The mechanical engineering department at SMU encourages students to participate
in research projects conducted by our faculty and to consider extending their
studies toward a graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at SMU or elsewhere.
Below is a list of the major areas of research that our faculty are involved
in.
Thermal Science and Fluid Mechanics
Research at SMU is active in many areas of heat transfer, fluid mechanics,
and thermodynamics. Research spans the range from fundamental studies of thermal
transport and fluid mechanics, to applications in manufacturing, materials
processing, microelectronics, bioengineering, and the environment. A number
of experimental and numerical studies are currently active, including:
Modeling of transport phenomena in porous media
Cooling of high heat flux electronics
Measurement and prediction of thermal transport in thin electronic films
Numerical modeling of free surface fluid flows, Tsunami mitigation, and
fluid-solid interactions
Heat transfer, phase change, and fluid flow on short time and spatial scales,
with applications to laser micromachining
Vortex dynamics, pulsed jet propulsion, and aquatic propulsion
Research facilities include the Laboratory for Porous Materials Applications,
the Sub-Micron Electro-Thermal Sciences Laboratory, the Laser Micromachining
Laboratory, and the Experimental Fluid Mechanics Laboratory.
The Systems, Measurement, and Control Laboratory is equipped for instruction
in the design and analysis of analog and digital instrumentation and control
systems. Modern measurement and instrumentation equipment is used for experimental
control engineering, system identification, harmonic analysis, simulation, and
real-time control applications. Equipment also exists or microprocessor interfacing
for control and instrumentation.
Research in Manufacturing Engineering is investigating advanced manufacturing
methods using non-traditional techniques. Research is conducted at the Research
Center for Advanced Manufacturing (RCAM), a 7,000 ft2 research facility
in Richardson, TX. Research in manufacturing is heavily supported by both industry
and government funding. The Center supports a variety of research and development
activities in areas of rapid prototyping and manufacturing (laser-based and
welding-based deposition), laser materials processing (welding, forming, surface
modification), welding (including electrical arc welding, variable polarity
plasma arc welding, friction stir welding, micro plasma arc welding), waterjet/abrasive
waterjet materials processing, sensing and control of manufacturing processes,
and numerical modeling of manufacturing processes.
