Types of engineers Flashcards
What is electrical engineering?
Although the name suggests that this discipline focuses purely on electrical systems, it involves much more than that. This is a branch of engineering that also includes power generation and distribution, motors and motor control, and the use of electromechanical devices.
What is Civil Engineering?
This branch of engineering deals with infrastructure. A civil engineer will plan, design and oversee the construction and maintenance of different facilities needed by modern civilisation. Civil engineers are involved in the design and planning of roads, railways, bridges, dams, irrigation projects, power plants and water and sewerage systems, and to do this they will assess the area of planned construction to ensure it is the most suitable location.
What is Structural Engineering
This branch of engineering is about analysing, designing, planning and researching structures, the materials they will be built from, and the forces that will act upon them to ensure that any given structure is safe and can support the needed loads. A structural engineer will have the knowledge and skills to understand and calculate the stability, strength and rigidity of a structure, ensuring that it will not collapse under different loads, forces or conditions
What is Chemical Engineering?
This branch of engineering deals with the chemical properties of materials and how these can be changed or altered. This could be a deliberate change, for example galvanising metal or coating a material with a certain paint to resist deterioration or corrosion; or knowing how different materials will act under certain conditions, such as exposure to weather conditions or elements.
What is Mechanical Engineering?
This branch of engineering concerns itself with anything that moves. A mechanical engineer will analyse, design and develop mechanical devices to complete specific lobs These can range from small components of a design, to extremely large plants and refineries, to machinery or vehicles.
What is Electronic Engineering?
Although the name is similar to electrical enzineering, and exam questions may refer to them as comparable disciplines, they have different roles that require different skills and knowledge.
Electronic engineering is about automatie control and the implementation of it. This means that electronic engineers may have the skills to design different electronic sensing circuits, be able to design and plan different programs for different functions, and then be able to write the code needed for it to run. To do this, they would also have the knowledge to understand how complex control systems work. This involves knowledge of components such as Op Amps, MOSTETs, relays and microcontrollers. Once the engineers have the system designed and working effectively, they must also have the skill to do energy audits to test that the system is working efficiently.
What is Environmental Engineering?
This is the branch of engineering that concerns itself with protecting all forms of life from adverse environmental effects such as pollution. Environmental engineers will have the knowledge of eco-friendly manufacturing methods to reduce the environmental impact of a project, and work with structural engineers to choose materials that are eco-fricradly. They will also integrate low-carbon technologies in a project to reduce carbon footprints, and have the skills to adapt a design to limit its impact on the environment.
They also work on engineering solutions to improve recycling, water and air quality, waste disposal and management, and to improve public health.
What does a Structural Engineer do?
- Design the supporting structure for a wind turbine.
*Calculate the forces acting on the blades of the wind turbine due to wind. - Select an appropriate material based on calculated stress/strain values.
- Apply a factor of safety to ensure that the structure remains within the safe working load.
What does a Civil Engineer do?
- Analyse existing infrastructure to ensure it is sufficient for the development.
- Manage the construction of roads and services to the new development.
- Assess the environmental impact of the development.
*Oversee all work being carried out to ensure: liaise between engineering teams to ensure that work is progressing efficiently and on time, ensure all regulations are met.
What does a Mechanical Engineering do?
- Design gearing systems to transfer the motion from….. to …….
*Calculate the size of gears to be used to ensure the correct Velocity Ratio is achieved. - Analyse existing mechanical systems to make them more efficient, reducing energy loss etc.
What does Chemical Engineering do?
- Develop oils/lubricants to reduce friction in a system.
- Testing existing materials to see how they can be improved.
What does Electrical Engineer do?
*Analyse existing circuits to ensure they are compatible with a new circuit.
*Calculate the amount of electricity that is expected to be produced from a generator.
*Calculate the power consumed by a circuit to ensure it meets the required needs safely.
What does Electronic Engineer do?
*Design an electronic circuit /control circuit to solve the problem.
* Calculate the values of components to be used in the circuit.
*Writing Boolean equations to help design logic circuits.
* Simulate/construct prototypes to ensure that a circuit’s final solution works before manufacturing begins.
