This program is the broad mechanical engineering field to develop and construct. It solves the science and technical problems of design, performance achievement and optimization of mechanical product using the basic theory of mechanical engineering and studies the theory and technology of mechanical products as well as traditional vehicle, unmanned vehicle, intelligent connected vehicle, new energy vehicle, bionics and robot, power machinery, fluid machinery and also studies the theory and technologies includes intelligent manufacturing, sensing and mechatronic control, opto-electronics micro-nano fabrication science and engineering, engineering thermophysics.
This program is a full-time degree, including both coursework and project. It aims at cultivating the high-level specialized personnel with a firm grasp of basic theories and professional knowledge of mechanical engineering, having the ability to solve practical problems and undertake the tasks for professional technology or management. They will participate in projects in mechanical engineering under the guidance of their advisors and complete their graduation thesis based on the projects they have conducted.
Dedicated to the development of general mechanics, mechanical engineering program contains two first-class disciplines – mechanical engineering, power machinery and engineering. The mechanical engineering discipline in Beijing Institute of Technology was founded in 1943 in Yan’an Academy of Natural Science and began to enroll graduate students in 1955. In 1981, the second-class discipline named Vehicle Engineering was authorized to offer the doctorate degree, followed by power machinery and engineering offering second-class discipline doctorate degree in 1993. Mechanical engineering was selected as one of the earliest disciplines that offers first-class discipline doctorate degree in 1998, and power engineering and thermophysics began to offer first level discipline doctorate degree in 2017. Mechanical engineering discipline was selected as one of the earliest national key disciplines in 2007, and also ranked as “Double First-Class” discipline category A in 2017.
As the discipline that cultivated the first tank in China, mechanical engineering serves as an important research and teaching base for armored vehicle design. Based on the great needs of national security, mechanical engineering has developed the hydro-mechanical transmission design theory for armored vehicles. The focus on armored vehicle transmission development has cultivated the top-rated armored vehicle in the world. Aiming at the development of national key emerging industries, electric commercial vehicle design platform was generated. The platform cooperated with 15 new-energy vehicle industry members and the outcome has been successfully applied on the electric vehicles used in the transportation systems in APEC. It’s worth noted that through years of explorations and innovations, the electric commercial vehicle technology was successfully exported to European Union. As one of the most important national platform, the “electric vehicle big data collaboration platform” was built to monitor electric vehicle, and provides EV design requirements for domestic vehicle industry. Mechanical engineering is actively engaged in the “Made in China 2025” strategy, a novel micro-nano machining technology based on dynamic control of instantaneous electron was proposed to reduce the height of recast layer by 60%. The machining efficiency was improved 50 times and depth-diameter ration/depth-width ratio limit was increased by 30 times. This technology was selected as one of the sixteen national science and technology major projects for the machining of micro holes on the target sphere. Mechanical engineering also conducts systematic and cooperative research in unmanned vehicle, humanoid robot and other innovative technologies.
There are now 77 professors and 88 doctoral supervisors in mechanical engineering discipline. Among them, one professor is academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) and one is foreign academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), 47 faculties entered national high-level talent plans such as Changjiang Distinguished Professor, distinguished young scholars, 511 Talents of National Defense and National Recruitment Program. The discipline has seven innovation teams sponsored by Ministry of Education, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and Ministry of Science and Technology, four national research platforms including 2011 cooperative innovation center, eleven provincial research centers and two centers was selected as Overseas Expertise Introduction Center for Discipline Innovation (111 Center). The area of our laboratories is over 32 thousand square meters, and the total assets of facilities reach RMB 520 million.
The main research directions in Mechanical Engineering of BIT include:
(1)Vehicle Theory and Unmanned Vehicle Technology. Focusing on the theory and integration of vehicle system, vehicle dynamics, simulation, NVH, vehicle reliability, vehicle new driveline theory and technology; system technology, perception, path planning, control, testing and evaluation of unmanned vehicles; multi-ground platforms cooperation technology, ground-aerial unmanned system cooperation technology. It has reached international advanced level in domains such as integrated transmission of vehicles, hydraulic transmission, high-power hydraulic components, electro-mechanical transmission, and system technology of unmanned platforms.
(2)Intelligent Connected Vehicles and Electric Drive. Focusing on intelligent connected vehicles system theory, big data analysis and deep mining of vehicle, deep environment perception and multi-source information fusion, intelligent autonomous decision and dynamics control, intelligent connected vehicle architecture and information security, electric vehicle design theory &system integration and control, vehicle lightweight design method and material application, on-board energy source security and efficiency, high-efficiency and high-energy density integrated electric drive system. It is at the forefront of the world in big data analysis and mining technology of vehicle and pure electric commercial vehicle platform technology and pure electric bus application technology.
(3) Intelligent Manufacturing Engineering. Based on the “Made in China 2025” Strategic Plan, taking the major needs of the defense technology field as the background, taking the intelligent technology of all stages in the production and manufacturing as the core and training the innovative talents in the intelligent manufacturing field as its goal. The advanced processing national defense key laboratory focuses on the research of difficult-to- machine materials, high-efficiency and precision ultra-precision machining theory and tooling technology, digital design and manufacturing technology, non-destructive testing technology, intelligent assembly technology, additive manufacturing technology and intelligent production and manufacturing service technology. It has obvious features and advantages in the processing technology of difficult-to-machine materials, product manufacturing quality inspection and control and digital design and manufacturing technologies.
(4) Intelligent Robots and Systems. Focusing on the study of theoretical methods and techniques including motion bionics, multi-scale sensing and manipulation, biomechanical integration and interaction and system control and integration. It has obvious advantages and features in the research of humanoid robots and has reached the international advanced level. It is at the leading international level in the coordination and control of martial arts and other complex actions.
(5) Electromechanical Systems and Sensors. Focusing on sensing, measurement and control technology, micro-mini unmanned system design and integration, advanced control and drive technology, information and integrated electronic control technology and non-destructive testing theory and technology. It has obvious advantages and features in the intelligent control and ultrasonic detection of unmanned systems.
(6) Opto-Electronics Micro-Nano Fabrication Science and Engineering. Facing the frontier basic science and common technology problems in micro-nano fabrication, highlighting the unique advantages of multi-disciplinary integration of photo-machine-electricity; focusing on micro/nano design theory and methods, micro-nano mechanical watch/interface behavior and control, laser micro-nano fabrication, micro-structured composite processing technology and precision mechanical system assembly theory and technology. It has distinctive features in the micro-nano system design, laser micro-nanometer manufacturing, precision/micro-structure composite processing and assembly technology, in which the femtosecond laser micro-nano processing mechanism and method living in the international advanced level.
(7)Engineering Thermophysics. The research area of engineering thermophysics is oriented to the needs of the national energy strategy. Based on the aerodynamic thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, heat and mass transfer of heat engines, the theoretical methods and key technologies for energy efficient used in thermal systems are studied. The main research contents include: thermal cycle and its work process, high-efficiency combustion theory and technology, thermal management of thermal system, theory and method of waste heat recovery of thermal system, complex combined cycle and its adjustment technology. Significant research features have been formed in the areas of efficient combustion, thermal management, and efficient thermal cycling.
(8) Power Machinery and Engineering. The research area of power machinery and engineering is based on internal combustion engines, heat turbines, internal combustion generators, and other new types of power machinery and systems. Based on engineering thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, solid mechanics, materials science, engineering control theory, and modern design methods, the basic theory and key technologies for the efficient, reliable and clean conversion of this form of energy into directly exploitable mechanical or electrical energy is studied. The main research contents include: overall design and performance optimization of power system, power system control theory and technology, reliability and vibration noise of power mechanical structure, turbocharger and emission purification, design of new concept power machinery and system. Among them, the highly-enhanced internal combustion engine digital design theory, key components reliability technology, internal combustion engine electronic control and supercharging have outstanding advantages in China.
(9) Fluid Machinery and Engineering. In response to major engineering needs in national defense and energy, research is conducted on the functional transformation laws of fluid mechanical devices, the flow processes of complex systems, and key technologies in fluid dynamics. The main research contents include: the internal flow characteristics and control of bladed fluid machinery, cavitation flow mechanism and numerical model research, fluid dynamics in vehicle and power system, the internal flow characteristics of low-temperature medium in high-speed turbo-pump, unsteady flow and fluid-structure interaction , noise prediction and control of fluid machinery, optimal design of fluid machinery, integrated optimal design of water-jet propulsion system and underwater vehicle, and optimal design theory and key technology development of advanced composite propellers. In the high-speed hydrodynamics, especially the cavitation flow and the internal flow stability of fluid machinery, the program has formed a significant research feature.
(10) Energy and Environmental Engineering. The research area of energy and environmental engineering is mainly engaged in the research of pollutant generation mechanism, emission control technology, and pollutant monitoring technology in the process of energy conversion and utilization. It focuses on the research of various pollutant generation mechanisms, control technologies, on-line monitoring technologies, pollutant control regulations and pollution control technology policies; the research of the generation mechanism of various types of conventional and unconventional pollutants in the process of energy conversion and utilization, the mechanism of action and contribution rate of pollution in the atmospheric environment, the impact of various types of pollution sources on indoor and in-vehicle environments and on human health, and the energy utilization and environmental protection system engineering research. The discipline of energy and environmental engineering integrates the disciplines of thermal sciences, mechanics, materials science, machinery manufacturing, environmental sciences, and electromagnetic radiation, thus it is a composite discipline of energy, environment, and control.
(11) New energy Science and Engineering. The research area of new energy science and engineering focuses on the research of renewable energy such as solar energy, hydrogen energy, and biomass energy, and has connections with energy, materials, chemistry, physics, and biology. This research area studies the basic theory and key technologies for the efficient conversion and utilization of renewable energy. The main research contents include: hydrogen energy and fuel cell’s theory and key technologies, hybrid power system energy management and control technology, solar energy efficient utilization theory and technology, high density Power battery system technology, development of new energy and new power devices, etc. This research area formed leading research features in the solar thermal utilization, seawater desalination and hydrogen internal combustion engine development.
Training Target
The target is to train high-level innovative talents who have a good knowledge of international common sense, with the ability of spreading Chinese and foreign cultures occupied, so that to bring international graduate students into full play as a cultural bridge.
(1) Master student
Master students trained in this subject should have good research ethics and professionalism. They should master the solid basic theory and systematic expertise of the discipline, master the modern experimental methods and the skills of the discipline, and have the ability to engage in scientific research or undertake specialized technologies independently. They should be capable of performing scientific research, engineering design, product development and teaching in research institutes, companies, and universities.
(2) Ph.D student
The Ph.D students cultivated in this subject should have the scientific spirit and the international perspective. They should master a solid and broad basic theory and systematic in-depth expertise of the discipline; master the modern experimental methods and skills of the discipline. They have a certain degree of International academic communication skills; be capable of conducting scientific research independently. They also need to have a good spirit of cooperation, and be able to make creative achievements in scientific research or technical expertise. Ph.D. students should also master solid and basic theory, systematic specialized knowledge in the field of mechanical engineering, modern experimental methods and skills, international academic exchange ability, the capability of being engaged in scientific research independently, good cooperation spirit and be able to make creative achievements in scientific research or expertise.
Length of Schooling
The basic length of schooling for master students is 2 years. In principle, students should complete the courses in the first academic year. Thesis work time should not be less than one year. The maximum length of study for master students is extended by 0.5 years on the basis of 2 years.
The basic length of schooling for Ph.D. students is 4 years. In principle, students should complete the courses in the first academic year. Thesis work time should not be less than three years. The maximum length of study for Ph.D. students is extended by 2 years on the basis of 4 years.