The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American
professional association
A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) is a group that usually seeks to advocacy, further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in ...
that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "
continuing education
Continuing education is the education undertaken after initial education for either personal or professional reasons. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada.
Recognized forms of post-secondary learning activities within the d ...
, training and
professional development
Professional development, also known as professional education, is learning that leads to or emphasizes education in a specific professional career field or builds practical job applicable skills emphasizing Praxis (process), praxis in addition t ...
, codes and
standards Standard may refer to:
Symbols
* Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs
* Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification
Norms, conventions or requirements
* Standard (metrology), an object t ...
,
research
Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...
, conferences and publications, government relations, and other forms of outreach."
ASME is thus an
engineering society
An engineering society is a professional organization for engineers of various disciplines. Some are umbrella type organizations which accept many different disciplines, while others are discipline-specific. Many award professional designations, s ...
, a
standards organization
A standards organization, standards body, standards developing organization (SDO), or standards setting organization (SSO) is an organization whose primary function is developing, coordinating, promulgating, revising, amending, reissuing, interpr ...
, a
research and development
Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in some countries as OKB, experiment and design, is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products. R&D constitutes the first stage ...
organization, an advocacy organization, a provider of training and education, and a
nonprofit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
. Founded as an engineering society focused on
mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines and mechanism (engineering), mechanisms that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and engineering mathematics, mathematics principl ...
in North America, ASME is today multidisciplinary and global.
ASME has over 85,000 members in more than 135 countries worldwide.
ASME was founded in 1880 by
Alexander Lyman Holley,
Henry Rossiter Worthington,
John Edison Sweet and
Matthias N. Forney in response to numerous steam
boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, centra ...
pressure vessel failures. Known for setting codes and standards for mechanical devices, ASME conducts one of the world's largest technical publishing operations. It holds numerous technical conferences and hundreds of
professional development
Professional development, also known as professional education, is learning that leads to or emphasizes education in a specific professional career field or builds practical job applicable skills emphasizing Praxis (process), praxis in addition t ...
courses each year and sponsors numerous outreach and educational programs. Georgia Tech president and women engineer supporter
Blake R Van Leer was an executive member.
Kate Gleason and
Lydia Weld were the first two women members.
Codes and standards
ASME is one of the oldest standards-developing organizations in America. It produces approximately 600 codes and standards covering many technical areas, such as fasteners, plumbing fixtures, elevators, pipelines, and power plant systems and components. ASME's standards are developed by committees of subject matter experts using an open, consensus-based process. Many ASME standards are cited by government agencies as tools to meet their regulatory objectives. ASME standards are therefore voluntary, unless the standards have been incorporated into a legally binding business contract or incorporated into regulations enforced by an authority having jurisdiction, such as a federal, state, or local government agency. ASME's standards are used in more than 100 countries and have been translated into numerous languages.
Boiler and pressure vessel code
The largest ASME standard, both in size and in the number of volunteers involved in its preparation, is the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC). The BPVC provides rules for the design, fabrication, installation, inspection, care, and use of
boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, centra ...
s,
pressure vessel
A pressure vessel is a container designed to hold gases or liquids at a pressure substantially different from the ambient pressure.
Construction methods and materials may be chosen to suit the pressure application, and will depend on the size o ...
s, and nuclear components. The code also includes standards on materials, welding and brazing procedures and qualifications, nondestructive examination, and nuclear in-service inspection.
Other notable standardization areas
Other Notable Standardization Areas include but not limited to are; Elevators and Escalators (A17 Series), Overhead and Mobile Cranes and related lifting and rigging equipment (B30 Series), Piping and Pipelines (B31 Series), Bio-processing Equipment (BPE), Valves Flanges,
Fittings and Gaskets (B16), Nuclear Components and Processes Performance Test Codes.
Publications
Journals
The journals published by ASME include:
* ''
Applied Mechanics Reviews''
* ''Journal of Applied Mechanics''
* ''Journal of Biomechanical Engineering''
* ''
Journal of Computational and Nonlinear Dynamics''
* ''Journal of Dynamic Systems Measurement & Control''
* ''Journal of Fluids Engineering''
* ''Journal of Heat Transfer''
* ''
Journal of Risk and Uncertainty in Engineering Systems''
Magazine
In addition to academic journals, since 1880 the ASME has also published the magazine ''Mechanical Engineering''.
Society awards
ASME offers four categories of awards: achievement awards to recognize "eminently distinguished engineering achievement"; literature awards for original papers; service awards for voluntary service to ASME; and unit awards, jointly awarded by six societies in recognition of advancement in the field of transportation.
*
ASME Medal
The ASME Medal, created in 1920, is the highest award bestowed by the ASME (founded as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers) Board of Governors for "eminently distinguished engineering achievement". The award has been presented every year ...
*
Worcester Reed Warner Medal
* Charles T. Main Student Leadership Award
*
Holley Medal
* Honorary Member
* Kate Gleason Award
*
George Westinghouse Medal
*
Henry Laurence Gantt Medal
*
Leonardo Da Vinci Award
*
Lewis F. Moody Award
*
Melville Medal
* Nadia Medal
* Old Guard Early Career Award
* Sia Nemat-Nasser Early Career Award
* R. Tom Sawyer Award
* Ralph Coats Roe Medal
* Soichiro Honda Medal
Nadia Medal recipients
*
Satya N. Atluri (2012)
*
Huseyin Sehitoglu (2007)
*
George Z. Voyiadjis (2022)
ASME Fellows
ASME Fellow is a Membership Grade of Distinction conferred by The ASME Committee of Past Presidents
to an ASME member with significant publications or innovations and distinguished scientific and engineering background. Over 3,000 members have attained the grade of Fellow.
The ASME Fellow membership grade is the highest elected grade in ASME.
E-Fests
ASME runs several annual E-Fests, or Engineering Festivals, taking the place of the Student Professional Development Conference (SPDC) series. In addition to the Human Powered Vehicle Challenge (HPVC), the Innovative Additive Manufacturing 3D Challenge (IAM3D), the Student Design Competition, and the Old Guard Competition, there are also talks, interactive workshops, and entertainment. These events allows students to network with working engineers, host contests, and promote ASME's benefits to students as well as professionals. E-Fests are held in four regions in the United States and internationally—western U.S, eastern U.S., Asia Pacific, and South America—with the E-Fest location for each region changing every year.
Student competitions
ASME holds a variety of competitions every year for engineering students from around the world.
*
Human Powered Vehicle Challenge (HPVC)
* Student Design Competition (SDC)
* Innovative Design Simulation Challenge (IDSC)
* Innovative Additive Manufacturing 3D Challenge (IAM3D)
* Old Guard Competitions
* Innovation Showcase (IShow)
* Student Design Expositions
Organization
ASME has four key offices in the United States,
including its headquarters operation in New York, N.Y., and three international offices in Beijing, China; Brussels, Belgium, and New Delhi, India. ASME has two institutes and 32 technical divisions within its organizational structure. Volunteer activity is organized into four sectors:
* Technical Events and Content
* Public Affairs and Outreach
* Standards and Certification
* Student and Early Career Development
Controversy
In 1982, ASME was found to be the first non-profit organization to in violation of the
Sherman Antitrust Act. The United States Supreme Court found the organization liable for more than $6 million in ''
American Society of Mechanical Engineers v. Hydrolevel Corp.''
See also
*
ASME Y14.41-2003 Digital Product Definition Data Practices
*
List of American Society of Mechanical Engineers academic journals
*
List of Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks
*
ASME Medal
The ASME Medal, created in 1920, is the highest award bestowed by the ASME (founded as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers) Board of Governors for "eminently distinguished engineering achievement". The award has been presented every year ...
*
ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code
*
Uniform Mechanical Code
The Uniform Mechanical Code (UMC) is a model code developed by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials ( IAPMO) to govern the installation, inspection and maintenance of HVAC (heating, ventilating and air-conditioni ...
*
American Welding Society
The American Welding Society (AWS) was founded in 1919 as a non-profit organization to advance the science, technology and application of welding and allied joining and cutting processes, including brazing, soldering and thermal spraying.
Headq ...
References
Further reading
* Calvert, Monte A. ''The Mechanical Engineer in America, 1830–1910: Professional Cultures in Conflict''. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1967.
*
Hutton, Frederick Remson (1915
''A History of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers''. ASME.* Sinclair, Bruce. ''A Centennial History of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 1880–1980''. Toronto: Toronto University Press, 1980.
*
External links
*
ASME Peerlink(archived)
Society Awards
{{DEFAULTSORT:American Society Of Mechanical Engineers
American engineering organizations
Mechanical engineering organizations
ASME
Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks
Engineering societies based in the United States
Scientific organizations established in 1880
1880 establishments in New York (state)