Module Catalogue 2026/27

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

Modern mechanical engineers find employment across a wide range of industries, using a wide range of skills and specialties. This module sets out to provide a set of core skills and experience that all mechanical engineers should find useful:

• Understanding of how forces lead to stresses in materials and how this can lead to failure through plastic damage, wear and crack growth.
• Confidence in being able to use mathematical and scientific computer programs to analyse and plot data.
• Experience with using modern CAD software for 3D modelling of components and assemblies.
• Experience with working in a small group on a research project and presenting the findings.

Outline Of Syllabus

The syllabus is structured into four main areas:

1. Lectures on core mechanics theory

Engineering properties of materials, such as Young’s modulus and the yield point, are typically found from rods loaded axially, giving a very one-dimensional understanding of material response. These lectures look at the three-dimensional and interrelated nature of stress and strain and how to reduce this complexity to the von Mises stress that is useful for structural design work. Other topics covered include contact mechanics, wear and crack growth.

2. 3D Solid Modelling

CAD software has become a powerful tool for engineering design and an essential tool for building models of components and assemblies for stress analysis. The students are given an intensive introduction to Autodesk Inventor and work through, for example, an engine assembly exercise.

3. Scientific Computing

The students will be guided through a varied sequence of mathematical tasks in Matlab or Python, designed to give confidence in techniques of data analysis and visualization.

4. Research Group Project

Students will work in small groups on a speculative research project at the frontier of engineering science, and create video and poster presentations of their findings.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

On completion of this module, the student will:

• Be able to work effectively in a group of relative strangers, to design a solution to a complex problem with a number of societal and engineering aspects, and will know where to search for information and how to present it clearly.[M5,M16]

Intended Skill Outcomes

On completion of this module, the student will:

• Be able to apply a range of core mechanical engineering theory to solving 3D stress states, contact mechanics and crack growth.[M1]
• Be able to apply appropriate computational techniques to the analysis and presentation of a range of numerical and engineering problems.[M3]

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lectures will provide a solid, common core of engineering fundamentals; tutorial sessions to allow students to work through specific problems; cluster sessions to provide teaching support to engineering programming exercises. [M1, M3]

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The exam will assess the students’ grasp and application of theory and scientific programming skills. [M1, M3]
The coursework is a group activity designed to give students experience of doing library and internet searches, and experience of creating poster and video presentations; the coursework theme is chosen to allow the students to explore new and emerging science and engineering. [M5, M16]
The formative assessment is a subset of exam-style questions with automatic marking and feedback to give students practice and guidance in their application of theory and scientific programming skills. [M1, M3]

General Notes

N/A