Distance Learning Program Leading To Master of Engineering or Master of Science In Mechanical Engineering Typical Course Presentation Format
Program Description The MAE Department at Clarkson University currently offers a Distance Learning Master of Engineering or a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering. The program is designed to allow off campus students to earn a Master s degree while employed full time in industry or government facilities. The two programs consist of the following: Master of Engineering (ME) Master of Science (MS) Seven 3 credit courses Six 3 credit courses 7 credits of project 10 credits of thesis 2 credits of seminar 2 credits of seminar Both programs allow students to enroll in Clarkson graduate courses that are offered via a distance delivery system. This system captures both the video and audio of the faculty lecturer during the regular on-campus teaching of the course. It also captures the text written on a tablet and slides projected during lecture. The captured lecture is presented as a streaming video over the web, and may be viewed at any time after the lecture. The viewer can pause, replay, or jump to any point in the lecture. Interaction between the instructor and off-campus students is done using email, phone conversations, on-line chat sessions, etc. An example of the typical course presentation format is shown on the first page of this document. Students normally enroll in one or two distance courses per semester, depending on their job work requirements. A student may transfer up to three graduate courses (9 semester credits) from another university toward completion of the degree requirements. The seminar credits may be satisfied by attending approximately ten to twelve presentations while on the job; these could be company internal presentations, outside guest speakers, or attendance at a technical conference. ME versus MS The primary difference between the ME and MS programs is the requirement for a project or thesis. The Master of Engineering degree is oriented toward the practice of engineering in industry, and thus the project is often a job related activity, with a faculty advisor. The resulting project report must demonstrate that the degree candidate has carried out engineering design and analysis at a level typically required of a practicing professional. The Master of Science degree is research oriented and requires the completion of a written and orally defended thesis conducted under the supervision of a faculty member. A master s thesis should represent an original contribution that may be published.
Time Requirement The time required to complete either degree will vary depending on a student s previous graduate course work and job workload. It is expected that the ME degree would take about 2 years, while the MS degree may take longer because of the thesis requirement. Mechanical Engineering Program The following courses comprise the Mechanical Engineering distance learning program. These courses are generally taught every year for on-campus and distance learning students. Additional courses may be added to meet special industry needs. Fall Semester ME 515: Finite Element Methods This course is an introduction to the finite element method, from a mathematical as well as a modeling and applications point of view. The basic theory and implementation will be discussed in the context of continuum problems in linear elasticity, potential flow and plate modeling. If time permits, additional applications such as structures, electromagnetics, fluid mechanics, ground water and geotechnics will also be discussed. Topics include: weak formulations and the principle of virtual work, discretization and interpolation-function selection, assembly and solution of the system equations, error estimates and accuracy assessment. A sample lecture from this course is available at: https://echo.clarkson.edu:8443/ess/echo/presentation/3711cf2b- 1455-4509-b036-55db32a7c7c8 (Make sure your sound is turned on). ME 527: Advanced Fluid Mechanics An introductory level graduate course in fluid mechanics. Spatial and material coordinates, kinematics of fluid motion, continuity and momentum equations, constitutive relations, simple solutions, potential flows, boundary layer theory, creeping flow, flow through porous media, particle motion, interfacial phenomena, turbulence. A sample lecture from this course is available at: https://echo.clarkson.edu:8443/ess/echo/presentation/26b2ffef-1068-4949-8146-3a8b0f209db2 (Make sure your sound is turned on). ME 529: Stochastic Processes for Engineers Review of the theory of probability. Stochastic processes. Stationary and nonstationary processes. Time averaging and ergodicity. Correlation and power spectrum. Langevin's equation and Markov processes. Poisson and Gaussian processes. Response of linear systems. Approximate methods for analysis of nonlinear stochastic equations. Introduction to stochastic stability. Mean square and almost sure stability analysis. Random vibrations, turbulence and other applications to engineering problems.
ME 537: Aerosols Review of viscous flow theory. Creeping flows around a sphere. Drag and lift forces acting on particles. Wall effects and nonspherical particles. Diffusion of aerosols in laminar flows. Brownian motion and Langevin equation. Mass diffusion in pipe and boundary layer flows. Dispersion of particles in turbulent flows. Turbulent diffusion and wall deposition of aerosols. Effects of electrostatics, van der Waals and other surface forces. Computational aspects of aerosol dispersion in laminar and turbulent flows. Particle removal and resuspension from surfaces. Coagulation of aerosols due to Brownian movement, presence of a shear field and turbulence. Applications to microcontamination control, air pollution, and particle deposition in human lung. ME 543: Advanced Optimal Design The optimal design of mechanical systems is studied. The optimization methods discussed in the course include: unconstrained optimization in several variables (e.g. gradient search, random search), constrained optimization in several variables (e.g. linear programming, nonlinear programming, Lagrange multipliers, geometric programming) and problems structured for multistage decision (e.g. dynamic programming). Emphasis is placed on the formulation of problems which can be solved by these techniques. A project involving the application of the methods introduced is required. ME 551: Theory of Elasticity A study of the mathematical theory of elasticity and its application to engineering problems; development of general stress-strain relationships, equations of equilibrium and compatibility; plane stress and plane strain; stress functions; applications to beam bending and torsion. ME 554: Continuum Mechanics The course involves the analysis of stress and deformation at a point, and the derivation of the fundamental equations by applying the basic laws of conservation of mass, energy and momentum and those of thermodynamics. Vector and Cartesian tensors are reviewed. Relationships are then developed between stress, strain and strain rate and constitutive laws affecting stress-strain relationships. These are used to formulate the basic equations governing the behavior of any continuum with applications to solids and fluids. ME 595: Principles of Physical Metallurgy Topics include: structure of metals, diffraction techniques (X-Ray, SEM-TEM), dislocation phenomena, diffusion in solids, precipitation hardening, nucleation and growth, solidification and phase transformation in solids. A sample lecture from this course is available at: https://echo.clarkson.edu:8443/ess/echo/presentation/6fbfd1a1-2fcc-440c-998c-452e7ce15c94 (Make sure your sound is turned on). Spring Semester ME517: Advanced Thermal Systems Advanced treatment of steady & transient conduction, convection and radiation heat transfer with applications to various thermal systems such as electronic circuits & HVAC
ME531: Computational Fluid Dynamics The course will present advanced computational methods for solutions of transient and steadystate problems in fluid mechanics and in transport phenomena, including incompressible flows, compressible flows, heat transfer, transport of suspended particles, etc. The course will require programming in Fortran or other languages. Post processing of data will include the use of computer graphics. Special projects in application of the course material to research-oriented problems in engineering will be emphasized. ME557: Mechanics of Composite Materials Nature of composite materials. Classification and characteristics of composite materials, mechanical behavior of composite materials. Macromechanical and micromechanical elastic behavior of unidirectional lamina. Constitutive and transformation relations. Strength of unidirectional lamina. Composite failure theory. Mechanics of multidirectional structural laminates. Lamination theory. Strength and failure analysis of multidirectional laminates. Effect of temperature and moisture. ME 580: Adv. Mod. & Sim of dyn Systems This course will incorporate techniques of bond graph theory in the energy-based lumped parameter modeling of electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, magnetic, and thermal energy domains. Bond graph theory offers a unified approach to modeling dynamic energy systems and provides the tools necessary for the analysis of complex systems involving a variety of energy domains. Rather than attempt to cover all of the available analysis techniques, this course will serve to provide an underlying foundation on which to develop a thorough understanding of the interactions of energetic systems. Emphasis of the course will focus on multi-domain interaction. ME590: Advanced Welding Metallurgy Introduction to various aspects of welding processes. Weldability problems in ferrous, nonferrous and metal-matrix composite materials will be discussed in detail. Solidification modes and their effects on the mechanical properties of austenitic and duplex stainless steel weldments will be examined. ME 637: Particle Transport and Deposition II Introduction to turbulent flows and turbulent modelings. One and several equation models. Drag, lift, virtual mass, and Basset forces acting on particles. Wall effects and nonspherical particles. Aerosol transport and dispersion in turbulent flows. Turbulent diffusion and wall deposition of aerosols. Particle charging mechanics and electrostatics forces. Thermophoretic and electrophoretic effects. Introduction to colloids and electrokinetic phenomena. Computational aspects of aerosol dispersion and deposition in turbulent flows. Sublayer model approach. Approximate simulation of turbulence and turbulence transport. DNS simulation methods. Nonspherical particle transport in turbulent flows. Coagulation of aerosols due to shear and turbulence. Experimental techniques for turbulent flow measurements. Hot wire anemometry, Isokinetic sampling. Particle concentration and velocity measurements with phasedoppler, and PIV. Applications to microcontamination control, air pollution, combustor, spray, and particle deposition in human lung.
ME 639: Advanced Turbulence Recent developments in turbulence modeling, stress transport models, multipoint closure methods, and thermodynamical formulation. Turbulent diffusion, isotropic turbulence and Karman Howarth equation. Kraichnan's direct interaction approximation. Wiener Hermite expansion approach. Characteristic functional formulation and Hopf's theory. Lundgren's probabilistic formulation and Chung's kinetic theory of turbulence. Direct and Large Eddy simulation techniques. Proper orthogonal decomposition Techniques. Chaos and dynamical systems, stochastic Estimation, Lagrargian mean approaches. Application Procedure Students in this program must have a BS degree in engineering or a related field. Application forms are available on line at www.clarkson.edu/admission/graduate/index.html For more information contact: Professor Kenneth Visser Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering Clarkson University Potsdam, NY 13699 kvisser@clarkson.edu 315-268-7687 Professor Kenneth Willmert Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering Clarkson University Potsdam, NY 13699 willmert@clarkson.edu 315-268-2323