Mechanical Engineering

• ENG ME 700: Advanced Topics in Mechanical Engineering
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: Graduate standing or consent of instructor. - Specific prerequisites vary according to research topic.
• ENG ME 701: Optimal and Robust Control
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (ENGME501 OR ENGEC501 OR ENGSE501) or equivalent - This course is aimed at an introduction (with rigorous treatment) to the fundamentals of optimal and robust control. It will be divided roughly into two parts. The first will cover aspects of robust control including model reduction, H_2 and H_ infinity control, and feedback control of uncertain systems. The second will delve into optimal control including topics such as the linear quadratic regulator, the calculus of variations, the maximum principle, and the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation. Same as ENG EC 701 and ENG SE 701. Students may not receive credits for both.
• ENG ME 702: Computational Fluid Dynamics
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (ENGME542) - Numerical techniques for solving the Navier-Stokes and related equations. Topics are selected from the following list, although the emphasis may shift from year to year: boundary integral methods for potential and Stokes flows; free surface flow computations; panel methods; finite difference, finite element and finite volume methods; spectral and pseudo-spectral methods; vortex methods; lattice-gas and lattice-Boltzmann techniques; numerical grid generation.
• ENG ME 710: Dynamic Programming and Stochastic Control
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASMA381 OR ENGEK500 OR ENGME308) and ENGEC402, ENGEC501 or ENGME510 - Introduction to sequential decision making via dynamic programming. The principle of optimality as a unified approach to optimal control of dynamic systems and Markovian decision problems. Applications from control theory and operations research include linear-quadratic problems, the discrete Kalman Filter, inventory control, network, investment, and resource allocation models. Adaptive control and numerical solutions through successive approximation and policy iteration, suboptimal control, and neural network applications involving functional approximations and learning. Same as ENG EC 710 and ENG SE 710. Students may not receive credits for both.
• ENG ME 712: Applied Mathematics in Mechanics
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: NA - Graduate Prerequisites: (ENGEK103 & CASMA123 & CASMA124 & CASMA225 & CASMA226) - The goal of this course is to give students an introduction to mathematical tools for solving difficult mathematics problems that arise in engineering science and mechanics. Students will learn the process of applied mathematics, which will enable them to take a hard problem, and gain insight into its important characteristics. Analytical theory, approximate techniques, and numerical methods will be used in a complementary manner to solve challenging engineering problems. Students will learn dimensional analysis and scaling, perturbation methods applied to polynomial and differential equations, variational calculus, integral equations, and concepts of stability and bifurcation. Students will apply these methods to mathematical problems in solid mechanics, thermodynamics, and dynamical systems.
• ENG ME 714: Advanced Stochastic Modeling and Simulation
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (ENGEK500) or equivalent, knowledge of stochastic processes, or consent of the in structor. - Introduction to Markov chains, point processes, diffusion processes as models of stochastic systems of practical interest. The course focuses on numerical and simulation methods for performance evaluation, optimization, and control of such systems. Same as ENG SE 714. Students may not receive credits for both.
• ENG ME 720: Acoustics II
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (ENGME520) - Wave equation in cylindrical and spherical co-ordinate systems. Propagation in waveguides. Diffraction: the Rayleigh integral and the Helmholtz-Kirchhoff integral. Green's function and angular spectrum methods. Diffraction of sound beams: Guassian beams, unfocused and focused sources, and arrays. Diffraction by apertures, discs and wedges. Scattering of sound; Rayleigh scattering, scattering cross-section, elastic scatters. Propagation in inhomogeneous media: rays, the eikonal equation, the Blokhintzev invariant and the acoustic field near caustics. Absorption and dispersion of acoustic waves. Transmission and reflection at a fluid-solid interface.
• ENG ME 721: Acoustic Bubble Dynamics
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (ENGME520 & ENGME542) or equivalent - Bubbles and acoustic cavitation play an important role in many aspects of application of sonic and ultrasonic energy in fluids and biological tissue. This course will introduce the study of bubble phenomena in sound fields. The fundamental physical acoustics of bubbles (and the fundamental physics which can be illustrated by the study of bubble dynamics) will be stressed. The family of Rayleigh-Plesset equations for time-dependent bubble behavior will be derived from the Navier-Stokes equations. Analytical approximations to the Rayleigh-Plesset equations in limiting cases will be derived and studied. Approximations to the thermodynamic behavior of oscillating bubbles will be considered in detail. Thermal, acoustic and viscous contributions to dissipation will be treated. Numerical solutions will also be studied, specifically in the context of highly nonlinear behavior during acoustically-forced oscillations. Specific experiments, and expérimental techniques for measuring bubble dynamics will be studied in detail. Topics covered will contrast agent microbubbles, acoustics of bubbly liquids, bubble-mediated bioeffects, shape instabilities, acoustic levitation, sonoluminescence, heat and mass transfer during bubble oscillations, sonochemistry and cavitation detection and monitoring.
• ENG ME 724: Advanced Optimization Theory and Methods
  Graduate Prerequisites: ENG EC 524 or consent of instructor. - Complements ENGEC524 by introducing advanced optimization techniques. Emphasis on nonlinear optimization and recent developments in the field. Topics include: unconstrained optimization methods such as gradient and incremental gradient, conjugate direction, Newton and quasi-Newton methods; constrained optimization methods such as projection, feasible directions, barrier and interior point methods; duality; and stochastic approximation algorithms. Introduction to modern convex optimization including semi-definite programming, conic programming, and robust optimization. Applications drawn from control, production and capacity planning, resource allocation, communication and sensor networks, and bioinformatics. Same as ENG EC 724 and ENG SE7 24. Students may not receive credits for both.
• ENG ME 725: Queueing Systems
  Graduate Prerequisites: (ENGEK500 OR ENGEC505) or consent of instructor. - Performance modeling using queueing networks, analysis of product form and non-product form networks, numerical methods for performance evaluation, approximate models of queueing systems, optimal design and control of queueing networks. Applications from manufacturing systems, computer systems and communication networks. Same as ENG EC 725 and ENG SE 725. Students may not receive credits for both.
• ENG ME 726: Fundamentals of Biomaterials
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (ENGEK301 & ENGEK424 & CASCH101 & CASCH102 & ENGBE209) - Provides the chemistry and engineering skills needed to solve challenges in the biomaterials and tissue engineering area, concentrating on the fundamental principles in biomedical engineering, material science, and chemistry. Covers the structure and properties of hard materials (ceramics and metals) and soft materials (polymers and hydro-gels). Same as ENG BE 526, ENG BE 726,ENG MS 726. Students may not receive credit for both.
• ENG ME 727: Principles and Applications of Tissues
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (ENGEK301 & ENGEK424 & CASCH101 & CASCH102 & ENGBE209) - Provides the chemistry and engineering skills needed to solve challenges in the biomaterials and tissue engineering area, concentrating on cell-biomaterial interactions, soft tissue mechanics and specific research topics. Students will write a NIH-style grant proposal on a specific research topic. Note that the laboratory portion is not offered in ENG ME 727. Same as ENG BE 527, ENG BE 727, ENG ME 727, ENG MS 727. Students may not receive credit for both.
• ENG ME 733: Discrete Event and Hybrid Systems
  Graduate Prerequisites: (ENGEK500) or equivalent or consent of instructor. - Review of system theory fundamentals distinguishing between time-driven and event-driven dynamics. Modeling of Discrete Event and Hybrid Systems; Automata, Hybrid Automata, Petri Nets, basic queueing models, and stochastic flow models. Monte Carlo computer simulation: basic structure and output analysis. Analysis, control, and optimization techniques based on Markov Decision Process theory with applications to scheduling, resource allocation, and games of chance. Perturbation Analysis and Rapid Learning methods with applications to communication networks, manufacturing systems, and command-control. Same as ENG EC 733 and ENG SE 733. Students may not receive credits for both.
• ENG ME 734: Hybrid Systems
  Graduate Prerequisites: (ENGSE501 OR ENGEC501 OR ENGME501) or consent of instructor. - The course offers a detailed introduction to hybrid systems, which are dynamical systems combining continuous dynamics (modeled by differential equations) with discrete dynamics (modeled by automata). The covered topics include modeling, simulation, stability analysis, verification, and control of such systems. The course contains several applications from both natural and manmade environments, ranging from gene networks in biology, to networked embedded systems in avionics and automotive controls, and to motion planning and control in robotics. Same as ENG ME 734 and ENG SE 734. Students may not receive credits for both.
• ENG ME 740: Vision, Robotics, and Planning
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: Graduate standing or consent of instructor. - Methodologies required for constructing and operating intelligent mechanisms. Comprehensive introduction to robot kinematics for motion planning. Dynamics and control of mechanical systems. Formal treatment of differential relationships for understanding the control of forces and torques at the end effector. Discussion of robot vision and sensing and advanced topics in robot mechanics, including elastic effects and kinematic redundancy. Same as ENG SE 740. Students may not receive credits for both.
• ENG ME 762: Nonlinear Systems and Control
  Graduate Prerequisites: (ENGME501) or ENG EC 501 or consent of instructor - Introduction to the theory and design methods of non-linear control systems. Application to robotics, vibration and noise control, fluid control, manufacturing processes, and biomedical systems. Mathematical methods based on the theory of differentiable manifolds; non-linear control techniques include feedback linearization, back-stepping, forwarding, and sliding mode control. Additional course topics will include controllability and observability, Lyapunov stability and its applications, limit cycles, input-output stability, zero dynamics, center manifold theory, perturbation theory, and averaging. Same as ENG SE 762. Students may not receive credits for both.
• ENG ME 766: Advanced Scheduling Models and Methods
  Graduate Prerequisites: (ENGEK500 & ENGME510) - Emphasizes basic methodological tools and recent advances for the solution of scheduling problems in both deterministic and stochastic settings. Models considered include classical scheduling models, DEDS, neural nets, queueing models, flow control models, and linear programming models. Methods of control and analysis include optimal control, dynamic programming, fuzzy control, adaptive control, hierarchical control, genetic algorithms, simulated annealing, Lagrangian relaxation, and heavy traffic approximations. Examples and case studies focus on applications from manufacturing systems, computer and communication networks, and transportation systems. Same as ENG SE 766. Students may not receive credits for both.
• ENG ME 778: Micromachined Tranducers
  Graduate Prerequisites: (ENGME555) or consent of instructor. - The field of micro-electromechanical devices and systems (MEMS) has been growing at an exciting pace in recent years. The interdisciplinary nature of both micro-machining techniques and their applications can and does lead to exciting synergies. This course will explore the world of mostly silicon-based micro-machined transducers, i.e., micro-sensors and micro-actuators. This requires an awareness of material properties, fabrication technologies, basic structural mechanics, sensing and actuation principles, circuit and system issues, packaging, calibration, and testing. The material will be covered through a combination of lectures, case studies, individual homework assignments, and design projects carried out in teams.
• ENG ME 781: Electroceramics
  This course will explore the structure property relationships and phenomena in ceramic materials used in electronic, dielectric, ferroelectric, magnetic, and electrochemical applications. In particular we will discover how to functionalize a component for a particular application - a capacitor, a thermistor, actuator, or a fuel cell. Such a discovery process demands an in- depth understanding of the roles and interrelationships between the crystal structure, defect chemistry, microstructure, and texture in such materials. Statistical thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, and solid mechanics principles will be used as and when necessary in the course. The course is intended to fit in the space and act as a bridge between solid state theory where the emphasis is largely on theory and a ceramic materials course where the emphasis is largely on processing. Same as ENG MS 781. Students may not receive credits for both.
• ENG ME 785: No longer offered
  Graduate Prerequisites: (ENGME585) and consent of instructor. - No longer offered
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