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Bulletin Archive

This archived information is dated to the 2008-09 academic year only and may no longer be current.

For currently applicable policies and information, see the current Stanford Bulletin.

Undergraduate courses in Mechanical Engineering

Lab sections in experimental engineering are assigned in groups. If the lab schedule permits, students are allowed, with due regard to priority of application, to arrange their own sections and lab periods. Enrollment with the instructor concerned, on the day before instruction begins or the first day of University instruction, is essential in order that the lab schedule may be prepared. Enrollment later than the first week is not permitted.

ME 10N. Form and Function of Animal Skeletons

(F,Sem) Stanford Introductory Seminar. Preference to freshmen. The biomechanics and mechanobiology of the musculoskeletal system in human beings and other vertebrates on the level of the whole organism, organ systems, tissues, and cell biology. Field trips to labs. GER:DB-EngrAppSci

3 units, Win (Carter, D)

ME 11SC. The Art and Science of Measuring Fluid Flows

The roles of fluid flows in natural systems such as swimming protozoa and planet-forming nebulae, and technologies such as biomolecular assay devices and jet engines. The analytical background for fluid sciences. Phenomena such as shock waves and vortex formation that create flow patterns while challenging engineers. Visualization and measurement techniques to obtain full-field flow pattern information. The physics behind these technologies. Field trips; lab work. (Eaton)

2 units, not given this year

ME 13N. Redesigning the Human Experience

Preference to freshmen. Focus is on creative thinking skills such as observation of the human endeavor and how to transform concepts into products, services, and intellectual property. How the products people use shape, shade, and sometimes undermine the pursuit of well-being. Student teams work on hands-on projects. Web-based student idea logs. No prior design experience required. GER:DB-EngrAppSci

3 units, not given this year

ME 14N. How Stuff Is Made

The design and engineering of products and processes. Machined, fabric, food, and electrical goods. Tradeoffs in choice of serial, continuous, and batch fabrication. Final project: students research and create a web site about the engineering aspects of a product and its processes. Field trips to manufacturing facilities.

3 units, not given this year

ME 16N. The Science of Flames

Preference to freshmen. The roles that chemistry and fluid dynamics play in governing the behaviors of flames. Emphasis is on factors that affect flame microstructure, external appearance, and on the fundamental physical and chemical processes that cause flames and fires to propagate. Topics: history, thermodynamics, and pollutant formation in flames. Trips to labs where flames are studied. Prerequisites: high school physics. GER:DB-EngrAppSci

3 units, not given this year

ME 17N. Robotics Imitating Nature

(F,Sem) Stanford Introductory Seminar. Preference to freshmen. The dream of constructing robots that duplicate the functional abilities of humans and/or other animals has been promulgated primarily by science fiction writers. But biological systems provide models for the designers of robots. Building electromechanical devices that perform locomotory and sensing functions similar to those of an animal as a way of learning about how biological systems function. Walking and running machines, and the problem of giving a robot the capability to respond to its environment. GER:DB-EngrAppSci

3 units, Spr (Waldron, K)

ME 18Q. Teamology: Creative Teams and Individual Development

(S,Sem) Stanford Introductory Seminar. Preference to sophomores. Roles on a problem solving team that best suit individual creative characteristics. Two teams are formed for teaching experientially how to develop less conscious abilities from teammates creative in those roles. Reinforcement teams have members with similar personalities; problem solving teams are composed of people with maximally different personalities.

3 units, Aut (Wilde, D)

ME 21N. Renaissance Machine Design

(F,Sem) Stanford Introductory Seminar. Preference to freshmen. Technological innovations of the 1400s that accompanied the proliferation of monumental art and architecture by Brunelleschi, da Vinci, and others who designed machines and invented novel construction, fresco, and bronze-casting techniques. The social and political climate, from the perspective of a machine designer, that made possible and demanded engineering expertise from prominent artists. Hands-on projectsto provide a physical understanding of Renaissance-era engineering challenges and introduce the pleasure of creative engineering design. Technical background not required. GER:DB-EngrAppSci

3 units, Spr (Cutkosky, M)

ME 24N. Designing the Car of the Future

Preference to freshmen. Automotive design drawing from all areas of mechanical engineering. The state of the art in automotive design and the engineering principles to understand vehicle performance. Future technologies for vehicles. Topics include vehicle emissions and fuel consumption, possibilities of hydrogen, drive-by-wire systems, active safety and collision avoidance, and human-machine interface issues. GER:DB-EngrAppSci

3 units, not given this year

ME 25N. Global Warming and Climate Change: Fact or Fiction

(F,Sem) Stanford Introductory Seminar. Preference to freshmen. Scientific arguments concerning debates between the view that anthropogenic activities are not causing global warming versus the view that these activities are responsible for a global warming that results in significant climate change. Consequences of increased demand for energy. Prerequisites: high school physics, chemistry, and biology.

3 units, Win (Bowman, C)

ME 26N. Think Like a Designer

(F,Sem) Stanford Introductory Seminar. Preference to freshmen. Techniques designers use to create innovative solutions across domains. Project-based. Emphasis is on approaches to problem identification and problem solving. Topics include need finding, structured brainstorming, synthesis, rapid prototyping, and visual communication. Field trips to a local design firm, a robotics lab, and a machining lab. The pleasures of creative design and hands-on development of tangible solutions.

3 units, Aut (Banerjee, S)

ME 70. Introductory Fluids Engineering

Elements of fluid mechanics as applied to engineering problems. Equations of motion for incompressible ideal flow. Hydrostatics. Control volume laws for mass, momentum, and energy. Bernoulli equation. Dimensional analysis and similarity. Flow in ducts. Boundary layer flows. Lift and drag. Lab experiment demonstrations. Prerequisites: ENGR 14 and 30. GER:DB-EngrAppSci

4 units, Win (Cappelli, M), Spr (Santiago, J)

ME 80. Mechanics of Deformable Bodies

Mechanics of materials and deformation of structural members. Topics include stress and deformation analysis under axial loading, torsion and bending, column buckling and pressure vessels. Introduction to stress transformation and multiaxial loading. Prerequisite: ENGR 14. GER:DB-EngrAppSci

3 units, Aut (Levenston, M), Spr (Pruitt, B)

ME 101. Visual Thinking

Lecture/lab. Visual thinking and language skills are developed and exercised in the context of solving design problems. Exercises for the mind's eye. Rapid visualization and prototyping with emphasis on fluent and flexible idea production. The relationship between visual thinking and the creative process. Enrollment limited to 60. GER:DB-EngrAppSci

3 units, Aut (Staff), Win (Staff), Spr (Staff)

ME 103D. Engineering Drawing and Design

Designed to accompany 203. The fundamentals of engineering drawing including orthographic projection, dimensioning, sectioning, exploded and auxiliary views, and assembly drawings. Homework drawings are of parts fabricated by the student in the lab. Assignments in 203 supported by material in 103D and sequenced on the assumption that the student is enrolled in both courses simultaneously.

1 unit, Aut (Milroy, J), Win (Milroy, J)

ME 104. The Designer's Voice

How to develop a point of view about a design career in order to articulate a design vision, inspire a design studio, or infect a business with a culture of design thinking. Focus is on the integration of work and worldview, professional values, design language, and the development of the designer's voice. Role play, guest speakers, individual mentoring and coaching, student journals. Restricted to undergraduate Product Design seniors.

1 unit, Aut (Burnett, W)

ME 110. Design Sketching

Freehand sketching, rendering, and design development. Students develop a design sketching portfolio for review by program faculty. May be repeated for credit.

1 unit, Aut (Staff), Win (Staff), Spr (Staff)

ME 110B. Advanced Design Sketching

Freehand sketching, rendering, design development, and some computer use, guided by instructors. Concurrent assignments in 116 provide subject matter. Prerequisite: 110A or consent of instructor based on drawing skill.

1 unit, not given this year

ME 112. Mechanical Systems Design

Lecture/lab. Characteristics of machine elements including gears, bearings, and shafts. Design for fatigue life. Electric motor fundamentals. Transmission design for maximizing output power or efficiency. Mechanism types, linkage analysis and kinematic synthesis. Team-based design projects emphasizing the balance of physical with virtual prototyping based on engineering analysis. Lab for dissection of mechanical systems and project design reviews. Prerequisites: 80, 101. Recommended: 203, ENGR 15. GER:DB-EngrAppSci

4 units, Win (Cutkosky, M)

ME 113. Mechanical Engineering Design

Goal is to create designs and models of new mechanical devices. Design is experienced by students as they work on a team design project obtained from industry or other organizations. Prerequisites: 80, 101, 112. GER:DB-EngrAppSci

4 units, Spr (Waldron, K)

ME 115A. Introduction to Design Methods

Lecture/lab. Problem finding and solving, intermediate creativity methods, and effective techniques for researching and presenting product concepts. Individual- and team-based design projects emphasizing advanced visual thinking and prototyping skills. Prerequisite: 101.

3 units, Win (Staff)

ME 115B. Human Values in Design

Lecture/lab. Problem finding, problem solving, intermediate creativity methods, and techniques for researching and presenting product concepts. Individual- and team-based design projects emphasizing advanced visual thinking and prototyping skills. Prerequisite: 115A GER:DB-EngrAppSci

3 units, Spr (Lee, M; Wong, A)

ME 116. Advanced Product Design: Formgiving

Small- and medium-scale design projects are carried to a high degree of aesthetic refinement. Emphasis is on form development, design process, and model making. Prerequisites: ME 115B, ARTSTUDI 160. GER:DB-EngrAppSci

4 units, Aut (Staff)

ME 120. History and Philosophy of Design

Major schools of 19th- and 20th-century design (Arts-and-Crafts movement, Bauhaus, Industrial Design, and postmodernism) are analyzed in terms of their continuing cultural relevance. The relation of design to art, technology, and politics; readings from principal theorists, practitioners, and critics; recent controversies in industrial and graphic design, architecture, and urbanism. Enrollment limited to 40. GER:DB-EngrAppSci

3-4 units, Spr (Katz, B)

ME 131A. Heat Transfer

The principles of heat transfer by conduction, convection, and radiation with examples from the engineering of practical devices and systems. Topics include transient and steady conduction, conduction by extended surfaces, boundary layer theory for forced and natural convection, boiling, heat exchangers, and graybody radiative exchange. Prerequisites: 70, ENGR 30. Recommended: intermediate calculus, ordinary differential equations. GER:DB-EngrAppSci

3-4 units, Aut (Asheghi, M)

ME 131B. Fluid Mechanics: Compressible Flow and Turbomachinery

Engineering applications involving compressible flow: aircraft and rocket propulsion, power generation; application of mass, momentum, energy and entropy balance to compressible flows; variable area isentropic flow, normal shock waves, adiabatic flow with friction, flow with heat addition. Operation of flow systems: the propulsion system. Turbomachinery: pumps, compressors, turbines. Angular momentum analysis of turbomachine performance, centrifugal and axial flow machines, effect of blade geometry, dimensionless performance of turbomachines; hydraulic turbines; steam turbines; wind turbines. Compressible flow turbomachinery: the aircraft engine. Prerequisites: 70, ENGR 30. GER:DB-EngrAppSci

4 units, Win (Lele, S)

ME 140. Advanced Thermal Systems

Capstone course. Thermal analysis and engineering emphasizing integrating heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and thermodynamics into a unified approach to treating complex systems. Mixtures, humidity, chemical and phase equilibrium, and availability. Labs apply principles through hands-on experience with a turbojet engine, PEM fuel cell, and hybrid solid/oxygen rocket motor. Use of MATLAB as a computational tool. Prerequisites: ENGR 30, ME 70, and 131A,B. GER:DB-EngrAppSci

5 units, Spr (Mitchell, R)

ME 150. Internal Combustion Engines

Internal combustion engines including conventional and turbocharged spark ignition, and diesel engines. Lectures: basic engine cycles, engine components, methods of analysis of engine performance, pollutant emissions, and methods of engine testing. Lab involves hands-on experience with engines and test hardware. Limited enrollment. Prerequisites: 140. GER:DB-EngrAppSci

3 units, not given this year

ME 161. Dynamic Systems

(Same as ME 261.) (Graduate students only enroll in 261.) Modeling, analysis, and measurement of mechanical and electromechanical systems. Numerical and closed form solutions of ordinary differential equations governing the behavior of single and multiple degree of freedom systems. Stability, resonance, amplification and attenuation, and control system design. Prerequisite: background in dynamics and calculus such as ENGR 15 and MATH 43. Recommended: CME 102, and familiarity with differential equations, linear algebra, and basic electronics. GER:DB-EngrAppSci

3-4 units, Aut (Mitiguy, P)

ME 190. Ethical Issues in Mechanical Engineering

Moral rights and responsibilities of engineers in relation to society, employers, colleagues, and clients; cost-benefit-risk analysis, safety, and informed consent; whistle blowing; engineers as expert witnesses, consultants, and managers; ethical issues in engineering design, manufacturing, and operations, and engineering work in foreign countries; and ethical implications of the social and environmental contexts of contemporary engineering. Case studies and field research. Enrollment limited to 25 Mechanical Engineering majors.

4 units, Spr (McGinn, R)

ME 191. Engineering Problems and Experimental Investigation

Directed study and research for undergraduates on a subject of mutual interest to student and staff member. Student must find faculty sponsor and have approval of adviser.

1-5 units, Aut (Staff), Win (Staff), Spr (Staff), Sum (Staff)

ME 191H. Honors Research

Student must find faculty honors adviser and apply for admission to the honors program.

1-5 units, Aut (Staff), Win (Staff), Spr (Staff), Sum (Staff)

ME 196. Design and Manufacturing Forum

(Same as ME 396.) Guest speakers address issues of interest to design and manufacturing engineers. Sponsored by Stanford Engineering Club for Automation and Manufacturing (SECAM). May be repeated for credit

1 unit, Win (Reis, R), Spr (Reis, R)

ME 281. Biomechanics of Movement

(Same as BIOE 281.) Experimental techniques to study human and animal movement including motion capture systems, EMG, force plates, medical imaging, and animation. The mechanical properties of muscle and tendon, and quantitative analysis of musculoskeletal geometry. Projects and demonstrations emphasize applications of mechanics in sports, orthopedics, and rehabilitation. GER:DB-EngrAppSci

3 units, Aut (Delp, S)

ME 338B. Continuum Mechanics

Constitutive theory; equilibrium constitutive relations; material frame indifference and material symmetry; finite elasticity; formulation of the boundary value problem; linearization and well-posedness; symmetries and configurational forces; numerical considerations.

3 units, alternate years, not given this year

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