Mechanical Engineering (BEng)

Mechanical engineering is involved in designing, developing, installing, operating and maintaining just about anything that has moveable parts. If an object is man-made, mechanical engineering skills will have been involved at some stage during its development and manufacture.

Mechanical and computer-aided engineering involves everything from designing, manufacturing and testing products to developing, marketing, maintaining and servicing. Engineers use high technology tools to reduce development times and improve product quality.

The course provides you with the knowledge, understanding and professional skills needed by mechanical and design engineers. You learn how to use the latest computer-aided supporting technologies including software packages such as, ProEngineer, Fluent, Solid Works, Abacus.
 

If you successfully complete the first two years you can apply for a direct transfer to our MEng (Honours) Mechanical Engineering.

We encourage you to take the four year route and spend your third year in industry on paid work placement. Mature students with previous relevant work experience, and international students, normally take the three year full-time route.

Final year project
Your case study material and your specialisation in the final year is an important part of the course.

For example, a previous project involved a student examining the design of an aircraft undercarriage. The aim was to create a smoother landing and reduce tyre wear by developing a device to pre-spin aircraft wheels on approach to landing. The project included manufacturing a prototype and testing the design in an RAF wind tunnel.

Special facilities
You have access to a wide range of hardware and equipment with specialist facilities for:

• rapid prototyping equipment to create accurate prototypes of product designs from CAD-generated information;
• a robotics laboratory to study computer-controlled manufacturing equipment;
• an automotive workshop for engine testing;
• materials testing lab;
• aerospace laboratory and subsonic wind tunnel.

SHU Racing and Formula Student
Formula Student is an international competition that challenges engineering students to design, build and race a single seat racing car. Students from almost every engineering and technology course make up our SHU Racing team.

A Honda 600cc motorcycle engine, housed in a custom-built chassis, powers the Sheffield Hallam car, which has a maximum speed of 107 mph.

The team is developing a new engine, custom-built by a partner company on the project, and sourcing a separate fuel-injected motorcycle engine. We also plan to build an ultra-lightweight chassis that can house either engine.

Other team members are designing the suspension, brakes, instrumentation and controls and the engine management system.

The final part of developing this car is a composite body shell, painted in the colours of our main sponsor, Logica. The printing company, J W Northend, is the team’s second sponsor.

Would you like to help design and build a formula racing car? Our engineering students are doing just that and you could be one of them.