to power various machines and systems. Thermodynamics is particularly useful in the realm of engines and power plants.

3. Structural Analysis

Structural analysis analyzes the strength and stability of components under changing conditions in the real world. This field is imperative in ensuring the safety and reliability of products and static buildings. In my introduction to mechanical engineering course (AME-101), we utilized structural analysis to create bridges that could hold exponentially more than their weight!

Choosing an Industry

Automotive:

With mechanical engineering being the design and construction of various machines, many mechanical engineers decide to pursue a career in the world of automobiles. They often focus on performance, fuel efficiency, and environmental impact of automobiles and constantly strive to improve on the already-existent ways of the industry. Especially with strong connections within the Trojan Family, USC will set you up for success if this is the area of expertise for you.

Biomedical Engineering:

Surprisingly, mechanical engineers can also pursue a career within the field of biomedical engineering. Biomedical engineering focuses on the development of medical devices, prosthetics, and more. Although biomedical engineers have a much more focused scope on the application of mechanics to solve health-related issues, mechanical engineering’s commitment to the study of mechanics also makes it possible for students to go into biomedical engineering as well!

The energy sector is the field studying renewable energy and traditional energy sources and their evolving applications to the real world. With the deteriorating health of the planet, breakthroughs in this field have the potential to make significant changes to everyday life and longevity. Mechanical engineers may work on power plants, energy efficiency, and sustainable energy production, to name a few.

Evidently, pursuing mechanical engineering will introduce opportunities in a variety of different industries, as listed above. Of course, the industries and core areas of mechanical engineering are WAY more extensive than the few examples listed above, but it helps to have an idea of possible jobs that are related to this discipline. Mechanical engineering is a very versatile and practical degree to obtain, and beyond the technical skills, students develop problem-solving, organizational, and collaboration skills that prove to be incredibly important in the workforce. Classes and extracurriculars in Viterbi are incredibly enjoyable and an opportunity like none other. If this major seems like a perfect fit for you, consider pursuing it, Future Trojan!

About Karissa Ginoza

I am studying Mechanical Engineering with a Pre-Professional Emphasis in Medicine and I am from Wailuku, Maui. I will be graduating with the class of 2027. Aside from being a Viterbi Student Ambassador, I am actively involved in USC Science Outreach, the Society of Women Engineers, and am eager to participate in research this upcoming school year. To keep in touch with people from home, I am also a member of Hawaii Club!

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Mechanical Engineering Research Leads to e-Textbook

KENNESAW, Ga. | May 1, 2024

The tree cabin team six members meeting with laptops

Paul Ngalle, a KSU mechanical engineering student, says that his engineering skills help him tackle any problem that comes his way. It’s a mechanical engineer’s job to take a product from the idea stage to the marketplace, and that’s exactly what Paul did with TreeCabin , a textbook streaming platform designed to make textbooks more accessible and affordable for students. He realized that you can only go so far with the knowledge that you already know, so research has been a huge part in successfully building his company. He took time to study Netflix (his inspiration), the publishing industry, the e-textbook market, coding, and his desired audience. His engineering background aided him as he picked apart all of his research in order to determine what in particular would help him build the most user friendly e-textbook platform.

Research may seem boring and redundant, but without it, the TreeCabin team wouldn’t have been able to get a grasp on Java and CSS, which are needed to write every line of code necessary to develop a streaming textbook platform.

Students, while you’re still in school, the TreeCabin team would advise you to learn the importance of research. Work smarter, not harder. Most of the time, there’s something to be learned from other peoples’ successes and failures. Learn time management skills. The development team had to master their time if they were going to successfully learn business, sales, how to write functioning code and do well in school all at the same time. Additionally, take this time to learn how to work with a team of people. How can your teammates’ strengths be combined with your strengths in order to accomplish the task at hand?

Enjoy your time, and focus in on what you’re learning now. You never know which college lessons are going to help you in the “real world.”

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Research on controlled mining of end slope fire-burned area in open-pit mine

Ziling Song 1 , 2 ,
Junfu Fan 4 ,
Xiaoliang Zhao 2 ,
Yuhang Zhang 3 ,
Shiyang Xia 1 &
Yifang Long 1

Scientific Reports volume 14 , Article number: 21152 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

Metrics details

Energy science and technology
Engineering
Mathematics and computing

To solve the problem of controlling mining in the open-pit mine end slope fire-burned area, applying multivariate function fitting to the roof and floor modeling of multi-coal seam open pit mines, introducing the factor of coal quality changes in the fire-burned area, determining coal quality information at each location through proximate analysis of coal, to establish the net profit model of the mining area, it is determined the net profit of each mining position by numerical integration, the final mining position was determined without failure by calculating the slope stability based on the numerical simulation of strength reduction. Taking the Dananhu No. 2 open-pit mine in Hami, Xinjiang, China as the engineering background, the fire-burned area III within the southern end slope boundary of the first mining area is 240 m. It was finally determined that the optimal mining position is when the advancement degree is 182 m, the ultimate pit slope angle is 25°, the three-dimensional slope stability is 1.305, the profit is 671.96 million yuan, The deep boundary of the southern end slope fire-burned area of the slope is reduced by 58 m. This paper solves the problem of end slope mining in Dananhu No. 2 mine, and maximizes its net profit under the condition of ensuring safe production.

Research on boundary optimization of adjacent mining areas in open pit coal mine based on calculation of sectional stripping ratio

Parameter design and effectiveness evaluation of wide strip mining of extra thick coal seams under dense buildings

Research on production capacity planning method of open-pit coal mine

Introduction.

There are a large number of fire-burned areas (FBA) distributed in the open-pit mining areas in the northwest of China. Especially in Xinjiang, which has abundant coal resources, the typical steppe climate contributes to dry and shallow coal formation when the temperature reaches a certain degree. This leads to spontaneous combustion of the coal layers, resulting in FBA within a certain regional scope 1 , 2 .

The rocks around the FBA undergo pyrolysis under high temperatures, leading to a decrease in mechanical properties 3 . Coal sheaths at the surface of the coal layers are prone to spontaneous combustion, which results in a decrease in coal quality, lower heat content, and a corresponding decrease in the sale price. Most open-pit mines adopt the strategy of capping and not mining when encountering these FBA, but this will result in a decrease in the recovery rate of coal resources and conflict with the concept of green mining 4 , 5 . If the entire coal is extracted, the low-quality coal would have a low sale price, which would indirectly increase the cost of mining and reduce the economic benefits of the mine. Current literature mostly focuses on the study of pyroclastic rocks, such as Yang Fan's investigation into the elemental migration and mineral phase transformation characteristics in the west of the Zhangjiaqiao coal field in the northern Ordos Basin, clarifying the mineral phases and their transformation rules in the process of thermal metamorphism 6 ; Yu Yuanxiang's study on the characteristics of pyroclastic rocks, revealing the unloading mechanism of high slopes and determining the safety width of hydraulic coal-rock columns 7 ; Wang's research on the pyroclastic soil after pyrolysis, determining its mass loss rate and thermal conductivity at high temperatures 8 . Based on previous research, the article introduces the factors of coal quality and slope stability and proposes a method to solve the problem of controlled mining of coal seams in fire-burned area.

Current status of the first mining area of Dananhu No. 2 Mine

The No. 2 open-pit mine in the west area of the Dananhu Mining Area ofthe CHN Energy Group Shenhua National Energy (herein after referred to as the Dananhu No. 2 Mine) is located in Hami City, Xinjiang, under the jurisdiction of Nanhu Township, Hami City, about 84 km from Hami City and 45 km from Nanhu Township 9 . Considering the production capacity of its mining process equipment and annual output, the mining area is divided into four mining areas for mining. The first mining area is located in the middle of the mining area and the south is close to the III fire area. The mining period is 44 years 10 . The current status of the Dananhu No. 2 Mine is shown in Fig. 1 , and the relative position map of the first mining area and III fire area of the open-pit mine is shown in Fig. 2 .

Current status of Dananhu No. 2 open-pit mine in Xinjiang, China.

Location of the first mining area.

At present, the first mining area has just reached the stage of starting internal drainage. The main coal seams in the first mining area are the well-developed No. 16, 18, 21, 25, and 29 coal seams. However, the No. 16 and 18 coal seams are exposed in the southern end slope (SES), resulting in Part of the spontaneous combustion area appearing, and the quality of deep coal being affected. If the mining of No. 16 and 18 coal is abandoned, it will lead to the waste of coal 21, 25, and 29 in the SES. If the coal of No. 16 and 18 is mined, it is not sure whether it will produce normal coal, economic benefit value. Faced with this situation, the internal dumping site cannot be close to the stop for continuous follow-up, which has affected daily production. Therefore, it is urgent to study the mining problems in the SES FBA of the first mining area of Dananhu No. 2 Mine.

Build function model

Comparison of deep realms in the first mining area.

As shown in Fig. 3 , the stripping operation in the first mining area of Dananhu No. 2 Mine has entered the FBA III which has seriously affected the normal production and economic benefits of the open-pit mine. In order to study the optimized mining plan of the FBA, it is first necessary to determine the reasonable mining realm of the FBA and simulate the changes in the deep realm of the first mining area under two extreme mining conditions: the first one is to consider the coal spontaneous combustion caused by 16 and 18 coals. Due to the decline in slope stability caused by the decline in quality and changes in rock mechanical parameters, the mining of the coal resources covered by the FBA III in the SES is abandoned; the second case is to mine according to the preliminary design, and all coals in the SES 16 and 18 are mined to the boundary, the end slopes of both mining methods are designed using the 25° slope foot in the preliminary design. The comparison of changes in the deep realm between the two methods is shown in Fig. 4 .

Mining status of the first mining area in 2024.

Floor boundary comparison.

Estimation of coal resources in the study area

According to the two mining plans, the mining software 3dmine was used to estimate the amount of main mining coal seams overlain in the area, as shown in Table 1 .

It can be seen from the above table that the SES has covered more than about 50.00Mt of normally mineable coal resources and nearly 10.00Mt of coal resources with different degrees of spontaneous combustion.

Construction of multivariate functions of coal seam roof and floor

From the above analysis, it can be seen that the Abbreviated SES of the first mining area of Dananhu No. 2 Mine has covered a large amount of coal resources, especially for the main mining coal seams in this area. This part of the reserves was caused by spontaneous combustion at the outcrops of the uppermost No. 16 and No. 18 coal seams. The coal quality of the No. 16 and 18 coal seams in this area has declined to varying degrees. The surrounding rocks are affected by the FBA III, resulting in a decrease in mechanical parameters. The mining of the No. 21, 25, and 29 coal seams in the SES of the main coal seam will also be affected by burnt rock. If the SES is mined according to the initially designed slope, it may face two situations: as coal 16 and 18 are mined to the boundary, changes in coal quality will cause an increase in mining costs. Complete mining of 16 and 18 Coal may not be the optimal solution in terms of economic benefits 11 ; excessive mining may lead to an increase in the exposed area of burnt rock, causing the SES to be unstable 12 , 13 , 14 . According to the green mining principle of open-pit mines, how to reasonably mine the coal seam in the SES of the side FBA and recover the underlying main mining coal seam has become a problem that needs to be solved.

When constructing the block model of coal seam and rock, assuming that the relevant mechanical parameters of rock, stratum, coal seam are consistent in trend and tendency, then the external influencing factors become the change of coal quality under the spontaneous combustion of coal seam and the decline of rock-related mechanical parameters affected by burning.

Since the outcrop areas of the 16 and 18 coal seams are affected by the FBA III, resulting in a decline in coal quality, the coal produced after mining will sell for varying degrees lower than the normal price, and coal below 18 is No. 21 coal with better coal quality. For the mining of coal seams in this area, it is not comprehensive to simply use the stripping ratio to measure the mining benefits. Therefore, changes in coal quality of spontaneously igniting coal seams 16, 18 and main mining coal seams with better coal quality 21, 25, 29 are introduced. The economic benefits generated by controlling the mining of coal ≮ the sum of other costs incurred by stripping and transportation 15 . For the slope location after mining, due to the changes in the properties of the burnt rock, if the initial boundary slope is observed, it will lead to the slope is unstable. Therefore, in the end, the stability of the boundary slope should be the primary goal, and economic benefits should be the secondary goal. The relationship between the boundary mining location, slope stability, and economic benefits should be comprehensively considered and analyzed.

It is planned to construct the net present value function of the main mining coal seams No. 16, 18, 21, 25, and 29, and analyze the most appropriate advance rate by determining the profit of each mining location. Furthermore, adding slopes under the above conditions Stability is a factor that comprehensively considers the optimal location of the coal seam at the SES. In this way, we can achieve the maximum economic benefit of SES mining and the optimal position of deep mining.

The smaller the block size in the model, the higher the accuracy, the larger the storage space required for data, and the slower the computer runs. Normally, the size of the block depends on the type, scale, and mining method of the ore body. Each cuboid with a certain volume is superimposed to form a block model, and the block needs to be divided into smaller sub-blocks at the edge of the well field so that The blocks at the edge of the wellfield are closer to coal seams. Despite this, a certain error still occurs when constraining the edges, which is more obvious when dealing with coal seams with more complex occurrences 16 .

In view of the stable existence of the main mining coal seam at the SES of the Dananhu No. 2 open-pit mine, this paper plans to use multiple integrations to estimate the amount of coal in the boundary before and after mining. Before that, in order to calculate the reserves at each mining stage, it is necessary to fit the surface and coal seam roof and floor into multivariate functions respectively. The first hexagram of the three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system was constructed on the constructed roof and floor model of the main mining coal seam, and 80 three-dimensional coordinates were extracted for the roof and floor of the coal seam respectively. Considering that part of the surface in the study area has been peeled off, in order to improve the ground surface model Accuracy, 144 three-dimensional coordinates are taken for analysis. The coal seam roof and floor elevation model is shown in Fig. 5 .

3D coordinate system construction and coal seam roof and floor elevation point extraction.

Import the obtained three-dimensional coordinate point data into Matlab for polynomial fitting. The fitting results of the roof and floor of each coal seam are shown below. In order to ensure that the fitting results can truly reflect the existence of the coal seam as much as possible and avoid over-fitting, polynomial fitting is performed. Choose twice for the highest number of times. Take the 16-coal roof and floor as an example, see Figs. 6 and 7 .

16 Coal seam roof fitting surface.

16 Coal seam floor fitting surface.

The coefficient of determination ( R 2 ) represents the proportion of change in the response variable y explained by the independent variable X in the linear regression model. The larger the R 2 , the greater the variation explained by the linear regression model. To determine whether the above model is successfully constructed, its residuals need to be analyzed. From the above 3D coordinate point residual, we plot the residuals histogram respectively, as shown in Fig. 8 .

Histogram of residuals.

It can be clearly seen from Fig. 8 above that the roof and floor residual histograms of the coal seam model conform to the normal distribution, and their R 2 are 0.9441 and 0.9747 respectively, which are at a very high level. Although there are certain abnormal data, this abnormal data is due to the real endowment of the coal seam. It is caused by the existing conditions, so there is no need to eliminate it. Therefore, it is judged that the model is successfully established.

From this, we can determine that the dependence of the established change pattern of the response function of the roof and floor of the 16 coal seams on the two predictors can be expressed by the following two formulas:

The formula ( 1 ) is the change pattern of the response function of the 16 coal seam roof, and its coefficient of determination is R 2 = 0.8122. The formula ( 2 ) is the change pattern of the response function of the 16 coal seam floor, and its coefficient of determination is R 2 = 0.8140, both are at a high level.

Final pit slope fitting surface function:

Current end slope fitting surface function:

The fitting functions of other coal seam roofs and floors can be deduced in the same way and will not be described again.

Based on the actual situation on site and the delineation of the initial boundary, and comprehensively considering the actual construction work and production progress on site, 2D location maps of the SES at the current, the current situation to the boundary end slope, and the preliminary design to the boundary end slope were made, as shown in the Fig. 9 shown.

Schematic diagram of the SES in 2024.

As shown in the picture, the current situation in 2024, the pink line is the position of the backing in 2024, and the blue line is the position of the slope in the original design. At present, after June, the current status of the stope is the location of the pink line, at this time, we are faced with the difficult question of whether the SES should continue to push southward.

In order to solve the above problems and maximize the economic benefits of SES mining, the factor of coal quality changes in the 16 and 18 coal-burning areas was introduced. The economic benefits were not only measured by the economically reasonable stripping ratio but also by the normal coal quality. As a reference object, by constructing the changes of 16 and 18 coal combustion kcal in the study area, the coal quality in the area is determined, and the coal price at this time is further determined to construct the economic benefit change curve of mining the area 17 .

The number of drill holes in the study area and the locations of drill holes for subsequent supplementary surveys are selected based on the geological survey as shown in Fig. 10 .

Drilling location.

In the shallow outcrop area of SES, coal seam samples were taken from different areas of the same coal seam, and coal quality tests were conducted to determine the coal quality indicators of 16 coal and 18 coal.

First, according to "GB/T 482-2008 Coal Seam Coal Sample Collection Method", fresh coal samples were collected from newly exposed coal walls in non-fired areas and non-weathered work areas as standard comparison coal samples. After being sealed on site, they were transported to the ground and sent to the laboratory 18 . After the coal samples are transported to the laboratory, they are crushed and screened. According to different experimental needs, the coal samples are sealed in ziplock bags of different particle sizes for later use, as shown in Fig. 11 .

Coal sample processing.

According to "GB/T 213–2008 Determination of calorific value of coal", the experimental results determine that the high calorific value Q gr,ad of the air drying base of coal seams 16 and 18 of the standard working coal seam is 23.36 MJ/Kg and 24.07 MJ/Kg. Based on the drilling information at the selected location in the SES, the coal quality of the 16th and 18th coal seams were extracted respectively, and five industrial indicators of coal were analyzed. The average value of the three sample tests extracted from each borehole is selected as the high-level calorific value of the air-drying base of the coal in the area, and the change in calorific value at the location shown in the borehole in the area is obtained, as shown in Fig. 12 .

Calorific value of drilled coal quality.

Moisture( M ad ), ash( A ad ), volatile matter( V ad ), and fixed carbon( FC ad ) in coal industry analysis are selected, and four coal quality analysis indicators are used to calculate the calorific value( Q ad ) 19 . Through the experimental results, firstly, the drilling data in each area are processed and converted according to the calorific value of the standard coal sample; secondly, the calorific value data of each location in the same interval, such as [0,100], is averaged to represent the location of the area. The average calorific value of the coal seam, and finally the fluctuation changes in coal quality in the study area [0,700] were determined through numerical fitting.

The data of each borehole are converted according to the coal sample data collected by the work team, and finally, the coal quality change curves of study areas 16 and 18 are obtained. Those that exceed the standard are calculated according to 1, and those that do not exceed the standard are calculated according to the standard. This represents the calorific value of the coal seam in the area. The changes in coal quality in each area are shown in Fig. 13 .

Coal quality changes in various regions.

The calorific value Q ad of the drilling data in this area is fitted into a three-dimensional polynomial function curve through data fitting, thereby simulating the coal quality changes in the X-axis direction of the study area. This curve function is shown in Fig. 14 .

Overall changes in coal quality in the study area.

As can be seen from the above figure, coals 16 and 18 both have spontaneous combustion to a certain extent. Due to the elevation position of coal 16, there are large fluctuations in coal quality along the mining direction, and the coal quality changes between [0.25,1]; 18 As the main mining coal seam below coal 16, coal is also subject to partial spontaneous combustion, but the overall fluctuation is not large, and the coal quality is between [0.9,1].

The fitting surface of the coal seam roof and floor and the coal quality change curve are shown in Fig. 15 .

Coal seam roof and floor fitting surface.

According to the surface function of the roof and floor of the coal seam and using the numerical integration method, we can determine the volume of stripped rock and the total tonnage of coal mined in the study area. Before that, determine the x-axis coordinates of the intersection line between each curved surface and the slope, as shown in Fig. 16 .

Coordinates of mining locations in the study area.

Take the stripping and mining of coal above 16 as an example:

Topsoil stripping volume above 16 coal:

As the advancement Δ x changes, the topsoil stripping volume formula is as follows:

The volume of 16 coal mined:

As the advancement Δ x changes, the formula for mining 16 coal volume is as follows:

Taking into account the fluctuations in coal quality of 16 and 18 coal, it is necessary to bring in the bulk density and coal quality. Using the coal quality curve of Coal 16, which was fitted based on the “Overall changes in coal quality in the study area” as shown in Fig. 14 , along with the bulk density and price of the coal, these values are substituted into Eq. ( 7 ). The economic benefits of mining each block are then calculated using a differential method. When the advancement degree is Δ x , the positive economic benefit of mining 16 coal is:

Simplify to get:

Among them, γ represents the bulk density of coal and p c represents the pit price of coal. The volume integral formula of the underlying coal seam and rock formation is obtained sequentially by using multiple integration methods, which will not be described again here.

Mining net profit model construction

At present, the volume stripped at the location of the mining area and the volume and quality generated by the amount of coal extracted are deduced. The following is to build a mathematical model between the total profit and the advancement rate. Considering that the mining process stops at transporting coal to the pit entrance, the commercial coal for this project is determined to be one type: blended coal, with a yield of 95.793% and γ is 1.34 t/m 3 , p c is 108.6 yuan/t. Considering that the dumping site within the eastern dump area has an irregular boundary and is currently in the initial stage of dumping, it has not affected the recovery of coal seams in the study area. Therefore, the issue of secondary stripping is not taken into account when constructing the economic model. Mining costs mainly come from four parts: Puncture blasting, mining and loading, transportation, and dumping. The profit is calculated based on the actual annual unit cost of the mine at full production. Some parameters are as shown in Table 2 .

The total profit model of this region is:

Objective function:

Curves showing the variation of the operational stripping ratio and net profit with advancement are presented, as shown in Fig. 17 .

Operational Stripping Ratio Model and Net Profit Model.

From the operational stripping ratio curve model and the advancement model related to profit and coal quality established above, it is evident that using only the economically reasonable stripping ratio for evaluation is not accurate. When mining the coal seams in the SES of the first mining area, at a site advancement of 193 m, the maximum overall net profit value of the mine is 676,607,690 yuan. However, it is unreasonable to determine the propulsion degree as 193 m based on this. The SES is affected by the fire area, resulting in a reduction in the quality of some coal seams and changes in some rock mechanical parameters. Part of this area is burnt rock formed by the baking of normal rocks. If excessive mining results in excessive exposure of the burnt rock position, it will cause Slope instability is also undesirable, so it is necessary to introduce slope stability analysis under changes in mechanical parameters and calculate the overall advancement by combining the two factors.

Analysis of slope stability in the study area

Experimental analysis of mechanical parameters of burnt rock.

To determine the slope stability caused by burning in the study area, it is first necessary to determine the changes in rock mechanical parameters of normal rocks in the area and the locations affected by fire. Rock mechanical parameter experiments were conducted through on-site sampling. The results obtained are as follows:

Burnt rock mass has very developed cracks, its physical and mechanical properties are greatly different from those of the original rock, its water absorption rate is large, and it has poor frost resistance and disintegration resistance. It rapidly disintegrates and peels off under the influence of large temperature differences, alternating freeze–thaw atmospheric environment and groundwater, causing rock mass destruction.

The typical samples taken are shown in Fig. 18 .

Typical specimen.

The sample is prepared as a cuboid with a length, width, and width of 5 cm and a height of 10 cm for rock deformation testing. The longitudinal (axial) and transverse (radial) deformation of the sample is measured under the action of longitudinal pressure, and the elasticity of the rock is calculated based on this. Modulus and Poisson's ratio. As shown in Fig. 19 .

Stress and strain experiment.

The stress–strain curve of the burnt rock derived through experimental instruments is shown in Fig. 20 .

Stress–strain curve.

Based on the experimental results and the current situation of the open-pit mine, the relevant rock mechanical parameters in the SES of the first mining area were determined as shown in Table 3 .

2D slope stability analysis of typical sections

To study the stability of the SES composite overall slope under different advancement degrees, as shown in Fig. 21 , a typical profile 1 was selected on the SES burned rock slope to establish a slope model, as shown in Fig. 22 . The rigid body limit equilibrium theory is used to quantitatively analyze the slope stability under different advancement rates 20 .

Typical section selection.

Typical cross section.

Among them, the rock formations are distributed nearly horizontally, and the trailing edge of the slope is the FBA. The thickness of the burnt rock on the section slope is 120 m, and the slope angle is 25° according to the final slope angle 21 . Considering that the SES is a fire area, and is an external dumpsite-end composite slope, with a service life of 44 years, the safety reserve factor of this area is determined to be 1.30. Four locations were selected with advancing degrees of 60 m, 120 m, 180 m, and 240 m respectively for simulated mining in the SES. The simulation results are shown in Fig. 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 .

120 m.

180 m.

240 m.

As the advancement becomes larger, the stability of the slope becomes worse and worse, which is consistent with the inference made in advance. When the advancement is 240, the slope stability coefficient is 1.170, which does not meet the selected end safety reserve coefficient. At this time The slip surface is arc sliding, and the exposed position is the fire area. In order to further improve the accuracy of the 180 ~ 240 m area, it is subdivided into interval [180, 240], and one advancement is selected every ten meters for simulated mining. The results are shown in Figs. 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 22 .

190 m.

200 m.

210 m.

220 m.

It can be seen from the figure that the control of the burnt rock on the slope surface is very obvious. As the advancement deepens, the stability of the slope gradually decreases from the position close to the fire area to the position where it enters the fire zone. When in the zone position, the stability coefficient decreases rapidly, and its change process is as shown in Fig. 34 .

Slope stability change curve.

It can be seen from the slope stability change curve that when the mining reaches 193 m, that is, when the net profit is maximum, the slope stability coefficient is 1.27, which does not meet the selected safety and stability coefficient. When the advancement distance is 182 m, the slope stability coefficient is 1.27. The stability coefficient is 1.30, which is consistent with the selected safety and stability coefficient.

The slope stability and net profit curve are shown in Fig. 35 .

Net profit curve model under multiple factors.

3D slope stability verification

To further verify the stability coefficient of this location, it is planned to further analyze this location by establishing a 3D slope model: the model is meshed using the free meshing method, and then the surface division in the griddle is selected for refinement, using triangles. The minimum side length is set to 10 m, and the maximum side length is set to 20 m. The grid file is a regular tetrahedron during output, and the output file is Flac3D6.0. The divided grid is as shown in Fig. 36 . The three-dimensional displacement cloud diagram of the slope is shown in Figs. 37 and 38 .

Mesh division.

3D slope displacement cloud diagram.

2D slope displacement cloud diagram.

From the analysis of the above figure, it can be seen that for edge failure in the FBA, the burnt rock area has greater control over the stability of the broken surface. As the advance increases, the stability of the slope gradually decreases, and the slope is exposed in the FBA. The decline is particularly obvious at the surface position, and the slope consolidation slip is arc sliding. When mining reaches the outcrop position of the FBA, the landslide pattern tends to be layer-cutting-bedding sliding along the bottom plate with the burned rock as the weak layer. When the mining position is 182 m, the slope stability is 1.305. Continued mining will reduce its stability to below 1.3.

The SES deep realm optimization

Through the above research, it was determined that the advancement was 182 m. At this time, the deep realm of the study area shrank back by 58 m. The changes are shown in Fig. 39 .

The optimized deep realm of SES.

This article innovatively introduces the multivariate function fitting into constructing the solid surface of the coal seam roof and floor. Through the extraction of three-dimensional data points and the integration of MATLAB tools, the coal seam roof, and floor data are quantitatively analyzed and the calculation error is reduced;

By introducing the factor of coal quality fluctuation in the end slope FBA, the coal quality function that changes with the change of propulsion degree is established, and finally, the net profit model of the mining area is constructed to replace the traditional stripping ratio for optimization, and the coal quality and net profit under each mining position are determined.

Considering the influence of slope stability on the end slope propulsion, referring to the constructed net profit mathematical model, the final mining propulsion is determined to be 182 m, the overall stability of the composite slope at the boundary position is 1.305, and the net profit of mining at this position is 671.96 million yuan.

Compared with the initial design mining boundary, the optimized deep boundary of the southern end slope is reduced by 58 m. Unnecessary stripping and mining of low-quality coal is avoided.

This paper solves the dilemma of mining in the FBA of Dananhu No. 2 mine, and maximizes the net profit of the study area under the premise of ensuring safe production. Its practical relevance is ensured.

Considering that the main content of the paper is the mining of coal seam at the end slope of coal seam fluctuation changes in the FBA, the focus of this paper is to replace the traditional stripping ratio change model with the net profit model constructed by coal quality fluctuation and how to introduce the multivariate function fitting method to establish the visualization model of coal seam roof and floor, so in the final evaluation of slope stability in the paper, the paper adopts a more intuitive, clear and clear method, and uses numerical simulation software to directly clarify the stability of the slope at the end of mining. Compared with determining the change and distribution of pores and fractures in coal 23 , the monitoring of the crack width on the slope surface by photogrammetry greatly shortens the time 24 , Still the follow-up research in this paper can further discuss the above two factors in depth.

For the stripped waste materials, due to the loose and porous structure of the burnt rock, the stability of the inner dump and backfill part of the open-pit mine is poor, and considering the safety issues, it is necessary to study the optimization of the backfill materials further 25 and the increase of backfill intensity to improve the further recovery rate of limited resources. 26

Data availability

The data used to support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51474119), the Liaoning Technical University of Engineering and Technology Ordos Research Institute campus-site science and technology cooperation cultivation project (YJY-XD-2023-027), and the Liaoning Technical University of Engineering and Technology Collaborative Innovation Center for Mining Major Disaster Prevention and Environmental Restoration Open Project (CXZX-2024-01).

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College of Mining, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, 123000, Liaoning, China

Yu Wen, Ziling Song, Shiyang Xia & Yifang Long

College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, 123000, Liaoning, China

Ziling Song & Xiaoliang Zhao

College of Applied Technology and Economic Management, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, 123000, Liaoning, China

Yuhang Zhang

College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Inner Mongolia University of Technology, Hohhot, 010000, China

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Y.W.: Methodology, Software, Validation, Investigation, Writing-original draft, Writing-review & editing, Visualization. Z.S.: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Writing-review & editing, Supervision, Project administration, Funding acquisition. J.F.: Validation, Supervision. X.Z.: Investigation, Resources, Funding Acquisition. Y.Z.: Validation, Data curation. S.X.: Supervision, Resources. Y.L.: Resources. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Wen, Y., Song, Z., Fan, J. et al. Research on controlled mining of end slope fire-burned area in open-pit mine. Sci Rep 14 , 21152 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-72017-7

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Current research activities in the Department of Mechanical Engineering are in the areas of controls and robotics, energy and micropower generation, fluid mechanics, heat/mass transfer, mechanics of materials, manufacturing, material processing, MEMS, nanotechnology, and orthopedic biomechanics.
Research Areas
Research Areas. With $26.6 million in research expenditures in FY23, our department ranks among the top in mechanical engineering programs nationwide, in large part thanks to our active research relationships with major research organizations, private companies, and government agencies. Research Opportunities Research at the Clark School.
Research Areas
Biomechanical engineering is the practical implementation of this understanding, and embodies the attempts of humans to design and develop mechanical devices that mimic, measure, improve, repair, or replace the function of living systems. Faculty with research in this area include: Anton Bowden ( BABEL ): Spinal biomechanics, computational ...
Research Areas :: Mechanical Engineering
Research Areas Thermal & Fluid Systems ... Physical Location: Department of Mechanical Engineering Redondo Drive, Building 122. Mailing Address: Department of Mechanical Engineering MSC01 1150 1 University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM 87131. SOE Links. School of Engineering. Useful Links.
Research Areas
Research Areas . Our faculty members strive to provide students with a comprehensive research experience based on the latest developments of the analytical, numerical and experimental tools available in the field. Judicious application of the fundamental principles of mechanics allow specialized mechanical engineers to impact virtually all ...
Versatility and Practicality: The Extensive Scope of Mechanical Engineering
Evidently, pursuing mechanical engineering will introduce opportunities in a variety of different industries, as listed above. Of course, the industries and core areas of mechanical engineering are WAY more extensive than the few examples listed above, but it helps to have an idea of possible jobs that are related to this discipline.
Mechanical Engineering Research Leads to e-Textbook
It's a mechanical engineer's job to take a product from the idea stage to the marketplace, and that's exactly what Paul did with TreeCabin, a textbook streaming platform designed to make textbooks more accessible and affordable for students. He realized that you can only go so far with the knowledge that you already know, so research has ...
Research on controlled mining of end slope fire-burned area in open-pit
This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51474119), the Liaoning Technical University of Engineering and Technology Ordos Research Institute campus-site ...
tesla modeling simulation mechanical thermal jobs
49 Tesla Modeling Simulation Mechanical Thermal jobs available on Indeed.com. Apply to Mechanical Designer, Research Scientist, Junior Mechanical Engineer and more! Skip to main content ... (Paine Field area) $75,000 - $100,000 a year. ... Applicants must have a degree in mechanical engineering. Job Type: Full-time. Pay: $80,000.00 - $110,000. ...

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