Juan C. Morales, Director

Mechanical Engineering is one of the oldest and broadest engineering professions. It encompasses activities in mechanical systems, thermal/hydraulic systems, and manufacturing. In the area of mechanical systems, mechanical engineers design suspension and steering systems, artificial human hearts and limbs, food processors, aerospace components and machinery, to name a few. In the area of thermal/hydraulic systems, mechanical engineers use energy in several forms and convert it into useful work. Typical applications include the design of turbines, boilers and pumps used to develop steam power, the design of gas turbines to drive electric generators, and the design of engines to propel aircraft and aerospace vehicles. In the area of manufacturing, mechanical engineers are involved in the selection of manufacturing processes, production planning and quality control, and product reliability.

Vision of the Mechanical Engineering Department

To become the number one choice for all motivated students who wish to pursue a mechanical engineering education in Puerto Rico.

Mission of the Mechanical Engineering Department

To professionally prepare mechanical engineering graduates who are capable of fulfilling the technological need of society and excel in the design and creation of mechanical and thermal systems.

Educational Objectives of the Mechanical Engineering Department

(Expected accomplishments of graduates during first years after graduation)

1. To technically prepare our graduates for successful employment as well as for graduate studies in mechanical engineering (or allied disciplines). This will be accomplished primarily by providing them with the following:

a.  Knowledge of mathematics, science and engineering.
b.  Laboratory experiences.
c.  Engineering design experiences.
d.  Exposure to the modern engineering tools.

1. To instill in our graduates a high degree of professionalism as evidenced by the following:
   

1. To produce graduates with the attitude and ability to apply practical knowledge in the workplace, and willing to continue developing their skills throughout their careers.

The Faculty of the Mechanical Engineering Department, through the following set of measurable outcomes, and with the input of its constituents, systematically measures the effectiveness of the program in satisfying its educational objectives and strives to improve it constantly.

Program Outcomes for the Mechanical Engineering Department

(What students know and are able to do by the time of graduation)

Graduates from the Mechanical Engineering program shall have:

a.  An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science and engineering.

b.  An ability to design and carry out, experiments, as well as analyze and interpret data.

c.  An ability to design a system, component or process to meet desired needs.

d.  An ability to function in a multidisciplinary team.

e.  An ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems.

f.  An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility.

g.  An ability to communicate effectively.

h.  A broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context.

i.  Acknowledgement of the need for, and an ability to engage in, life-long learning.

j.  A knowledge of contemporary issues.

k.  An ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.

l.  Familiarity with statistics and linear algebra.

m.  An ability to work professionally in both thermal and mechanical systems areas including the design and creation of such systems.

Mechanical Engineering Faculty

Mechanical Engineering Technical Staff

Mechanical Engineering Curriculum
(150 credits; 4 ½ years)

Electrical Engineering Requirements (ELEN)

ELEN 301 Electrical Networks I 3 cr

ELEN 302 Electrical Networks I Laboratory 1 cr

ELEN 420 Electromechanical Energy Conversion 3 cr

Mechanical Engineering Electives

In addition to the required engineering courses, students pursuing the degree of Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering choose two engineering electives.

Mechanical Engineering Electives (ME ELECTIVES)

MEEN 464 Mechanical Vibrations 3 cr

MEEN 465 Vehicle Dynamics Fundamentals 3 cr

MEEN 480 Automatic Controls 3 cr

MEEN 482 Failure of Materials in Mechanical Design 3 cr

MEEN 484 Corrosion in Metals 3 cr

MEEN 497 Special Problems 3 cr

MEEN 477 Solar Technologies 3 cr

MEEN 489 Air Conditioning 3 cr

MEEN 451 Process and Product Design 3 cr

MEEN 483 Computer Aided Manufacturing 3 cr

MEEN 490 Robotics 3 cr

MEEN 498 Undergraduate Research I 3 cr

MEEN 499 Undergraduate Research II 3 cr

Industrial Engineering Electives (IMEN ELECTIVES)

IMEN 402 Work Measurement 4 cr

IMEN 405 Statistical Quality Control 4 cr

Socio/Humanistic Electives (HUMA ELECTIVES)

HIST 203 Ancient History 3 cr

HIST 230 Renaissance, Reform and Rise of the State 3 cr

HIST 232 Contemporary World Problems 3 cr

HIST 251 History of Puerto Rico I 3 cr

HIST 253 History of Puerto Rico (Compendium) 3 cr

HIST 261 Latin American History I 3 cr

HIST 271 History of the USA I 3 cr

HIST 305 History of the Caribbean 3 cr

HIST 315 History of Spain 3 cr

HIST 320 History of Africa 3 cr

PHIL 201 Introduction to Philosophy I 3 cr

SPAN 213 Literary Genres I 3 cr

Mechanical Engineering Course Descriptions

General Engineering (ENGI)

ENGI 100 Introduction to Engineering

Three credit-hours. Two hours of lecture-discussion and two hours of workshop-discussion per week. Introductory required course for all first year engineering students. Introduction to the various specialties within the engineering profession. Basic concepts of engineering design and technical communication. Laws and ethics of the engineering profession.

Prerequisite: Admission to the School of Engineering.

ENGI 122 Computer Fundamentals

Three credit-hours. Three hours of lecture-discussion per week. Introduction to computer programming and the C programming language. Basic computer architecture and function of the computer; problem analysis; design and implementation of algorithms; structured programming concepts; C language syntax; programming tools.

Prerequisites: MATH 301 Calculus I.

ENGI 160 Engineering Graphics

Three credit-hours. Two hours of lecture and one 3-hour lab per week. Includes principles of engineering drawing with sketching and computer graphics (AutoCAD) with an introduction to descriptive geometry. The fundamentals of orthographic projection, pictorials, auxiliary views, sectioning, dimensioning, tolerance, threads and working drawings are presented.

Prerequisites: MATH 155 Pre-Calculus.

ENGI 233 Statics

Three credit-hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Introduction to the vector concepts of force and moment; analytical and graphical techniques for analysis of point forces, distributed forces and moments, centroid, center of mass; static equilibrium of a rigid body and systems of rigid bodies such as frames, trusses, and machines; shear and moment diagrams; static friction forces.

Prerequisites: PHSC 205 Physics I

ENGI 244 Engineering Materials

Three credit-hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Governing principles of material properties and behavior. Atomic structures and bonding; crystalline structures, defects and dislocations. Diffusion, deformation, and material strengthening. Phase transformations and diagrams. Polymers, ceramics, and composites. Corrosion.

Prerequisites: CHEM 203 Chemistry I, MATH 155 Pre - Calculus.

ENGI 305 Fluid Mechanics

Three credit-hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Fundamentals of incompressible fluid behavior. Continuity and conservation laws. Bernoulli's equation and boundary layers.

Prerequisites: ENGI 334 Dynamics, MATH 395 Differential Equations.

ENGI 318 Strength of Materials

Three credit-hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Analysis of stress and strain. Stress-strain relations. Deformation and the application of superposition. Torsional and flexural loading. Combined loading. Stress and strain transformation. Shear and moment diagrams. Deflections.

Prerequisites: ENGI 233 Statics.

ENGI 319 Materials Testing Lab

One credit-hour. One three-hour laboratory per week. Standard physical tests of engineering materials including tension, torsion, bending, hardness, creep and fatigue. Basic metallurgy including grinding, polishing, etching and microstructure identification. Heat treatment of steel and phase diagram construction.

Prerequisites: ENGI 244 Engineering Materials, ENGI 318 Strength of Materials, MEEN 418 Experimental Methods.

ENGI 334 Dynamics

Three credit-hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Introduction to the kinematics and kinetics of particles and rigid bodies in plane motion; translation, rotation and complex motion of rigid bodies; mass moments of inertia; concepts underlying the work-energy principle and impact-momentum principle as applied to particle and rigid body plane motion.

Prerequisites: ENGI 233 Statics.

ENGI 406 Fluid Mechanics Lab

One credit-hour. One three-hour laboratory per week. Incompressible fluid flow laboratory. Viscosity measurements, centrifugal pump characterization; Series and Parallel pump arrangements; Venturi and Orifice plates; rot ammeters; head losses in bends and fittings; weirs; vortices.

Prerequisites: ENGI 305 Fluid Mechanics, MEEN 418 Experimental Methods.

ENGI 410 Engineering Economics

Three-credit hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Introduction to engineering economy, concepts of cost estimation, sensitivity and risk analysis.

Prerequisites: MATH 360 Probability and Statistics.

Mechanical Engineering (MEEN)

MEEN 312 Kinematics

Three credit-hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Introduction to the kinematics principles of inversion, transmission of motion, and mobility; analysis of mechanism components such as four-bar linkages, cams, spur gears, and gear trains; synthesis of plane kinematics mechanisms. One or more design projects require the application of course topics.

Prerequisite: ENGI 334 Dynamics.

MEEN 320 Thermodynamics I

Three credit-hours. Three hours of lecture per week. First and second laws of thermodynamics; properties, equations of state and thermodynamic relations.

Prerequisites: PHSC 206 Physics II, ENGI 233 Statics, and CHEM 203 Chemistry I.

MEEN 340 Computer Aided Design

Three credit-hours. Two hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week. Introduction to CAD/CAM. Advanced graphics functions such as wire frame, surface modeling, and solid modeling. FEM software basics.

Prerequisites: ENGI 160 Engineering Graphics, ENGI 318 Strength of Materials.

MEEN 401 Manufacturing Processes

Three credit-hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Introduction to manufacturing. Materials in manufacturing. Overview of casting, bulk deformation, and metal removal processes. Manufacturing process of plastics and composites.

Prerequisites: ENGI 319 Materials Testing Lab.

MEEN 418 Experimental Methods

Two credit-hours. One hour of lecture and one three-hour laboratory per week. Principles of measurement. Operational characteristics and limitations of various transducers. Error analysis.

Prerequisites: ELEN 301 Electrical Networks I, MATH 360 Probability and Statistics.

MEEN 420 Heat Transfer

Three credit-hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Basic principles of heat transfer, including conduction, convection and radiation, in steady and unsteady state. Applications to problems involving multiple layers of insulation, fluid flow through tubes and past submerged bodies, radiation between black and gray bodies. Numerical method solutions.

Prerequisites: ENGI 305 Fluid Mechanics, MEEN 320 Thermodynamics I.

MEEN 421 Thermodynamics II

Three credit-hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Extensions and applications of the first and second laws of thermodynamics including: real gases, psychometrics, power and refrigeration cycles, and combustion processes.

Prerequisites: ENGI 305 Fluid Mechanics, MEEN 320 Thermodynamics I.

MEEN 425 Design of Machine Elements

Three credit-hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Static and fatigue failure theories. Design of mechanical elements such as springs, threaded fasteners, joints, bearings, shafts, couplings, clutches, gears and brakes.

Prerequisites: MEEN 312 Kinematics, ENGI 318 Strength of Materials.

MEEN 427 Mechanical Engineering Systems Laboratory

One credit-hour. One three-hour laboratory per week. Experimental testing of mechanical engineering systems.

Prerequisites: ENGI 319 Materials Testing Lab, ENGI 406 Fluid Mechanics Testing Lab, MEEN 420 Heat Transfer, MEEN 421 Thermodynamics II, MEEN 425 Design of Machine Elements, ELEN 420 Electromech. Energy Conversion.

MEEN 451 Process and Product Design (Elective)

Three credit-hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Dynamics of converting ideas to marketable products; role of visual and written communications in market definition and product promotion; impact of new product decisions on the factory; cross-cultural problems in introducing new products overseas; facility layout, material flow, handling systems, design and analysis of work systems.

Prerequisites: ENGI 160 Engineering Graphics, M E EN 401 Manufacturing Processes.

MEEN 464 Mechanical Vibration (Elective)

Three credit-hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Introduction to vibration of mechanical systems; damping; free and forced vibration of discrete and continuous systems; modal analysis and Raleigh's method; unbalanced systems and bearing support wear; numerical methods.

Prerequisites: MEEN 425 Design of Machine Elements.

MEEN 465 Vehicle Dynamics Fundamentals (Elective)

Three credit-hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Fundamentals of vehicle dynamics. Acceleration and braking performance. Road loads and ride. Suspension, steering, rollover and tires.

Prerequisites: MEEN 425 Design of Machine Elements

MEEN 475 Multidisciplinary Experience in Industry

Four credit-hours. Two hours of lecture and two 3-hour design periods or seminar-workshops per week. Major Design experience for senior students through projects with local manufacturing industries.

Prerequisites: ENGI 319 Materials Testing Lab, ENGI 406 Fluid Mechanics Testing Lab, MEEN 420 Heat Transfer, MEEN 421 Thermodynamics II, MEEN 425 Design of Machine Elements, ELEN 420 Electromech. Energy Conversion.

MEEN 477 Solar Technologies (Elective)

Three credit-hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Fundamentals of solar energy; spectral distribution, availability of solar energy, thermal energy storage, concentrators, receivers. Solar-only and solar-hybrid systems; solar subsystems.

Prerequisites: MEEN 420 Heat Transfer, Corequisite MEEN 421 Thermodynamics II

MEEN 480 Automatic Controls (Elective)

Three credit-hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Control system design with emphasis on mechanical, thermal, and electrical systems. Classical and modern analyses involving the root locus method, the Routh-Hurwitz and Nyquist stability criteria, Bode plots, and state-space methods. Computer simulation of complex systems.

Prerequisite: ELEN 301 Electrical Networks I, ENGI 334 Dynamics, MATH 350 Linear Algebra, MATH 395 Differential Equations.

MEEN 481 Mechanical Systems Design

Three credit-hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Comprehensive design of an engineering system, including completion of a semester-length design project, engineering design techniques and methodology. 

Prerequisites: MEEN 425 Design of Machine Elements.

MEEN 482 Failure of Materials in Mechanical Design (Elective)

Three credit-hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Design of structures to prevent mechanical failure. Modes and theories of failure. Stress, strain, deformation, and their relationships. Fracture and fatigue analysis and prevention. Design against creep, fretting, wear, and corrosion failures.

Prerequisites: MEEN 425 Design of Machine Elements.

MEEN 483 Computer Aided Manufacturing (Elective)

Three credit-hours. Two hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week. Introduction to CAD/CAM. Applicability of basic components of industrial automation in computer aided manufacturing.

Prerequisites: ENGI 122 Introduction to Computer Programming, MEEN 401 Manufacturing Processes, MEEN 425 Design of Machine Elements.

MEEN 484 Corrosion in Metals (Elective)

Three credit-hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Introduction to fundamental principles of corrosion; eight forms of corrosion; electromechanical test methods; corrosion environments; corrosion control methods; failure analysis and economics.

Prerequisites: ENGI 244 Engineering Materials, MEEN 425 Design of Machine Elements

MEEN 485 Thermal System Design

Three credit-hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Analysis and design of energy systems. Piping networks, Heat Exchangers, Prime movers. Numerical methods solutions.

Prerequisites: MEEN 420 Heat Transfer, MEEN 421 Thermodynamics II.

MEEN 489 Air Conditioning (Elective)

Three credit-hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Analysis and design of air conditioning and refrigeration systems.

Prerequisites: MEEN 420 Heat Transfer, MEEN 421 Thermodynamics II.

MEEN 490 Robotics (Elective)

Three credit-hours. Two hours of lecture and one three-hour laboratory per week. Introduction to robotics, robot anatomy, motion analysis, control, and industrial applications.

Prerequisites: ELEN 301 Electrical Networks I, MEEN 312 Kinematics.

MEEN 495, 496, 497 Special Problems (Elective)

One, Two and Three credit-hours respectively. Course credit and format will depend on the specific problem. Special design problems to be offered by the engineering faculty.

Prerequisites: Dean's Permission.

MEEN 498 Undergraduate Research I (Elective)

Three credit-hours. Scientific laboratory and/or field research, weekly schedule to be agreed between student and the chosen professor to supervise the research. Work schedule should last one semester. Work should not exceed nine (9) hours per week.

Pre-requisites: One course of the third year level in Mechanical Engineering plus recommendation of the researcher.

MEEN 499 Undergraduate Research II (Elective)

Three credit-hours. Scientific laboratory and/or field research, weekly schedule to be agreed between student and the chosen professor to supervise the research. Work schedule should last one semester. Work should not exceed nine (9) hours per week.

Pre-requisites: One course of the third year level in Mechanical Engineering plus recommendation of the researcher.

Electrical Engineering Requirements (ELEN) for Mechanical Engineering Program

ELEN 301 Electrical Networks 1

Three credit-hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Introduction to the analysis of linear electrical circuits. Electrical quantities, resistance, sources, Ohm's law, Kirchoff's laws, node-voltage analysis, loop-current current, theorems of Thevenin and Norton, maximum power transfer, capacitance, inductance, phasors, impedance, complex power, frequency response, three-phase systems.

Prerequisites: PHSC 206 Physics II

ELEN 302 Electrical Networks I Laboratory

One credit-hour. One three-hour laboratory per week. Application of the theory learned in ELEN-301 Electrical Networks I. Characteristics of electrical components and circuits; use of electronic test equipment.

PHSC 206 Physics II, ELEN 301 Electrical Networks I (corequisite)

ELEN 420 Electromechanical Energy Conversion

Three credit-hours. Three hours of lecture per week. Principles of electrical energy conversion. Three phase systems, magnetic circuits, transformers, DC machines, synchronous machines, induction machines, steady state and dynamic characteristics.

Prerequisites: ELEN 301 Electrical Networks I

Industrial Engineering Electives (IMEN) for Mechanical Engineering Program

IMEN 402 Work Measurement (Elective for Mechanical Engineering)

Four credit-hours. Three of lecture and a two-hours lab per week. The setting of a time standard using recognized industrial engineering techniques such as time study, standard data, work sampling and predetermined motion time analysis. Theory of other measurement systems such as line balancing, learning curves and wage plans.

Prerequisites: MATH 360 Probability and Statistics.

IMEN 405 Statistical Quality Control (Elective for Mechanical Engineering)

Four credit-hours. Three hours of lecture and a two hour lab per week. The application of statistics to the control of processes. Techniques include Military Tables, Variable and Attributes Charts, Design of Experiments, Cause and Effect Diagrams, Pareto Chart and others.

Prerequisites: MATH 360 Probability and Statistics.