Preface
Mechanical Engineering may be considered as old as the human civilization. Early
humans used various types of tools made of stone and wood. Invention of wheel is
considered a landmark event in human civilization; it was extensively used in the
fourth millennium BC. Although Archimedes (287 BC-212 BC), inventor of several machines, can be considered as the first Mechanical Engineer, mechanical
engineering developed as a distinct practice since the advent of James Watt’s steam
engine in the late eighteenth century. Institution of Mechanical Engineering was
formed in the UK in 1847.
Mechanical Engineering is perhaps the most dynamic disciplines of engineering.
It collaborates with almost every engineering discipline and has given birth to
several other disciplines. Traditional machines used to run with the help of water,
steam, and combustion of fossil fuels. Even today these are used as energy sources.
However, it is common nowadays to see active amalgamation of electrical and
electronics engineering in engines and machines. Various cyber-physical systems
are exploiting the age-old knowledge of mechanical engineering along with the latest
knowledge developed in the field of computer science and information technology.
In the present century, biology may also play a major role in mechanical engineering.
Department of Mechanical Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology
(IIT) Guwahati, the sixth IIT founded in 1994, was established in 1995. It caters to
the teaching of traditional mechanical engineering as well as futuristic topics. To
commemorate, its Silver Jubilee, it was decided to publish a compendium on
mechanical engineering for providing an exposure to research directions in this
ever-changing discipline. With the major support from Professor Amitabha Ghosh
and other Editorial Advisory Board members, we could compile eleven articles
written by the leading experts in mechanical engineering. Articles cover important
gamut of mechanical engineering—solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, and
manufacturing.
The first article by Amitabha Ghosh throws light on the birth of mechanical
engineering and speculates its future. The article argues that early steam-powered
prime movers developed in seventeenth–eighteenth century triggered the birth of
mechanical engineering. In the future, synthetic biology, molecular engineering,
xi
Mechanical Engineering may be considered as old as the human civilization. Early
humans used various types of tools made of stone and wood. Invention of wheel is
considered a landmark event in human civilization; it was extensively used in the
fourth millennium BC. Although Archimedes (287 BC-212 BC), inventor of several machines, can be considered as the first Mechanical Engineer, mechanical
engineering developed as a distinct practice since the advent of James Watt’s steam
engine in the late eighteenth century. Institution of Mechanical Engineering was
formed in the UK in 1847.
Mechanical Engineering is perhaps the most dynamic disciplines of engineering.
It collaborates with almost every engineering discipline and has given birth to
several other disciplines. Traditional machines used to run with the help of water,
steam, and combustion of fossil fuels. Even today these are used as energy sources.
However, it is common nowadays to see active amalgamation of electrical and
electronics engineering in engines and machines. Various cyber-physical systems
are exploiting the age-old knowledge of mechanical engineering along with the latest
knowledge developed in the field of computer science and information technology.
In the present century, biology may also play a major role in mechanical engineering.
Department of Mechanical Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology
(IIT) Guwahati, the sixth IIT founded in 1994, was established in 1995. It caters to
the teaching of traditional mechanical engineering as well as futuristic topics. To
commemorate, its Silver Jubilee, it was decided to publish a compendium on
mechanical engineering for providing an exposure to research directions in this
ever-changing discipline. With the major support from Professor Amitabha Ghosh
and other Editorial Advisory Board members, we could compile eleven articles
written by the leading experts in mechanical engineering. Articles cover important
gamut of mechanical engineering—solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, and
manufacturing.
The first article by Amitabha Ghosh throws light on the birth of mechanical
engineering and speculates its future. The article argues that early steam-powered
prime movers developed in seventeenth–eighteenth century triggered the birth of
mechanical engineering. In the future, synthetic biology, molecular engineering,
xi