Engineering Disciplines for Grade 11

• Study notes on Engineering Disciplines for Grade 11 students.

Introduction to Engineering Disciplines

• Electrical, Civil and Mechanical Engineering are the three primary and most common disciplines.
• The module aims to provide a fundamental overview of the three named disciplines
• Aims to help students familiarize themselves and develop a keen interest in any of them
• The fundamental concepts and knowledge presented aims to highlight the importantance of each discipline to society.

Civil Engineering

• Focuses on the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment.
• Environment includes public works and infrastructure projects and systems.
• Civil engineers conceive, design, build, supervise, operate, construct, and maintain infrastructure projects in both the public and private sectors.
• Many civil engineers work in planning, design, construction, research, and education.

Sub-disciplines of Civil Engineering

• Structural Engineering
  • The "bones and muscles" of man-made structures are designed by structural engineers.
• Environmental Engineering
  • Uses chemistry, biology, ecology, hydraulics, hydrology, microbiology, and mathematics to solve environmental problems
  • Vital in improving the health and quality of living organisms and the environment
• Geotechnical Engineering
  • Focuses on the engineering behavior of the Earth's materials, and employing methods of soil mechanics, rock mechanics, geology, hydrology, and geophysics.
• Coastal Engineering
  • Organizes, conceptualizes, develops, and preserves works on the shoreline.
  • Tasks include managing shoreline erosion, improving navigation channels, and protecting against flooding.
• Construction Engineering
  • Focuses on the design, plan, construction, and management of infrastructure.
  • Focuses on design and project site management aspects.
• Transportation Engineering
  • Deals with the use of technology and scientific principles to plan, design, operate, and manage facilities for transportation.
  • Aims to ensure safe, efficient, rapid, comfortable, convenient, economical, and environmentally compatible movement of peoples and goods.
• Off-shore Engineering
  • Designs and constructs structures offshore in a stationary position, commonly for the Oil and Gas Industry.
  • Structures include floating structures, offshore wind turbines, sub-sea structures, and pipelines.
• Water Resource Engineering
  • Designs new systems and equipment that help manage human water resources.
  • Seeks to improve water treatment and aquatic resource management's effectiveness and efficiency.
  • Water Resource engineers can be found in water treatment facilities, underground wells, and natural springs.
• Municipal or Urban Engineering
  • Deals with municipal structures in the urban environment by applying science, art, and engineering.
  • Involves designing, constructing and maintaining streets, sidewalks, water supply networks, sewers, street lighting, solid waste management, storage depots, public parks and cycling infrastructures.

Electrical Engineering

• Involves the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems using electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism.
• Electrical Engineering specifically deals with electricity, electromagnetism and electronics.
• Covers power, control systems, telecommunications, and signal processing.
• Electrical engineers apply the physics and mathematics of electricity, electromagnetism, and electronics to create and improve electrical equipment and systems, and test equipment, to solve problems.

Sub-disciplines of Electrical Engineering

• Computer Engineering
  • Integrates electronic engineering and computer science to design and develop software and hardware.
  • Software and hardware that engineers can design may involve the development of microcontrollers, microprocessors, personal computers and supercomputers.
• System Engineering
  • Uses system thinking principles to design, integrate, and manage complex systems.
  • Employs optimization methods, risk management tools, industrial engineering, process systems engineering, mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, and production engineering.
• Power Engineering
  • Deals with the generation, transmission, distribution, and utilization of electric power.
  • Concerns electrical apparatus such as transformers, electric generators, electric motors, and power electronics.
  • Power engineers can work on off-grid systems if the cost of doing so is cheaper than connecting to the grid.
• Telecommunication/Communications Engineering
  • Supports and enhances telecommunication systems.
  • Tasks range from basic circuit design to strategic mass developments.
  • Telecommunication engineers design and oversee the installation of telecommunications equipment and facilities, such as complex electronic switching systems, optical fiber cabling, IP networks, and microwave transmission systems.
• Radio-Frequency Engineering
  • Applies transmission line, waveguide, antenna, and electromagnetic field principles to design and apply devices using signals within the radio band.
  • Devices using radio signals utilise a frequency range of about 20 kHz up to 300 GHz.
• Signal Processing
  • Focuses on analyzing, modifying, and synthesizing signals like sound, images, and scientific measurements.
  • Techniques may improve transmission, storage efficiency, subjective quality, and emphasize desired measured signal components.
• Instrumentation and Control Engineering
  • Focuses on the measurement and control of process variables and designing and implementing related systems.
• Electronics
  • Utilizes nonlinear and active electrical components, like transistors and diodes, to design electronic circuits, devices, integrated circuits, and systems.
  • This discipline also designs passive electrical components, usually on printed circuit boards
  • Also known as Electronics and Communications Engineering.

Mechanical Engineering

• Combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science to design, analyze, manufacture, and maintain mechanical systems.
• Mechanical Engineers research, develop, design, manufacture and test tools, engines, machines, and other mechanical devices.
• They work on power-producing machines such as electricity-producing generators, internal combustion engines, steam and gas turbines, and jet and rocket engines

Sub-disciplines of Mechanical Engineering

• Acoustical Engineering
  • Deals with sound and vibration including acoustics, the science of sound and vibration in technology.
  • Focuses on the design, analysis, and control of sound.
• Manufacturing Engineering
  • Focuses on the practices of manufacturing; tool, process, machine and equipment research, development, and also the integration of facilities and systems for quality production with optimum capital expenditure.
  • Aims to turn raw material into an updated or new product in the most effective, efficient, and economic way possible.
• Opto-Mechanical Engineering
  • Specializes in optical systems with high design and manufacturing tolerances and submicron precision.
  • Requires knowledge of precision design techniques and an understanding of unusual glass properties.
  • Often, optical engineers work with opto-mechanical engineers on design and mounting specifications.
• Thermal Engineering
  • Deals exclusively with heat energy and its transfer.
  • Involves expertise in designing energy conversion systems and processes.
• Vehicle Engineering
  • Applies to the vehicle industry, primarily the automobile sector, and also covers automotive, marine, and aerospace engineering.
  • Automotive Engineering
    • Incorporates elements of mechanical, electrical, electronic, software, and safety engineering in the design, manufacture, and operation of vehicles
    • The field is research-intensive and involves direct applications of mathematical models and formula
    • Involves designing, developing, fabricating, and testing vehicles from the concept stage to production.
  • Aerospace Engineering
    • Focused on aircraft and spacecraft design, development, testing, and operation.
    • Encompasses the creation of everything from miniaturized drones to heavy-lift interplanetary rockets.
    • Requires an excellent knowledge of physics since flying machines are governed by motion, energy, and force.
  • Rolling Stock (Railways) Engineering
    • Deals with railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles, like locomotives, railroad cars, coaches, private railroad cars, and wagons.
    • Formally known as the “Rolling Stock” in the railway industry.
  • Marine Engineering
    • Involves construction and operation of mechanical equipment of seagoing craft, docks, and harbor installations.
    • Tasks include design, build and maintain vehicles/structures used on or around water, including ships, aircraft carriers, submarines etc.

Other Engineering Disciplines

• Genetic Engineering / Biotechnology
  • Uses recombinant DNA (rDNA) to modify the genetic makeup of an organism.
• Chemical Engineering
  • Studies the operation and design of chemical plants and manufacturing methods.
• Mining Engineering
  • Extracts minerals above or underground. Focuses on mineral processing, exploration, excavation, geology, geotechnical engineering, survey, and metallurgy.
• Industrial or Management Engineering
  • Improves industrial systems, eliminates waste, and maximizes business efficiencies.
• Nuclear Engineering
  • Applies the breaking down or combining of atomic nuclei and applies other sub-atomic processes based on nuclear physics principles.

Engineering Project Summary

• Project 1 is a design project to assess the student's understanding of engineering concepts and disciplines that will assess the skills, knowledge and values attained during course of this domain
• Students must get into project groups of five
• Identify a community engineering issue and apply the EDP from a selected discipline to provide a solution which alleviates the issue.
  • Examples: water supply, power generation, waste management or transport systems
• Students must research, develop and include a prototype or CAD model to demonstrate their understanding of engineering fundamentals
• Further project infomation will be uploaded to google classroom.