Engineering is the use of
scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more specialized
fields of engineering, each with a more specific emphasis on particular areas of
applied mathematics,
applied science, and types of application. See
glossary of engineering This glossary is split across multiple pages due to technical limitations.
By Alphabetical Order
* Glossary of engineering: A-L
* Glossary of engineering: M–Z
By Category
* Glossary of civil engineering
* Glossary of electrical and elect ...
.
The term ''engineering'' is derived from the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
''ingenium'', meaning "cleverness" and ''ingeniare'', meaning "to contrive, devise".
Definition
The
American Engineers' Council for Professional Development (ECPD, the predecessor of
ABET)
has defined "engineering" as:
The creative application of scientific principles to design or develop structures, machines, apparatus, or manufacturing processes, or works utilizing them singly or in combination; or to construct or operate the same with full cognizance of their design; or to forecast their behavior under specific operating conditions; all as respects an intended function, economics of operation and safety to life and property.
(Includes Britannica article on Engineering)
History
Engineering has existed since ancient times, when humans devised inventions such as the wedge, lever, wheel and pulley, etc.
The term ''engineering'' is derived from the word ''engineer'', which itself dates back to the 14th century when an ''engine'er'' (literally, one who builds or operates a ''
siege engine'') referred to "a constructor of military engines." In this context, now obsolete, an "engine" referred to a military machine, ''i.e.'', a mechanical contraption used in war (for example, a
catapult). Notable examples of the obsolete usage which have survived to the present day are military engineering corps, ''e.g.'', the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
, colors =
, anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day)
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.
The word "engine" itself is of even older origin, ultimately deriving from the Latin ''ingenium'' (c. 1250), meaning "innate quality, especially mental power, hence a clever invention."
Later, as the design of civilian structures, such as bridges and buildings, matured as a technical discipline, the term
civil engineering entered the lexicon as a way to distinguish between those specializing in the construction of such non-military projects and those involved in the discipline of
military engineering.
Ancient era
The
pyramids in
ancient Egypt,
ziggurats of
Mesopotamia, the
Acropolis and
Parthenon in Greece, the
Roman aqueducts,
Via Appia and Colosseum,
Teotihuacán, and the
Brihadeeswarar Temple of
Thanjavur, among many others, stand as a testament to the ingenuity and skill of ancient civil and military engineers. Other monuments, no longer standing, such as the
Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the
Pharos of Alexandria, were important engineering achievements of their time and were considered among the
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
The six classic
simple machines were known in the
ancient Near East. The
wedge and the
inclined plane (ramp) were known since
prehistoric times. The
wheel, along with the
wheel and axle mechanism, was invented in
Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) during the 5th millennium BC. The
lever mechanism first appeared around 5,000 years ago in the
Near East, where it was used in a simple
balance scale,
and to move large objects in
ancient Egyptian technology. The lever was also used in the
shadoof water-lifting device, the first
crane machine, which appeared in Mesopotamia circa 3000 BC,
and then in
ancient Egyptian technology circa 2000 BC. The earliest evidence of
pulleys date back to Mesopotamia in the early 2nd millennium BC,
and
ancient Egypt during the
Twelfth Dynasty (1991-1802 BC). The
screw, the last of the simple machines to be invented,
first appeared in Mesopotamia during the
Neo-Assyrian period (911-609) BC.
The
Egyptian pyramids were built using three of the six simple machines, the inclined plane, the wedge, and the lever, to create structures like the
Great Pyramid of Giza.
The earliest civil engineer known by name is
Imhotep.
As one of the officials of the
Pharaoh,
Djosèr, he probably designed and supervised the construction of the
Pyramid of Djoser (the
Step Pyramid) at
Saqqara in Egypt around 2630–2611 BC.
The earliest practical
water-powered machines, the
water wheel and
watermill, first appeared in the
Persian Empire, in what are now Iraq and Iran, by the early 4th century BC.
Kush
Kush or Cush may refer to:
Bible
* Cush (Bible), two people and one or more places in the Hebrew Bible
Places
* Kush (mountain), a mountain near Kalat, Pakistan Balochistan
* Kush (satrapy), a satrapy of the Achaemenid Empire
* Hindu Kush, a ...
developed the
Sakia during the 4th century BC, which relied on animal power instead of human energy.
Hafirs
A hafir is an artificially constructed water catchment basin with a circular earthen wall and diameters of between 70-250 m and heights of up to 7 m. Adapted to semi-desert conditions, the hafirs catch the water during the rainy season to ...
were developed as a type of
reservoir in Kush to store and contain water as well as boost irrigation.
[Fritz Hintze, Kush XI; pp.222-224.] Sappers were employed to build
causeways
A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Tra ...
during military campaigns. Kushite ancestors built
speos
Rock-cut architecture is the creation of structures, buildings, and sculptures by excavating solid rock where it naturally occurs. Intensely laborious when using ancient tools and methods, rock-cut architecture was presumably combined with quarryi ...
during the Bronze Age between 3700 and 3250 BC.
Bloomeries
A bloomery is a type of metallurgical furnace once used widely for smelting iron from its oxides. The bloomery was the earliest form of smelter capable of smelting iron. Bloomeries produce a porous mass of iron and slag called a ''bloom''. ...
and
blast furnaces were also created during the 7th centuries BC in Kush.
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cu ...
developed machines in both civilian and military domains. The
Antikythera mechanism, an early known mechanical
analog computer, and the mechanical
inventions of
Archimedes, are examples of Greek mechanical engineering. Some of Archimedes' inventions as well as the Antikythera mechanism required sophisticated knowledge of
differential gearing or
epicyclic gearing, two key principles in machine theory that helped design the
gear trains of the Industrial Revolution, and are still widely used today in diverse fields such as
robotics and
automotive engineering.
Ancient Chinese, Greek, Roman and
Hunnic armies employed military machines and inventions such as
artillery which was developed by the Greeks around the 4th century BC, the
trireme, the
ballista and the
catapult. In the Middle Ages, the
trebuchet was developed.
Middle Ages
The earliest practical
wind-power
Wind power or wind energy is mostly the use of wind turbines to generate electricity. Wind power is a popular, sustainable, renewable energy source that has a much smaller impact on the environment than burning fossil fuels. Historically, w ...
ed machines, the
windmill and
wind pump
A windpump is a type of windmill which is used for pumping water.
Windpumps were used to pump water since at least the 9th century in what is now Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. The use of wind pumps became widespread across the Muslim world an ...
, first appeared in the
Muslim world during the
Islamic Golden Age, in what are now Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, by the 9th century AD. The earliest practical
steam-power
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be tran ...
ed machine was a
steam jack driven by a
steam turbine, described in 1551 by
Taqi al-Din Muhammad ibn Ma'ruf in
Ottoman Egypt.
The
cotton gin was invented in India by the 6th century AD, and the
spinning wheel
A spinning wheel is a device for spinning thread or yarn from fibres. It was fundamental to the cotton textile industry prior to the Industrial Revolution. It laid the foundations for later machinery such as the spinning jenny and spinnin ...
was invented in the
Islamic world by the early 11th century,
both of which were fundamental to the growth of the
cotton industry. The spinning wheel was also a precursor to the
spinning jenny, which was a key development during the early
Industrial Revolution in the 18th century.
The earliest
programmable machines were developed in the Muslim world. A
music sequencer, a programmable
musical instrument, was the earliest type of programmable machine. The first music sequencer was an automated
flute player invented by the
Banu Musa brothers, described in their ''
Book of Ingenious Devices'', in the 9th century.
In 1206, Al-Jazari invented programmable
automata/
robot
A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be ...
s. He described four
automaton musicians, including drummers operated by a programmable
drum machine, where they could be made to play different rhythms and different drum patterns.
[Professor Noel Sharkey]
A 13th Century Programmable Robot (Archive)
University of Sheffield. The
castle clock
Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another buildin ...
, a
hydropower
Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of ...
ed mechanical
astronomical clock invented by Al-Jazari, was the first
programmable analog computer.
[ Donald Routledge Hill, "Mechanical Engineering in the Medieval Near East", ''Scientific American'', May 1991, pp. 64–9 ( cf. Donald Routledge Hill]
Mechanical Engineering
)
Before the development of modern engineering, mathematics was used by artisans and craftsmen, such as
millwrights,
clockmakers, instrument makers and surveyors. Aside from these professions, universities were not believed to have had much practical significance to technology.
A standard reference for the state of mechanical arts during the Renaissance is given in the mining engineering treatise ''
De re metallica'' (1556), which also contains sections on geology, mining, and chemistry. ''De re metallica'' was the standard chemistry reference for the next 180 years.
Modern era
The science of
classical mechanics, sometimes called Newtonian mechanics, formed the scientific basis of much of modern engineering.
With the rise of engineering as a
profession in the 18th century, the term became more narrowly applied to fields in which mathematics and science were applied to these ends. Similarly, in addition to military and civil engineering, the fields then known as the
mechanic arts
''Artes mechanicae'' (mechanical arts) are a medieval concept of ordered practices or skills, often juxtaposed to the traditional seven liberal arts (''artes liberales''). Also called "servile" and "vulgar", from antiquity they had been deemed un ...
became incorporated into engineering.
Canal building was an important engineering work during the early phases of the Industrial Revolution.
John Smeaton was the first self-proclaimed civil engineer and is often regarded as the "father" of civil engineering. He was an English civil engineer responsible for the design of bridges, canals, harbors, and lighthouses. He was also a capable
mechanical engineer and an eminent
physicist. Using a model water wheel, Smeaton conducted experiments for seven years, determining ways to increase efficiency.
Smeaton introduced iron axles and gears to water wheels.
Smeaton also made mechanical improvements to the
Newcomen steam engine. Smeaton designed the third
Eddystone Lighthouse
The Eddystone Lighthouse is a lighthouse that is located on the dangerous Eddystone Rocks, south of Rame Head in Cornwall, England. The rocks are submerged below the surface of the sea and are composed of Precambrian gneiss. View at 1:50000 ...
(1755–59) where he pioneered the use of '
hydraulic lime' (a form of
mortar which will set under water) and developed a technique involving dovetailed blocks of granite in the building of the lighthouse. He is important in the history, rediscovery of, and development of modern
cement, because he identified the compositional requirements needed to obtain "hydraulicity" in lime; work which led ultimately to the invention of
Portland cement.
Applied science lead to the development of the steam engine. The sequence of events began with the invention of the
barometer and the measurement of atmospheric pressure by
Evangelista Torricelli in 1643, demonstration of the force of atmospheric pressure by
Otto von Guericke using the
Magdeburg hemispheres in 1656, laboratory experiments by
Denis Papin
Denis Papin FRS (; 22 August 1647 – 26 August 1713) was a French physicist, mathematician and inventor, best known for his pioneering invention of the steam digester, the forerunner of the pressure cooker and of the steam engine.
Early li ...
, who built experimental model steam engines and demonstrated the use of a piston, which he published in 1707.
Edward Somerset, 2nd Marquess of Worcester
Edward Somerset, 2nd Marquess of Worcester (9 March 1602 or 9 March 16033 April 1667), styled Lord Herbert of Raglan from 1628 to 1644, was an English nobleman involved in royalist politics, and an inventor.
While Earl of Glamorgan, he was se ...
published a book of 100 inventions containing a method for raising waters similar to a
coffee percolator
A coffee percolator is a type of pot used for the brewing of coffee by continually cycling the boiling or nearly boiling brew through the grounds using gravity until the required strength is reached.
Coffee percolators once enjoyed great popu ...
.
Samuel Morland, a mathematician and inventor who worked on pumps, left notes at the Vauxhall Ordinance Office on a steam pump design that
Thomas Savery
Thomas Savery (; c. 1650 – 15 May 1715) was an English inventor and engineer. He invented the first commercially used steam-powered device, a steam pump which is often referred to as the "Savery engine". Savery's steam pump was a revolutionar ...
read. In 1698 Savery built a steam pump called "The Miner's Friend." It employed both vacuum and pressure. Iron merchant
Thomas Newcomen, who built the first commercial piston steam engine in 1712, was not known to have any scientific training.
The application of steam-powered cast iron blowing cylinders for providing pressurized air for
blast furnaces lead to a large increase in iron production in the late 18th century. The higher furnace temperatures made possible with steam-powered blast allowed for the use of more lime in
blast furnaces, which enabled the transition from charcoal to
coke. These innovations lowered the cost of iron, making
horse railways and iron bridges practical. The
puddling process, patented by
Henry Cort in 1784 produced large scale quantities of wrought iron.
Hot blast, patented by
James Beaumont Neilson in 1828, greatly lowered the amount of fuel needed to smelt iron. With the development of the high pressure steam engine, the power to weight ratio of steam engines made practical steamboats and locomotives possible.
New steel making processes, such as the
Bessemer process and the open hearth furnace, ushered in an area of heavy engineering in the late 19th century.
One of the most famous engineers of the mid 19th century was
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who built railroads, dockyards and steamships.
The
Industrial Revolution created a demand for machinery with metal parts, which led to the development of several
machine tools. Boring cast iron cylinders with precision was not possible until
John Wilkinson invented his
boring machine, which is considered the first
machine tool. Other machine tools included the
screw cutting lathe,
milling machine,
turret lathe and the
metal planer. Precision machining techniques were developed in the first half of the 19th century. These included the use of gigs to guide the machining tool over the work and fixtures to hold the work in the proper position. Machine tools and machining techniques capable of producing
interchangeable parts lead to
large scale factory production by the late 19th century.
The United States census of 1850 listed the occupation of "engineer" for the first time with a count of 2,000. There were fewer than 50 engineering graduates in the U.S. before 1865. In 1870 there were a dozen U.S. mechanical engineering graduates, with that number increasing to 43 per year in 1875. In 1890, there were 6,000 engineers in civil,
mining, mechanical and electrical.
There was no chair of applied mechanism and applied mechanics at Cambridge until 1875, and no chair of engineering at Oxford until 1907. Germany established technical universities earlier.
The foundations of
electrical engineering in the 1800s included the experiments of
Alessandro Volta,
Michael Faraday,
Georg Ohm and others and the invention of the
electric telegraph in 1816 and the
electric motor in 1872. The theoretical work of
James Maxwell (see:
Maxwell's equations) and
Heinrich Hertz
Heinrich Rudolf Hertz ( ; ; 22 February 1857 – 1 January 1894) was a German physicist who first conclusively proved the existence of the electromagnetic waves predicted by James Clerk Maxwell's equations of electromagnetism. The uni ...
in the late 19th century gave rise to the field of
electronics. The later inventions of the
vacuum tube and the
transistor further accelerated the development of electronics to such an extent that electrical and electronics engineers currently outnumber their colleagues of any other engineering specialty.
Chemical engineering developed in the late nineteenth century.
Industrial scale manufacturing demanded new materials and new processes and by 1880 the need for large scale production of chemicals was such that a new industry was created, dedicated to the development and large scale manufacturing of chemicals in new industrial plants.
The role of the chemical engineer was the design of these chemical plants and processes.
Aeronautical engineering deals with
aircraft design process design while
aerospace engineering is a more modern term that expands the reach of the discipline by including
spacecraft design. Its origins can be traced back to the aviation pioneers around the start of the 20th century although the work of
Sir George Cayley has recently been dated as being from the last decade of the 18th century. Early knowledge of aeronautical engineering was largely empirical with some concepts and skills imported from other branches of engineering.
The first
PhD PHD or PhD may refer to:
* Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification
Entertainment
* '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series
* '' Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic
* Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group
** Ph.D. (Ph.D. al ...
in engineering (technically, ''applied science and engineering'') awarded in the United States went to
Josiah Willard Gibbs at
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...
in 1863; it was also the second PhD awarded in science in the U.S.
Only a decade after the successful flights by the
Wright brothers, there was extensive development of aeronautical engineering through development of military aircraft that were used in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
. Meanwhile, research to provide fundamental background science continued by combining
theoretical physics with experiments.
Main branches of engineering
Engineering is a broad discipline that is often broken down into several sub-disciplines. Although an engineer will usually be trained in a specific discipline, he or she may become multi-disciplined through experience. Engineering is often characterized as having four main branches:
[The Engineering Profession](_blank)
by Sir James Hamilton, UK Engineering Council Quote: "The Civilingenior degree encompasses the main branches of engineering civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical." (From the Internet Archive) chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering.
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the application of physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering principles in order to carry out chemical processes on a commercial scale, such as the manufacture of
commodity chemicals
Commodity chemicals (or bulk commodities or bulk chemicals) are a group of chemicals that are made on a very large scale to satisfy global markets. The average prices of commodity chemicals are regularly published in the chemical trade magazines an ...
,
specialty chemicals,
petroleum refining,
microfabrication
Microfabrication is the process of fabricating miniature structures of micrometre scales and smaller. Historically, the earliest microfabrication processes were used for integrated circuit fabrication, also known as " semiconductor manufacturing ...
,
fermentation, and
biomolecule production.
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is the design and construction of public and private works, such as
infrastructure (airports, roads, railways, water supply, and treatment etc.), bridges, tunnels, dams, and buildings. Civil engineering is traditionally broken into a number of sub-disciplines, including
structural engineering,
environmental engineering, and
surveying. It is traditionally considered to be separate from
military engineering.
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is the design, study, and manufacture of various electrical and electronic systems, such as
broadcast engineering,
electrical circuits,
generators,
motors,
electromagnetic/
electromechanical devices,
electronic devices,
electronic circuits,
optical fibers,
optoelectronic device
Optoelectronics (or optronics) is the study and application of electronic devices and systems that find, detect and control light, usually considered a sub-field of photonics. In this context, ''light'' often includes invisible forms of radiati ...
s,
computer
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations ( computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as programs. These prog ...
systems,
telecommunications,
instrumentation,
control systems, and
electronics.
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is the design and manufacture of physical or mechanical systems, such as power and
energy systems,
aerospace/
aircraft products,
weapon systems,
transportation products,
engines,
compressors,
powertrains,
kinematic chains, vacuum technology,
vibration isolation equipment,
manufacturing, robotics, turbines, audio equipments, and
mechatronics.
Bioengineering
Bioengineering is the engineering of biological systems for a useful purpose. Examples of bioengineering research include bacteria engineered to produce chemicals, new medical imaging technology, portable and rapid disease diagnostic devices, prosthetics, biopharmaceuticals, and tissue-engineered organs.
Interdisciplinary engineering
Interdisciplinary engineering draws from more than one of the principle branches of the practice. Historically,
naval engineering
Naval architecture, or naval engineering, is an engineering discipline incorporating elements of mechanical, electrical, electronic, software and safety engineering as applied to the engineering design process, shipbuilding, maintenance, an ...
and
mining engineering
Mining in the engineering discipline is the extraction of minerals from underneath, open pit, above or on the ground. Mining engineering is associated with many other disciplines, such as mineral processing, exploration, excavation, geology, a ...
were major branches. Other engineering fields are
manufacturing engineering,
acoustical engineering,
corrosion engineering,
instrumentation and control,
aerospace,
automotive,
computer
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations ( computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as programs. These prog ...
,
electronic,
information engineering
Information engineering is the engineering discipline that deals with the generation, distribution, analysis, and use of information, data, and knowledge in systems. The field first became identifiable in the early 21st century.
The component ...
,
petroleum,
environmental
A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scal ...
,
systems,
audio
Audio most commonly refers to sound, as it is transmitted in signal form. It may also refer to:
Sound
*Audio signal, an electrical representation of sound
*Audio frequency, a frequency in the audio spectrum
* Digital audio, representation of sou ...
,
software,
architectural,
agricultural,
biosystems,
biomedical,
geological,
textile,
industrial,
materials, and
nuclear engineering. These and other branches of engineering are represented in the 36 licensed member institutions of the UK
Engineering Council.
New specialties sometimes combine with the traditional fields and form new branches – for example,
Earth systems engineering and management involves a wide range of subject areas including
engineering studies
Engineering studies is an interdisciplinary branch of social sciences and humanities devoted to the study of engineers and their activities, often considered a part of science and technology studies (STS), and intersecting with and drawing from ...
,
environmental science,
engineering ethics and
philosophy of engineering The philosophy of engineering is an emerging discipline that considers what engineering is, what engineers do, and how their work affects society, and thus includes aspects of ethics and aesthetics, as well as the ontology, epistemology, etc. that m ...
.
Other branches of engineering
Aerospace engineering
Aerospace engineering covers the design, development, manufacture and operational behaviour of
aircraft,
satellites and
rockets.
Marine engineering
Marine engineering covers the design,development,manufacture and operational behaviour of
watercraft and stationary structures like
oil platforms and
ports.
Computer engineering
Computer engineering (CE) is a branch of engineering that integrates several fields of computer science and
electronic engineering required to develop
computer hardware and
software. Computer engineers usually have training in electronic engineering (or
electrical engineering),
software design, and hardware-software integration instead of only
software engineering or electronic engineering.
Geological engineering
Geological engineering is associated with anything constructed on or within the Earth. This discipline applies
geological sciences and engineering principles to direct or support the work of other disciplines such as
civil engineering,
environmental engineering, and
mining engineering
Mining in the engineering discipline is the extraction of minerals from underneath, open pit, above or on the ground. Mining engineering is associated with many other disciplines, such as mineral processing, exploration, excavation, geology, a ...
. Geological engineers are involved with impact studies for facilities and operations that affect surface and subsurface environments, such as rock excavations (e.g.
tunnels),
building foundation
In engineering, a foundation is the element of a structure which connects it to the ground, transferring loads from the structure to the ground. Foundations are generally considered either shallow or deep. Foundation engineering is the appl ...
consolidation, slope and fill stabilization,
landslide risk assessment, groundwater monitoring,
groundwater remediation, mining excavations, and
natural resource exploration.
Practice
One who practices engineering is called an
engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considerin ...
, and those licensed to do so may have more formal designations such as
Professional Engineer,
Chartered Engineer,
Incorporated Engineer,
Ingenieur,
European Engineer, or
Designated Engineering Representative.
Methodology
In the
engineering design process, engineers apply mathematics and sciences such as physics to find novel solutions to problems or to improve existing solutions. Engineers need proficient knowledge of relevant sciences for their design projects. As a result, many engineers continue to learn new material throughout their careers.
If multiple solutions exist, engineers weigh each design choice based on their merit and choose the solution that best matches the requirements. The task of the engineer is to identify, understand, and interpret the constraints on a design in order to yield a successful result. It is generally insufficient to build a technically successful product, rather, it must also meet further requirements.
Constraints may include available resources, physical, imaginative or technical limitations, flexibility for future modifications and additions, and other factors, such as requirements for cost,
safety, marketability, productivity, and
serviceability. By understanding the constraints, engineers derive
specifications for the limits within which a viable object or system may be produced and operated.
Problem solving
Engineers use their knowledge of
science,
mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
,
logic,
economics, and
appropriate experience or
tacit knowledge to find suitable solutions to a particular problem. Creating an appropriate
mathematical model of a problem often allows them to analyze it (sometimes definitively), and to test potential solutions.
More than one solution to a design problem usually exists so the different
design choice
In engineering, a design choice is a possible solution to a problem. Given a design task and a governing set of criteria (''design specifications''), several conceptual designs may be drafted. Each of these preliminary concepts is a potential de ...
s have to be evaluated on their merits before the one judged most suitable is chosen.
Genrich Altshuller, after gathering statistics on a large number of
patents, suggested that
compromises are at the heart of "
low-level" engineering designs, while at a higher level the best design is one which eliminates the core contradiction causing the problem.
Engineers typically attempt to predict how well their designs will perform to their specifications prior to full-scale production. They use, among other things:
prototypes,
scale models,
simulations,
destructive tests,
nondestructive tests, and
stress tests. Testing ensures that products will perform as expected but only in so far as the testing has been representative of use in service. For products, such as aircraft, that are used differently by different users failures and unexpected shortcomings (and necessary design changes) can be expected throughout the operational life of the product.
Engineers take on the responsibility of producing designs that will perform as well as expected and, except those employed in specific areas of the
arms industry, will not harm people. Engineers typically include a
factor of safety
In engineering, a factor of safety (FoS), also known as (and used interchangeably with) safety factor (SF), expresses how much stronger a system is than it needs to be for an intended load. Safety factors are often calculated using detailed analy ...
in their designs to reduce the risk of unexpected failure.
The study of failed products is known as
forensic engineering. It attempts to identify the cause of failure to allow a redesign of the product and so prevent a re-occurrence. Careful analysis is needed to establish the cause of failure of a product. The consequences of a failure may vary in severity from the minor cost of a machine breakdown to large loss of life in the case of accidents involving aircraft and large stationary structures like buildings and dams.
Computer use
As with all modern scientific and technological endeavors, computers and software play an increasingly important role. As well as the typical business
application software there are a number of computer aided applications (
computer-aided technologies) specifically for engineering. Computers can be used to generate models of fundamental physical processes, which can be solved using
numerical methods.
One of the most widely used
design tools in the profession is
computer-aided design (CAD) software. It enables engineers to create 3D models, 2D drawings, and schematics of their designs. CAD together with
digital mockup (DMU) and
CAE software such as
finite element method analysis or
analytic element method allows engineers to create models of designs that can be analyzed without having to make expensive and time-consuming physical prototypes.
These allow products and components to be checked for flaws; assess fit and assembly; study ergonomics; and to analyze static and dynamic characteristics of systems such as stresses, temperatures, electromagnetic emissions, electrical currents and voltages, digital logic levels, fluid flows, and kinematics. Access and distribution of all this information is generally organized with the use of
product data management Product data management (PDM) should not be confused with product information management (PIM). PDM is the name of a business function within product lifecycle management (PLM) that is denotes the management and publication of product data. In sof ...
software.
There are also many tools to support specific engineering tasks such as
computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software to generate
CNC machining instructions;
manufacturing process management software for production engineering;
EDA EDA or Eda may refer to:
Computing
* Electronic design automation
* Enterprise Desktop Alliance, a computer technology consortium
* Enterprise digital assistant
* Estimation of distribution algorithm
* Event-driven architecture
* Exploratory da ...
for
printed circuit board (PCB) and circuit
schematics for electronic engineers;
MRO applications for maintenance management; and Architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) software for civil engineering.
In recent years the use of computer software to aid the development of goods has collectively come to be known as
product lifecycle management (PLM).
Social context
The engineering profession engages in a wide range of activities, from large collaboration at the societal level, and also smaller individual projects. Almost all engineering projects are obligated to some sort of financing agency: a company, a set of investors, or a government. The few types of engineering that are minimally constrained by such issues are ''
pro bono'' engineering and
open-design engineering.
By its very nature engineering has interconnections with society, culture and human behavior. Every product or construction used by modern society is influenced by engineering. The results of engineering activity influence changes to the environment, society and economies, and its application brings with it a responsibility and public safety.
Engineering projects can be subject to controversy. Examples from different engineering disciplines include the development of
nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...
s, the
Three Gorges Dam, the design and use of
sport utility vehicles and the extraction of
oil. In response, some western engineering companies have enacted serious
corporate and social responsibility policies.
Engineering is a key driver of innovation and human development. Sub-Saharan Africa, in particular, has a very small engineering capacity which results in many African nations being unable to develop crucial infrastructure without outside aid. The attainment of many of the
Millennium Development Goals requires the achievement of sufficient engineering capacity to develop infrastructure and sustainable technological development.
All overseas development and relief NGOs make considerable use of engineers to apply solutions in disaster and development scenarios. A number of charitable organizations aim to use engineering directly for the good of mankind:
*
Engineers Without Borders
*
Engineers Against Poverty
Engineers Against Poverty (EAP) is a specialist British NGO working in the field of engineering and international development. It was established in 1998 by the Royal Academy of Engineering
The Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) is the United ...
* Registered Engineers for Disaster Relief
*
Engineers for a Sustainable World
*
Engineering for Change
* Engineering Ministries International
[Home page for EMI](_blank)
Engineering companies in many established economies are facing significant challenges with regard to the number of professional engineers being trained, compared with the number retiring. This problem is very prominent in the UK where engineering has a poor image and low status. There are many negative economic and political issues that this can cause, as well as ethical issues. It is widely agreed that the engineering profession faces an "image crisis", rather than it being fundamentally an unattractive career. Much work is needed to avoid huge problems in the UK and other western economies. Still, the UK holds
most engineering companies compared to other European countries, together with the United States.
Code of ethics
Many
engineering societies have established codes of practice and
codes of ethics to guide members and inform the public at large. The
National Society of Professional Engineers code of ethics states:
In Canada, many engineers wear the
Iron Ring as a symbol and reminder of the obligations and ethics associated with their profession.
Relationships with other disciplines
Science
There exists an overlap between the sciences and engineering practice; in engineering, one applies science. Both areas of endeavor rely on accurate observation of materials and phenomena. Both use mathematics and classification criteria to analyze and communicate observations.
Scientists may also have to complete engineering tasks, such as designing experimental apparatus or building prototypes. Conversely, in the process of developing technology, engineers sometimes find themselves exploring new phenomena, thus becoming, for the moment, scientists or more precisely "engineering scientists".
In the book ''
What Engineers Know and How They Know It
''What Engineers Know and How they Know It: Analytical Studies from Aeronautical History'' (The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1990) () is a historical reflection on engineering practice in US aeronautics from 1908 to 1953 written by Walter Vinc ...
'',
Walter Vincenti
Walter Guido Vincenti (April 20, 1917 – October 11, 2019) was an American engineer who worked in the field of aeronautics, designing planes that could fly at hypersonic speed. He was elected as a member of several scientific societies, incl ...
asserts that engineering research has a character different from that of scientific research. First, it often deals with areas in which the basic
physics or
chemistry
Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...
are well understood, but the problems themselves are too complex to solve in an exact manner.
There is a "real and important" difference between engineering and physics as similar to any science field has to do with technology. Physics is an exploratory science that seeks knowledge of principles while engineering uses knowledge for practical applications of principles. The former equates an understanding into a mathematical principle while the latter measures variables involved and creates technology. For technology, physics is an auxiliary and in a way technology is considered as applied physics. Though physics and engineering are interrelated, it does not mean that a physicist is trained to do an engineer's job. A physicist would typically require additional and relevant training. Physicists and engineers engage in different lines of work. But PhD physicists who specialize in sectors of
engineering physics and
applied physics
Applied physics is the application of physics to solve scientific or engineering problems. It is usually considered to be a bridge or a connection between physics and engineering.
"Applied" is distinguished from "pure" by a subtle combination ...
are titled as Technology officer, R&D Engineers and System Engineers.
An example of this is the use of numerical approximations to the
Navier–Stokes equations to describe aerodynamic flow over an aircraft, or the use of the
Finite element method to calculate the stresses in complex components. Second, engineering research employs many semi-
empirical methods
Empirical research is research using empirical evidence. It is also a way of gaining knowledge by means of direct and indirect observation or experience. Empiricism values some research more than other kinds. Empirical evidence (the record of ...
that are foreign to pure scientific research, one example being the method of parameter variation.
As stated by Fung ''et al.'' in the revision to the classic engineering text ''Foundations of Solid Mechanics'':
Engineering is quite different from science. Scientists try to understand nature. Engineers try to make things that do not exist in nature. Engineers stress innovation and invention. To embody an invention the engineer must put his idea in concrete terms, and design something that people can use. That something can be a complex system, device, a gadget, a material, a method, a computing program, an innovative experiment, a new solution to a problem, or an improvement on what already exists. Since a design has to be realistic and functional, it must have its geometry, dimensions, and characteristics data defined. In the past engineers working on new designs found that they did not have all the required information to make design decisions. Most often, they were limited by insufficient scientific knowledge. Thus they studied mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
, physics, chemistry
Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...
, biology and mechanics. Often they had to add to the sciences relevant to their profession. Thus engineering sciences were born.
Although engineering solutions make use of scientific principles, engineers must also take into account safety, efficiency, economy, reliability, and constructability or ease of fabrication as well as the environment, ethical and legal considerations such as patent infringement or liability in the case of failure of the solution.
Medicine and biology
The study of the human body, albeit from different directions and for different purposes, is an important common link between medicine and some engineering disciplines.
Medicine aims to sustain, repair, enhance and even replace functions of the
human body, if necessary, through the use of
technology
Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, scien ...
.
Modern medicine can replace several of the body's functions through the use of artificial organs and can significantly alter the function of the human body through artificial devices such as, for example,
brain implants and
pacemakers.
The fields of
bionics and medical bionics are dedicated to the study of synthetic implants pertaining to natural systems.
Conversely, some engineering disciplines view the human body as a biological machine worth studying and are dedicated to emulating many of its functions by replacing
biology with technology. This has led to fields such as
artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech ...
,
neural networks,
fuzzy logic, and
robot
A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be ...
ics. There are also substantial interdisciplinary interactions between engineering and medicine.
[Institute of Medicine and Engineering: Mission statement The mission of the Institute for Medicine and Engineering (IME) is to stimulate fundamental research at the interface between biomedicine and engineering/physical/computational sciences leading to innovative applications in biomedical research and clinical practice.](_blank)
Both fields provide solutions to real world problems. This often requires moving forward before phenomena are completely understood in a more rigorous scientific sense and therefore experimentation and empirical knowledge is an integral part of both.
Medicine, in part, studies the function of the human body. The human body, as a biological machine, has many functions that can be modeled using engineering methods.
[Royal Academy of Engineering and Academy of Medical Sciences: Systems Biology: a vision for engineering and medicine in pdf: quote1: Systems Biology is an emerging methodology that has yet to be defined quote2: It applies the concepts of systems engineering to the study of complex biological systems through iteration between computational or mathematical modelling and experimentation.](_blank)
The heart for example functions much like a pump,
the skeleton is like a linked structure with levers,
the brain produces
electrical signals etc.
These similarities as well as the increasing importance and application of engineering principles in medicine, led to the development of the field of
biomedical engineering
Biomedical engineering (BME) or medical engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes (e.g., diagnostic or therapeutic). BME is also traditionally logical sciences ...
that uses concepts developed in both disciplines.
Newly emerging branches of science, such as
systems biology, are adapting analytical tools traditionally used for engineering, such as systems modeling and computational analysis, to the description of biological systems.
Art
There are connections between engineering and art, for example,
architecture,
landscape architecture and
industrial design (even to the extent that these disciplines may sometimes be included in a university's
Faculty
Faculty may refer to:
* Faculty (academic staff), the academic staff of a university (North American usage)
* Faculty (division)
A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject ...
of Engineering).
[MIT World:The Art of Engineering: Inventor James Dyson on the Art of Engineering: quote: A member of the British Design Council, James Dyson has been designing products since graduating from the Royal College of Art in 1970.](_blank)
The
Art Institute of Chicago, for instance, held an exhibition about the art of
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeedin ...
's aerospace design.
Robert Maillart
Robert Maillart (16 February 1872 – 5 April 1940) was a Swiss civil engineer who revolutionized the use of structural reinforced concrete with such designs as the three-hinged arch and the deck-stiffened arch for bridges, and the beamless f ...
's bridge design is perceived by some to have been deliberately artistic.
At the
University of South Florida, an engineering professor, through a grant with the
National Science Foundation, has developed a course that connects art and engineering.
[quote:..the tools of artists and the perspective of engineers..](_blank)
Among famous historical figures,
Leonardo da Vinci is a well-known
Renaissance artist and engineer, and a prime example of the nexus between art and engineering.
[Bjerklie, David. "The Art of Renaissance Engineering." ''MIT's Technology Review'' Jan./Feb.1998: 54–59. Article explores the concept of the "artist-engineer", an individual who used his artistic talent in engineering. Quote from article: Da Vinci reached the pinnacle of "artist-engineer"-dom, Quote2: "It was Leonardo da Vinci who initiated the most ambitious expansion in the role of artist-engineer, progressing from astute observer to inventor to theoretician." (Bjerklie 58)][Drew U: user website: cites Bjerklie paper](_blank)
Business
Business Engineering deals with the relationship between professional engineering, IT systems, business administration and
change management.
Engineering management
Engineering management is the application of the practice of management to the practice of engineering.
Engineering management is a career that brings together the technological problem-solving ability of engineering and the organizational, admini ...
or "Management engineering" is a specialized field of
management
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activitie ...
concerned with engineering practice or the engineering industry sector. The demand for management-focused engineers (or from the opposite perspective, managers with an understanding of engineering), has resulted in the development of specialized engineering management degrees that develop the knowledge and skills needed for these roles. During an engineering management course, students will develop
industrial engineering skills, knowledge, and expertise, alongside knowledge of business administration, management techniques, and strategic thinking. Engineers specializing in change management must have in-depth knowledge of the application of
industrial and organizational psychology principles and methods. Professional engineers often train as
certified management consultants in the very specialized field of
management consulting applied to engineering practice or the engineering sector. This work often deals with large scale complex
business transformation or
Business process management initiatives in aerospace and defence, automotive, oil and gas, machinery, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, electrical & electronics, power distribution & generation, utilities and transportation systems. This combination of technical engineering practice, management consulting practice, industry sector knowledge, and change management expertise enables professional engineers who are also qualified as management consultants to lead major business transformation initiatives. These initiatives are typically sponsored by C-level executives.
Other fields
In
political science, the term ''engineering'' has been borrowed for the study of the subjects of
social engineering and
political engineering In political science, political engineering is the designing of political institutions in a society and often involves the use of paper decrees, in the form of laws, referendums, ordinances, or otherwise, to try to achieve some desired effect.
The ...
, which deal with forming
political
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studi ...
and
social structures using engineering methodology coupled with
political science principles.
Marketing engineering Marketing engineering is currently defined as "a systematic approach to harness data and knowledge to drive effective marketing decision making and implementation through a technology-enabled and model-supported decision process".
History
The term ...
and
Financial engineering have similarly borrowed the term.
See also
;Lists
*
List of aerospace engineering topics
This is an alphabetical list of articles pertaining specifically to aerospace engineering. For a broad overview of engineering, see List of engineering topics. For biographies, see List of engineers.
A
* Ablative laser propulsion —
*Absolute ...
*
List of basic chemical engineering topics
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to chemical engineering:
Chemical engineering – deals with the application of physical science (e.g., chemistry and physics), and life sciences (e.g., biology, microbi ...
*
List of electrical engineering topics
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to electrical engineering.
Electrical engineering – field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromag ...
*
List of engineering societies
*
List of engineering topics
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to engineering:
Engineering is the scientific discipline and profession that applies scientific theories, mathematical methods, and empirical evidence to design, create, and ...
*
List of engineers
*
List of genetic engineering topics
Genetics (from Ancient Greek ', “genite” and that from ', “origin”), a discipline of biology, is the science of heredity and variation in living organisms.Griffiths et al. (2000)Chapter 1 (Genetics and the Organism): Introduction/ref>
...
*
List of mechanical engineering topics
This is an alphabetical list of articles pertaining specifically to mechanical engineering. For a broad overview of engineering, please see List of engineering topics. For biographies please see List of engineers.
A
Acceleration –
Accuracy an ...
*
List of nanoengineering topics
*
List of software engineering topics
;Glossaries
*
Glossary of areas of mathematics
*
Glossary of biology
*
Glossary of chemistry
*
Glossary of engineering This glossary is split across multiple pages due to technical limitations.
By Alphabetical Order
* Glossary of engineering: A-L
* Glossary of engineering: M–Z
By Category
* Glossary of civil engineering
* Glossary of electrical and elect ...
*
Glossary of physics
;Related subjects
*
Controversies over the term Engineer
*
Design
A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design' ...
*
Earthquake engineering
*
Ecotechnology
Ecotechnology is an applied science that seeks to fulfill human needs while causing minimal ecological disruption, by harnessing and manipulating natural forces to leverage their beneficial effects. Ecotechnology integrates two fields of study: ...
*
Engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considerin ...
*
Engineering economics
*
Engineering education
*
Engineering education research
*
Engineers Without Borders
*
Environmental engineering science
*
Environmental technology
*
Forensic engineering
*
Global Engineering Education
Global Engineering Education is a field of study that focuses on the impact of globalization on the engineering industry.
History
Over the past decade or so educators and researchers have made an effort to transform engineering education in l ...
*
Green engineering
*
Green building
*
Industrial design
*
Infrastructure
*
Mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
*
Open-source hardware
*
Planned obsolescence
*
Reverse engineering
*
Science
*
Structural failure
*
Sustainable engineering
*
Technology
Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, scien ...
*
Women in engineering
Women are often under-represented in the academic and professional fields of engineering, however many females have contributed to the diverse fields of engineering historically and currently. A number of organizations and programs have been crea ...
References
Further reading
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*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
*
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*
{{Authority control
Engineering occupations
Ethics
Philosophy of science
Main topic articles