Mechanical Engineering Sciences
The Department of Mechanical Engineering Sciences includes:
- the theoretically oriented subjects of Mechanics
- the more applied subjects of Materials Engineering, Machine Elements, and Production & Materials Engineering, and
- Supply Chain Management, Operations Management och Industrial Management.
Courses are given mainly in the Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Management and Engineering, and Engineering Physics programmes, but also, to varying degrees in LTH’s other programmes. The department is also responsible for two Master's programmes:
- Master's programme in Production and Materials Engineering (website of the Division of Production and Materials Engineering)
- Master's programme in Logistics and Supply Chain Management (on Lund University's website)
Website of the department of Mechanical Engineering Sciences
Overview of divisions:
Machine Elements
The field of machine elements focuses on experiments in combination with simulation methods to explain physical phenomena that occur in machine components. This knowledge is used to develop approaches that can be used to develop high-performance intelligent machine components with low emissions. Research is currently focusing on high-performance gears and non-exhaust emissions from wear of machine components used in vehicles.
Keywords: tribology, machine elements, gears, brakes, clutches, trains, non-exhaust emissions, friction, wear
Materials Engineering
At the Division of Materials Engineering, we dedicate our professional lives to learning from nature about the art of materials technology and to using all possible scientific instruments to create new materials.
The primary scope of the division is the construction of new primarily metallic materials with cross-scale microstructures that have the best ratio between strength and weight. Current research focuses on:
- design of magnesium alloys for biomedical and light vehicle and space applications
- understanding of mechanics and optimization of heterogeneous microstructures, and
- development of relevant characterization techniques in our laboratory, synchrotrons and neutron sources.
Mechanics
Mechanics is a basic physical subject that describes the environment through mathematical models that are solved with analytical or numerical methods. The formulations of mechanics are used on a daily basis as an analysis tool in product design in industrial contexts as well as in the description of quantum mechanical phenomena at the subatomic level. Models for describing the response of different materials to loads - forces, temperature loads, magnetic and electric fields - are thus formulated in mechanics on all length and time scales.
At the macro level, descriptions of continuous structures form the basis for numerical calculation methods, of which a well-known method is called the finite element method and another peridynamics. At the nano level, the structure is made up of individual atoms that are allowed to interact with each other under the influence of loads. At the subatomic level, finally, what are called ab initio formulations based on basic, established laws of nature are used without any other assumptions being made.
Production and Materials Engineering
Industrial production is an applied and industrial subject. Researchers primarily develop materials and production technology for the manufacturing industry. Niche areas include cutting machining (model and technology development in turning, milling, drilling), development of manufacturing processes and materials for electromagnetic components and new ways of simulating manufacturing costs.
Keywords: casting, welding, sheet metal processing, cutting processing, inductive heating, vibrations, magnetic materials, manufacturing economics simulation, production analysis, applied material technology, robotics
Website of the Division of Production and Materials Engineering
Engineering Logistics
Engineering Logistics is the study of processes along the material flow chain as a whole, including purchasing, transport, handling, storing and distribution, as well as coordination between companies in the chain; using information systems and supply chain management. Examples of current projects are risk management in the supply chain, supplier-controlled stores, logistics in the building sector, environmental issues and safety. Research is strongly connected to industry.
Keywords: logistics, distribution, goods transport, material supply, purchasing, materials handling, stock, supply chain management, processing chains, supply chains
Production Management
In Production Management, mainly quantitative models are used, while Engineering Logistics is based primarily on case studies and empirical investigations. Courses are given mainly for students taking the programmes in Industrial Management and Engineering, as well as Mechanical Engineering.
Stock and production control are central to the research topics within Production Management. In recent years, research has made use of mathematical models to analyse complicated stock systems in which several stores or warehouses are connected to each other. Courses are given in many different programmes, including many in economics.
Keywords: stock control, production planning, optimization, stochastic models