• Question: What are the differnet parts of engineering?

    Asked by emmawatters to Philippa, Matthew, Neil, Pete on 9 Mar 2015. This question was also asked by #Charlie#Ash#Dan#James.
    • Photo: Philippa Jefferis

      Philippa Jefferis answered on 9 Mar 2015:

      Engineers have developed different disciplines to describe what specialist engineering they do.

      Originally all engineering was carried out by the military then in the 1800s Civil engineering developed. This was any engineering not done by the military – civilian engineering.

      However, over time different disciplines have developed such as mechanical engineering (car design) and chemical engineering (refining oil). There are lots of different specialist areas and as technology advances so does the specialisms.

      Civil engineering covers a huge range of skills still. I am a civil engineer and do a lot of structures design (like bridges) but other civil engineers do design of water management.

      So much variety!

    • Photo: Neil Taylor

      Neil Taylor answered on 18 Mar 2015:

      Hi all!

      Good question! Some of the different parts of engineering that you might use in the workplace include:

      – Design
      – Analysis
      – Optimising (making things as efficient as possible)
      – Brainstorming
      – Communicating

      For example: at my work, I design and analyse pipelines to make sure that they are operating safely. During design, I may optimise the wall thickness of a pipe such that it still meets safety requirements, but isn’t a waste of material.

      I may brainstorm all the different options for dismantling/removing pipelines that will no longer be required (called “decommissioning” in the industry) by communicating with my colleagues.

      Different engineers will use these skills in different amounts, depending on their role and industry.

      In terms of different disciplines, engineering has a wide variety!

      Some of these aspects include:-

      mechanical engineers (e.g. designing cars, pumps)
      electrical engineers (e.g. designing electronics, power lines)
      aeronautical engineers (e.g. designing aircraft, spacecraft)
      civil engineers (e.g. designing structures such as bridges, dams, roads)
      chemical engineering (fluid processing and separation)
      biomedical engineering (e.g. developing prosthetic limbs)…

      …among others!

      Overall, engineering is a very diverse subject to follow as a career – there is likely to be a discipline and role that suits everyone!

      Hope this helps!

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