Interdisciplinary concepts in civil and mechanical engineering

INTERDISCIPLINARY CONCEPTS IN CIVIL AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Each engineering discipline has its own characteristics that distinguish it from other engineering fields. Nonetheless, different engineering fields overlap with each other in many and interesting ways. People use the services of mechanical and civil engineers all the time in their daily lives. Both civil and mechanical engineers design objects: machines and devices in the case of mechanical engineering, and buildings and other structures in civil engineering case.

The study of Statics (objects at rest) and Dynamics (objects in motion) is the basis for both civil and mechanical engineering. Civil engineers deal with statics a lot more. They design buildings, bridges, roads, etc., to not move. In fact, in civil engineering, if something moves it is failure. Mechanical engineers deal with dynamics a lot more. They design machines, mechanisms, and systems with moving parts like levers, pulleys, etc. They want things to move and design them accordingly.

Mechanical engineers need to know the loads acting on a sliding piston in the engine of an automobile, while civil engineers need to calculate the hydrostatic force exerted by the rising water on a levy protecting a community from dangerous flooding. Strength of materials is a prerequisite course for several advanced design courses in both mechanical and civil engineering fields. This includes machine design in mechanical engineering, and concrete, steel, and timber design in civil engineering.

Fluid Mechanics, as its name suggests, deals with the mechanics of fluids. Fluids are defined as those substances which change shape if subjected to shear stress. In designing machines, mechanical engineers deal with all kinds of fluids ranging from water through oil to the air in the atmosphere, but civil engineers are mainly concerned with water in their applications. Thus, there are several interdisciplinary concepts in civil and mechanical engineering..