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Objectivist Mechanical Engineers

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Halsey17

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I'm just wondering about other Objectivist mechanical engineers as far as their industry or research area of choice. I'll soon be graduating and pursuing master's studies in mechanical engineering myself, and at this point my ideal industry is small arms (FN, HK, Colt...etc.). So what are you other MechEs doing? Anyone trying to design super efficient engines like JG in Atlas Shrugged or what? Is anyone doing research instead of industry? Any advice for kids like me?

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I always thought he was more of an electrical engineer. He'd need some serious knowlege of E-M fields to design that motor. In other words, gEEks rule.

All inter-major rivalry aside good luck with the remainder of your studies and with getting to design some really cool stuff.

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I'm just wondering about other Objectivist mechanical engineers as far as their industry or research area of choice. I'll soon be graduating and pursuing master's studies in mechanical engineering myself, and at this point my ideal industry is small arms (FN, HK, Colt...etc.). So what are you other MechEs doing? Anyone trying to design super efficient engines like JG in Atlas Shrugged or what? Is anyone doing research instead of industry? Any advice for kids like me?

Advice? Go after what you're passionate about.

Small arms? That's pretty cool, really.

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Yeah he would definitely need a lot of knowledge in electrical engineering, so much that most of the papers for his "physics" major would probably have been papers to prepare him for electrical engineering. It would probably not be too inaccurate to say his majors were "philosophy" and "electrical engineering" rather than the former and physics...but of course the latter a branch of physics :P

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I am a freshman in Mechanical Engineering. I am not 100% on what i want to do because i still have to see where experience and learning more about the major leads. I would like to work with motors and engines though. Just seems like there is room for improvement and there have not been drastic changes or advancements made for a while.

On the topic of John Galt I would say he would need a good knowledge of both ME and EE. And I am certain he could do the equivalent of a double-major

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Just seems like there is room for improvement and there have not been drastic changes or advancements made for a while.

I completely agree with that statement.

I'm in the motorcycle racing industry, and things have been a bit irritating as I can just "predict" the new marketing that comes each year.

I don't plan on getting a new car until there's a reasonably priced diesel model available out there. There are some, but really few. Now we're back to regulation, the EPA, and the environmental religion...sorry if I'm ruffling feathers.

As for guns, I though we were going to see some caseless ammunition designs, but I guess they are kind of dirty. Didn't work as well as they were thought to work in the real world.

Where do I put an advance order for the BFG model SD26?

LOL! I think one ought to make sure the order is filled before the Inauguration. In some cases, hey, guns are as valuable as gold.

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I assume it will somehow combine the ease of use of the AR-15, the absolute bomb-proof ruggedness of the HK-91, and the utter reliability of the AK-47.

You should be able to knock that one out by this afternoon. The physical prototype obviously will take a couple of days longer.

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I have a Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering.

I've been working in the jet engine / gas turbine industry for about 12 years.

I think mechanical engineering is a very general degree.

If I could go back in time I would probably get a more specific degree such as materials engineering, welding engineering or even industrial engineering as they would probably be more useful to my career.

But if you don't have a specific idea of what industry you will work in it may be difficult to choose a more specific major.

If you don't know what you're passionate about I would suggest getting any kind of part time job available in engineering to get an idea of what you would do on a daily basis and to get as much exposure to different industries as possible so that you can find / choose a passion.

In regards to small arms, I am thinking about buying one of the new Winchester Model 70's chambered in .243 - they are now manufactured by FN in Columbia, SC.

Edited by turboimpala
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  • 2 weeks later...
I am a freshman in Mechanical Engineering. I am not 100% on what i want to do because i still have to see where experience and learning more about the major leads. I would like to work with motors and engines though. Just seems like there is room for improvement and there have not been drastic changes or advancements made for a while.

On the topic of John Galt I would say he would need a good knowledge of both ME and EE. And I am certain he could do the equivalent of a double-major

Well I know that for a lot of engineering qualifications HERE in NZ electrical engineers are expected to take a lot of papers in general engineering and mechanical engineering (usually during their first year). I really do not know if that is how it works at other colleges etc throughout the world however, maybe some people that actually have an EE degree or have looked into it a bit more could tell us if that sort of thing actually is more common/likely.

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  • 8 months later...
I always thought he was more of an electrical engineer. He'd need some serious knowlege of E-M fields to design that motor. In other words, gEEks rule.

Galt was a "Industrial" engineer, he had no limit to his area of study. People who make motors have to have a good understanding of E/M fields but they also have to have a good understanding of many mechanical phenomena some of which include but are not limited to rotor dynamics, bearing design, vibration design, thermodynamics, and heat transfer. If I were to get a college degree in motor design I would be a Mechatronics engineer or a systems engieer but neither of these degrees existed in 1957 and so I would think Galt was a physicist not an engineer.

Rotor dynamics is the study of slight imbalances in the shaft of a motor which can affect bearing life and sometimes lead to housing failure. All you have to do is imagine ride on a merry go round and you have experienced centrifugal force. Imagine it when you are traveling several 1000 rpm. I could go on but you get the idea. I help design electric motors at work we make DC permanent magnet motors for custom applications.

I am a mechanical engineer and have been so for 8 years. I have worked in a few different fields of study, they include but are not limited to HVAC(internship), aerospace, food processing, power, medical, scientific research, nuclear power, industrial automation and cryogenics. Most of that time was spent developing custom turbomachinery which I have been doing for the past 5 years. Some of the products I have worked on are in rockets (turbopumps, a primary component of a rocket engine), fans for next generation military vehicles and power system for torpedo engines. I have also worked on pumps that are used to automate biological experiments and make 90% of all of the additives in Frito Lay products.

I like product design because it is extremely interesting how people come up with products.

That said I have found few people in my fields of work that have any understanding of philosophy. I have yet to meet another objectivist product design engineer.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm a sophomore at Virginia Tech majoring in Mechanical Engineering, however I just transferred here from a liberal arts school, so I'm more like a freshman. The reason I'm a studying ME (and the reason I'm at Tech) is because I absolutely love cars. I'm the son of an auto mechanic and I grow up in the passenger (and sometimes, illegally, in the drivers seat) of a BMW. I have a profound respect and passion for these machines, and I want to work for a car company until I have enough capital to start my own.

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I recall Galt referring to himself as a physicist and not an engineer, although he did seek employment as an engineer. Further, the engine Galt constructed was only possible due to a breakthrough in theoretical physics (or a "new concept of energy"). Although, I think for an objectivist the lines between an engineer and a physicist are more blurred because there is no practical/theoretical dichotomy.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I just started my freshman year in Mechanical Engineering. Aerospace and automobiles are of prime interest to me. I've wanted to be a part of the space program ever since I was 10 years old, when I saw Ron Howard's "Apollo 13". That story rocked me to my core. If there are any here who aren't familiar with it, I recommend reading up on it a bit. Off the top of my head I can't think of any story that is a truer and more complete testament to the awe-inspiring power of the human mind.

As far as automobiles are concerned, I never really had any great interest in cars. I always thought they were cool, and I knew I would one day have the perfect, well-engineered driving machine, but I never thought about designing them. It wasn't until I read this statistic that I became deeply interested in cars:

Even when aided with turbochargers and stock efficiency aids, most engines retain an average efficiency of about 18%-20%. -- Wikipedia

I remember thinking, "How long have cars been around? 100+ years? That's not just absurd, it's totally unacceptable."

And that's my story. I salute you, fellow engineers. Heat is a powerful enemy, but he will be defeated. Stand strong. :)

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I remember thinking, "How long have cars been around? 100+ years? That's not just absurd, it's totally unacceptable."

What's unacceptable is the fact that a working series hybrid electric vehicle was shown at the Worlds Fair in 1903[?] and only now are we starting to implement that design. See the E-Varo, an automotive X-prize contestant. http://www.futurevehicletechnologies.com/index.html

Stay Focused,

<Φ>aj

Edited by aristotlejones
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  • 1 year later...

. . .

Dagny’s diesel electric locomotives would likely have been produced here in real life. I was a co-op engineering student, many years after 1957, at the Lagrange plant. It was a magnificent process, from receipt of supplies and steel castings to emergence of the finished locomotive from the paint barn. The diesel engine—alongside which Dagny says of its creator(s) “Yours is the type of mind I worship”—turns an electric generator which supplies electricity to the traction motors which turn the axles of the locomotive.

I expect that some of that diesel-electric locomotive history of technology at GM (and this history) has benefitted them in designing and producing their Volt (2007, in progress; 2011 and beyond), and later this year, the Opal Ampera.

Notes on GM electric propulsion for automobile: A, B

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I'm a senior in high school and recently got accepted to the Faculty of Engineering at University of Manitoba. Still not completely sure what I want to do, especially since I've always wanted to join the military in the combat arms. I would have done it this summer but I need eye surgery first.

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