Mechanical Engineering

Department Research

Featured Research

"Sivana is currently putting her research towards understanding how PMMA (Polymethyl Methacrylate) fractures and how shock waves propagate through the solid. PMMA is an industrial produced resin, synthesized using the polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate. It’s better known as acrylic or acrylic glass. To study this, she utilized schlieren imaging techniques to watch as the shockwaves spread through the medium." -Excerpt from article by Alexandra Sartori

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Research activity in the Mechanical Engineering department spans multiple areas including aerospace, explosives, solid mechanics, thermal-fluid dynamics, composites, structural health monitoring, aerial vehicle design, high strain-rate mechanical testing, robotics, shock physics, computational modeling, sustainable infrastructures, and capstone design education.

Faculty collaborate with each other as well as with researchers from other departments such as Civil Engineering, Materials Engineering, and Business and Technology Management. In addition, some projects involve external collaboration with researchers from the national laboratories and small businesses.

Projects are funded by federal sources (DTRA, NASA, U.S. Navy, NSF), national laboratories, and SBIR projects. The Mechanical Engineering department brought in the second highest average research dollars per faculty member for FY ’19 among NMT academic departments.

-from Summary of FY19 Research Funding                     Click Here to Support MENG Research

Current Research