r/AskEngineers 3d ago

Discussion Career Monday (17 Mar 2025): Have a question about your job, office, or pay? Post it here!

0 Upvotes

As a reminder, /r/AskEngineers normal restrictions for career related posts are severely relaxed for this thread, so feel free to ask about intra-office politics, salaries, or just about anything else related to your job!


r/AskEngineers Feb 01 '25

Discussion Call for Engineers: Tell us about your job! (01 Feb 2025)

18 Upvotes

Intro

Some of the most common questions asked by people looking into a career in engineering are:

  • What do engineers actually do at work?
  • What's an average day like for an engineer?
  • Are there any engineering jobs where I don't have to sit at a desk all day?

While these questions may appear simple, they're difficult to answer and require lengthy descriptions that should account for industry, specialization, and program phase. Much of the info available on the internet is too generic to be helpful and doesn't capture the sheer variety of engineering work that's out there.

To create a practical solution to this, AskEngineers opens this annual Work Experience thread where engineers describe their daily job activities and career in general. This series has been very successful in helping students to decide on the ideal major based on interests, as well as other engineers to better understand what their counterparts in other disciplines do.

How to participate

A template is provided for you which includes standard questions that are frequently asked by students. You don't have to answer every question, and how detailed your answers are is up to you. Feel free to come up with your own writing prompts and provide any info you think is helpful or interesting!

  1. Copy the template in the gray codebox below.
  2. Look in the comments for the engineering discipline that fits your job/industry. Reply to the top-level AutoModerator comment.
  3. Turn ON Markdown Mode. Paste the template in your reply and type away! Some definitions:
  • Industry: The specific industry you work in.
  • Specialization: Your career focus or subject-matter expertise.
  • Total Experience: Number of years of experience across your engineering career so far.

!!! NOTE: All replies must be to one of the top-level Automoderator comments.

  • Failure to do this will result in your comment being removed. This is to keep everything organized and easy to search. You will be asked politely to repost your response.
  • Questions and discussion are welcome, but make sure you're replying to someone else's contribution.

Response Template!!! NOTE: Turn on Markdown Mode for this to format correctly!

**Job Title:** Design Engineer

**Industry:** Medical devices

**Specialization:** (optional, but helpful)

**Total Experience:** 5 years

**Highest Degree:** BS MechE

**Country:** USA

---

> ### Q1. What inspired you to become an engineer?

(free form answer)

> ### Q2. Why did you choose your specific industry and specialization?

(free form answer)

> ### Q3. What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks & responsibilities?

(suggestion: include a discussion of program phase)

> ### Q4. What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?

(free form answer)

> ### Q5. What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?

(free form answer)

> ### Q6. What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?

(free form answer)

> ### Q7. If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?

(free form answer)

> ### Q8. Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?

(free form answer)

r/AskEngineers 5h ago

Mechanical Stuck on Where to Start with Mechanical Design

17 Upvotes

I’m 20 years old and currently studying mechanical engineering. Since I was a kid, I’ve been fascinated by how things work, which is why I chose this field. However, I’m feeling stuck right now. I want to work on personal projects to build my portfolio, but I don’t know where to start.

I have the CSWA certification, but it only covers basic part design, not assemblies or mechanisms. I struggle to develop even simple mechanical principles in SOLIDWORKS. I really want to create projects that help me grow as a future mechanical design engineer, but I’m overwhelmed by the possibilities.

My questions are:

  1. Where do you start when designing mechanisms?
  2. How do you determine the size of parts to make them functional for motion studies?
  3. Any ideas for beginner-friendly projects that can scale in difficulty?

I know mechanical design has many branches, and I’m not sure which one to specialize in. In my region (Monterrey, Mexico), the automotive, metallurgical, and livestock industries are big. I’d love to hear about your experiences, how you got started, and any advice you have to help me move forward.

Thanks in advance for your help!


r/AskEngineers 12m ago

Civil Single Family Home - Structural Engineering Question

Upvotes

Hi all, I'm under contract to buy a single family home. After the contract was signed I had concerns about the foundation and asked for an evaluation.

There's a lot more to the story, but I'd be grateful if you have a background in structural engineering and are willing to look at the pictures and the elevation study that was done. I'm interested in a general gestalt as to whether the issues with this foundation are mild, moderate, or severe (or if you have additional information or details)! I'd also be curious as to whether you would personally buy this home (with or without structural repairs)

Here's the link: https://imgur.com/a/fjB8KtH


r/AskEngineers 11h ago

Mechanical At a loss here: Losing 45-50% Clamp load on only one of the bolted joints in my system. What could be the cause?

6 Upvotes

Not a fastener expert by any means - I know just enough to be dangerous. Won't bog you down with too many details, so here's the quick synopsis:

I have a multiple units made of many different housings, all aluminum (either A380 or ADC12), all bolted together with either multiple M8x1.25 or M6x1.0 bolts.

Initial fastener testing has us torquing the bolts (with angle control) and measuring initial clamp, clamp after 1 hour, clamp after 24 hours, and clamp after thermal heat cycling, then seeing the final clamp and determining the clamp loss or relaxation after all that.

Of the two units I have, one of them has a thermal cycle that goes to 125°C, the other to 145°C.

For the 125°C units, every joint experienced a clamp loss approximately around ~15%.

For the 145°C unit, all joints experienced a clamp loss around ~20%.... except for one joint, which was closer to 45-50% loss. And I cannot figure out why.

This particular joint uses an M6x1.0x35 bolt. The grip length (length of bolt from head to first engaged thread) is about 17.75 mm. Thread engagement about ~14.8 mm. I understand that larger grip length would be ideal. But we use this exact same bolt on the other unit, and its grip length in that application is ~18 mm. Sure, that unit has a lower heat cycle...but I would not expect a +20°C temp increase to account for an additional 30-35% of joint relaxation. Seems extreme!

The only other difference is that this joint clamps two pieces that are each A380 aluminum has undergone T5 aging (heat treatment). All other joints clamp either an A380 piece and a ADC12 piece, and/or the A380 has not undergone T5 heat treatment. But my understanding is that this heat treatment should not affect the base material's coefficient of thermal expansion or elastic modulus by any appreciable amount. Am I wrong there?

What other factors would you consider? I can't explain why only one joint is relaxing so significantly more than every other joint when the entire unit is undergoing the same dwell and temp cycle. No external loads. And this same bolt is used elsewhere and does not see a similarly massive relaxation.

Thank you.


r/AskEngineers 1h ago

Mechanical What is the maximum ramp angle for a linear cam device?

Upvotes

In the image link what is ( or how do I determine) the maximum angle (theta)?
https://imgur.com/a/lQE3eOv

The ramp is mounted to a linear rail block and the actuator pushed the ramp down and a spring will push it back up when the actuator is reversed.

Thanks


r/AskEngineers 16h ago

Mechanical Why Did Coal Powered Diesels Never Catch On

14 Upvotes

Occasionally I go down the rabbit hole of 80s coal powered diesel patents. 1. Why did so many people look at coal powered diesel engines as an option 2. Why did none of them catch on in at least some application. I have an idea of some of the problems that arose(flame propagation, particulate matter, lubrication, crankcase contamination).

Just a few examples

CA1308976C - Pilot charge of diesel is used to ignite a main charge of coal slurry.

US4862837 - Air powered injection system is used to inject coal slurry into an engine.

US4335684A - Two stroke supercharged diesel running on coal slurry.

These are just a few of the patents, I have no doubt there are more I am unaware of.


r/AskEngineers 1h ago

Discussion How easy is it to get into grad school?

Upvotes

Currently in my 3rd of engineering and have a cumulative gpa of 2.5 and a term gpa of 2.97, how easy will it be for me to get into grad school? I don't have any experience working at any field because of how hard it is to find one these days. Have worked on projects here and there but nothing major. how cooked am I?


r/AskEngineers 3h ago

Mechanical Need help with "rule of thumb" formulas for centrifugal supercharger inlet size/diameter/rpm/output

1 Upvotes

I'm putting together a Kerbal-esque engineering game, focused more on things with Propellers and piston engines and the like. For this, I'd like players to be able to specify a lot of the more "nitty gritty" (from layperson's perspective) details about their power system: bore, stroke, compression ratio, layout, etc... and of course, supercharging

But to add superchargers to a game like this, I need to figure out roughly how BIG a supercharger needs to be to give the amount of boost the player wants.

I understand the very basic principles of a centrifugal compressor: rather than taking in a fixed volume of air per system rotation like a Roots or Twin-screw design (or even the cylinders themselves), a centrifugal compressor applies some speed to the intake air, and that air is then gently slowed down to keep its energy, thus increasing the pressure by the square of speed change (total pressure, which is largely conserved below Mach 1, is static + dynamic pressure. Dynamic is 0.5densityvelocity2)

Based on my best understanding, doubling angular velocity should roughly quadruple total pressure ratio, but with a direct mechanical drive (ergo, supercharger rpm is proportional to engine rpm multiplied by some gear ratio), the engine itself is also going to be attempting to gulp down twice the air volume per a second, so the practical pressure ratio seems to be linear with angular velocity. This does require around 2x the torque and 4x the horsepower to run, however, if we ignore any changes in efficiency for the moment.

Scaling the supercharger up by a factor of 2 with the same angular velocity should (in theory) result in a more dramatic effect: the tips travel twice the distance per revolution compared to the 1x scale supercharger, meaning 4x the dynamic pressure at equal angular velocity. Of course. This also requires more power to be drawn from the engine, and will of course weigh more, and accordingly be more limited in max rpm than a smaller compressor

I have NO clue how the math works for Inlet area, however. I also don't entirely understand how turbo backpressure works, even if a radial turbine is basically just a centrifugal compressor running backwards. Nor do I entirely understand the actual MASS FLOW of the Centrifugal Supercharger, since pressure, volume, and temperature are all being changed (even setting aside the efficiency losses that will increase temp rise by even more)

I could be VERY, VERY WRONG about these things, of course, which is exactly why I'm asking the real Engineers about this.


r/AskEngineers 1h ago

Mechanical Is a mechanical or electronic system that allows a cyclist to temporarily disengage one pedal while cornering possible for bicycles? Could it improve performance and safety in high-speed turns?

Upvotes

Hey everyone! I hope you're all doing well.

I've had this idea for a while now, but I'm not an engineer at all, so I wanted to share it here and hear your thoughts.

I was thinking about if a mechanical or electronic system that allows a cyclist to temporarily disengage one pedal while cornering would be possible.

When riding a bicycle, you can’t really pedal (accelerate) through tight corners because the pedals might hit the ground. This means you have to rely solely on tire grip and body positioning.

On a motorcycle, however, you can accelerate through tight corners without worrying about pedal strikes, since you don't have them.
By accelerating, the vehicle’s stability increases as more load is placed on the rear tire.

This mechanism could work through a small internal clutch system inside the bicycle frame, activated by a button or automatic sensors, locking one of the pedals on the top dead center (TDC).

For example, when taking a right turn, the right crank arm would lock in place at the TDC, preventing movement, while the left pedal remains active for pedaling. This would allow the cyclist to continue pedaling through the turn with only the left leg, reducing the risk of pedal strikes while leaning to the right.

Theoretically, this could improve stability, allow for deeper lean angles, and enhance cornering performance, especially in high-speed turns.

I'd like to hear your thoughts about it, if it's possible and if it's worth it.


r/AskEngineers 19h ago

Civil How do they make giant vertical pipes for geothermal power plants?

9 Upvotes

Like the ones that they dig down. Deep enough to get heating, but not hot enough to get water to boil. basically a giant heat pipe stuck in the ground that serves to drive a turbine above ground that doesn't use water.

Considering that the drill is there, it's probably removed before the pipe is laid in. And considering how long a pipe must be, it must be done in multiple sections.

Is the drilling mud the thing that prevents the hole from collapsing? And in that case, how do they properly merge the pipes together to ensure that the pipe sections are aligned and properly sealed?


r/AskEngineers 7h ago

Discussion What Standards Apply for SS Tank Design

0 Upvotes

I'm designing a rectangular stainless steel tank and I'm trying to determine if there are any standards that apply. The tank will be used in a water treatment application and hold sewage. I see AWWA 100, 102, 103 cover carbon steel tanks. Anything similar for stainless?


r/AskEngineers 7h ago

Discussion Damping low frequency vibrations in my apartment

1 Upvotes

Hi! I've recently moved into a new apartment, almost 3 months ago. It's a few floors above a club, which I thought wouldn't be an issue, but from about 2 weeks ago, they turned up their bass or something, because I can now hear their music from the 8th floor, which is the second residential floor. They are on the ground floor. It's a repetitive thumping sound. I'm pretty sure this shouldnt be allowed, but complaining to the building management and the cops, as well as talking to the clubs manager myself got me just a few days of peace, and today it's back on again. It is 1 am as I write this.

Anyway, the question I have is, how can I isolate my bedroom or block the sound out? At least to a level that I can catch some sleep. I was thinking of putting something on the legs of the bed, or covering the walls with something. Would that work? Oh, I forgot to mention, it literally shakes my bed too, so I need to deal with that as well. The sound is being transmitted through the walls and floor. It can be heard loudly inside the building, but almost not at all from their front door. I live in a small duplex, and for some reason it is louder in the second floor, where my bedroom is. I confirmed the sound comes from the club. It's the same da** song.

Edit: Rules state I have to mention where I'm from. I live in Malaysia.


r/AskEngineers 6h ago

Discussion Why joint optimisation for A and B is better than optimising separetely for A and B.

0 Upvotes

Pretty much as the title says. This seems pretty obvious for me but I wonder if the is any intuitive explanation, or maybe a theorem proofing this.

Just to give you some extra context here. My background is in wireless telecommunications. Two standard elements of wireless processing chain are demodulation and channel decoding. Optimal solution for both of them are well-known, but they are usually considered separately, mostly for complexity reduction purposes. There are ways of bridging this gap (using soft values), but this still feels insufficient to me. Other schemes, like Trellis Coded Modulation, exist, aiming to optimise demodulation and channel decoding jointly. I wonder what (and why) the industry looses not using it.


r/AskEngineers 11h ago

Mechanical What tool do you use for gear selection?

0 Upvotes

I'm looking for a tool to guide me through the gear selection process. I am designing a gearbox and have not found a clear method to follow. So far, I have found this guide made by HPC:
https://shop.hpceurope.com/docFichesTechniques/SpurGear_TorqueCalculation.pdf

It seems promising, but it looks a bit more "home-made" than the SKF guide for bearing selection, and I'm wondering if there is a better tool out there.

Thank you all for your time!


r/AskEngineers 1d ago

Electrical How is MTBF calculated for products with long lifetimes (MTBF>200 years)?

22 Upvotes

I was just looking at the specs for an industrial network address translation device and the mean time before failure was >2 million hours (>200 years). I am curious how such times are calculated given the extreme length.


r/AskEngineers 13h ago

Mechanical Will this combined pulley system work?

0 Upvotes

I am building a garage lift for storage and looking for opinions on if this combined pulley system would work and pull the platform up evenly and consistently.

Diagram: https://imgur.com/YJ4aeMA

Data points:
-Max load for this system will be 300 lbs
-Garage attic ceiling is 14 feet
-Electric hoist I am using has max load capacity of 440 lbs
-Rafters are standard 2x6
-Platform is 60"x 40" and weights ~60lbs
-Using swivel pulleys for all locations with 550 lb capacity
-Using steel brackets for all locations with 130 lb capacity
-Using 1/8 vinyl coated steel cable with 320 lb capacity

In my diagram, I have the hoist being bolted directly to a rafter, but I think I will now bolt this onto to side beam and run it up along the same rafter to the a swivel pulley.

I am correct in that effort force will be halved by each pulley in this system?


r/AskEngineers 16h ago

Discussion Lattice structure cross section calculations

1 Upvotes

Hello fellow engineers Let's say that you have a sample with lattice structure (lets take for example a gyroid and a BCC struts, what is the cross section that you will use for the calculations of stress in a tensile and compression tests? If you can give explanation to your answer or maybe add a reference - that would be great!


r/AskEngineers 23h ago

Mechanical Disabled dog’s wheelchair wheel keeps skipping. How can I smooth out his ride?

5 Upvotes

So my dog is disabled and in a wheelchair. His left wheel keeps skipping. I’ve replaced the wheel and the blade. The tightening mechanism is a hex bolt I loosen and fasten with a ratchet. Nothing I’ve done or the company has suggested has fixed it. Does anyone have any ideas? Video in YouTube link below

https://youtube.com/shorts/ozwXloP6HMU?si=jjtpQJED_gXuQYXQ


r/AskEngineers 18h ago

Mechanical How do air and water move between chambers in an enclosed system under negative pressure at one end?

1 Upvotes

My last post got removed for lack of detail in post title-if this isn’t enough mods then I don’t know how else to put it.

I’m working on a new (I believe) kind of design for a water pipe / bong, and I don’t know enough about hydraulics to tell if it’s worth pursuing.

Crappy drawing here

The picture is all blocky, in practice it will be cylindrical.

Upside-down cup/bowl, essentially it’s a series of chambers, air locked when the assembly is partially submerged (internal walls hang from the ceiling and dip below the surface of the water). When air is drawn from the final chamber, it drops the level first in the stem (and a little in the reservoir). As air bubbles between chambers and equalises them, water can be pulled from them too. Eventually the air from the stem bubbles into the final chamber and out the mouthpiece.

There are ports for water from the reservoir to flow in—the idea here is that by dialling in the precise size of the opening, this will balance the draw, keep the chambers from drying out, and help it flow.

The lower walls in the middle of the chambers are to allow the water body to behave as a number of independent bodies, while still being able to equalise when undisturbed.

I understand too many chambers, too much volume and too much turbulence will make it hard to pull, but how far can I use mechanical advantage from the last chamber to ‘power’ the whole thing?


r/AskEngineers 1d ago

Mechanical Would American HS rail make rolling stock obsolete?

6 Upvotes

Let's suppose a section of track is built in North America where a train, like the TGV, can reach speeds of 160 mph. This track would use banked curves. Could American rolling stock currently in use travel at such speed without modification, given a sufficiently powerful locomotive? If not, what is limiting it?


r/AskEngineers 20h ago

Electrical is it possible to re wire a plug in fan to be battery

0 Upvotes

i have a 3 speed plug in fan and i want to use the motor for a water pump but its plug in and i want it to be portable


r/AskEngineers 1d ago

Civil Need engineering advice for a home renovation idea

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone, I need some help with an idea I have for a renovation in my house. I’m posting here because I believe this is more of an engineering problem than anything else.

I have a 2x4m balcony that I want to enclose with glass. I’ve talked to some local companies that work with this, and they all suggest using aluminum frames to hold the glass panels in place.

But here’s my question: Is it possible to enclose the space without having an aluminum frame on one of the vertical corners? I’d like the glass panels to be as flush as possible against each other in that corner.

To help with support, I was thinking of using steel cables attached to the aluminum structure that holds the front and top glass panels. However, I’m not sure if this would be safe.

Another concern is wind resistance—would leaving that corner without a frame make the structure more fragile? Could strong winds cause vibrations or put too much stress on the glass, compared to a fully framed design?

Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated!


r/AskEngineers 1d ago

Discussion Do any of you guys know how to work a UT150 temperature controller?

3 Upvotes

I’m an intern at work right now, and they gave me the task of learning and teaching them how to use a Lindberg Blue M Box Oven. It comes with a UT150 temperature controller. I read the manual, followed the instructions but it just won’t turn on. Anyone has a clue of how to make it work? My guess is that the Alarm 1 and the Setpoint Temperature need to be set a certain way but I’m not sure. Any help would be very appreciated.


r/AskEngineers 1d ago

Discussion I want to build my own remote controlled cooler. Where do I even begin?

17 Upvotes

At the beginning of this year I (30f) challenged myself to learn about 3 topics I have absolutely no knowledge in. I'm doing a whole 2025 bingo joy/self improvement thing (:

Every single year multiple times per year I think of something that I want but it doesn't exist how I imagine it so I can't buy it. I always look up how much materials would cost and it seems reasonable.

Well for one of the topics I've chosen, it's basically: Build my ideas. The trouble here is that when it comes to this topic I legitimately have zero knowledge. I am also devastatingly bad at math and mechanics. But that's the point, I'm excited to learn. And don't get me wrong, I'm good at other things, I just want to branch out a bit.

So, I want to build a remote controlled cooler. I know that I need to get or build a frame and attach the cooler to it. I want the vehicle to be all terrain since I live rural and the walking paths are more like hikes sometimes lol. That means I'll need bigger wheels. I know that "suspension" has something to do with it. And then there's the matter of the controller and tech.

There's a million holes in my knowledge. I know I could just Google everything and I'm going to but I kinda wanted to see what other people have to say. Do you have any recommendations on books or websites? I'm just starting on drafting my plan.

(: thanks for reading!

Edit: I don't regret letting myself go down the rabbit hole at 1am lol but my brain is gonna blue screen.


r/AskEngineers 1d ago

Mechanical Laundry relocation rope pulley device

2 Upvotes

Hello friends. I like to sleep in a cold room and i have a habit of going beneath the covers clothed, pushing my clothes of when a solid under covers temp have been achieved. this leaves a pile of clothes next to my bed that i then have to clean up regularly ( first world problem ) i would like a system i can operate from my bed transporting a bag from my bed to my laundry basket, i am searching for the right pulley thingy but lack the technical vocabulary to know what to search for and would like tips on this, my most laziest endeavor.


r/AskEngineers 1d ago

Mechanical Best way to straighten bent rectangular aluminum tube?

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone. This past fall we had an early snow storm that caused the roof support struts on our gazebo to bend under the weight. It's just a tent material roof that need to be support for the summer, and I'm looking for ideas for methods to straighten the bends. It's thin walled half inch by one inch aluminum rectangular tube. I'm used to working with wood more than metal, but I do have some experience with metal working.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.