PROGRAM SUBMISSION

                The Graduate Program in Mechanical Engineering (PPSGEM) Stricto Sensu, the first Graduate Program of the Center for Technology of UFPB, was created in 1975 in the Master Program level and, subsequently, in 1995, the doctoral program was created.

Mission – The Graduate Program in Mechanical Engineering has the mission of carrying out teaching activities in the Master and Doctoral Programs levels, of applied and baseline research and technological development, working in the frontier of knowledge of the Mechanical Sciences.

Vision – To seek excellence in the formation of human resources in the field of Mechanical Engineering, impacting national scientific/technological development.

 

PPGEM aims to form teachers, researchers, and engineers, aiming at forming qualified human resources, encouraging research and development of technical and scientific studies related to Mechanical Sciences.

The acquisition of competencies throughout the Master or Doctoral Program in Mechanical Engineering focuses on fundamental objectives of assuring the graduate students, at the end of the program and after the acquisition of the corresponding Diploma, are capable of:

• Applying their knowledge and respective capacity of comprehension and solution of problems in new and unfamiliar situations, in expanded and multidisciplinary contexts;
• Integrating knowledge, dealing with complex issues, developing solutions, or judging situations of limited or incomplete information, including reflections about the ethical and social implications and responsibilities resulting from such solutions and judgments or that condition them;
• Communicating their conclusions and knowledge and reasoning subjacent to it, whether to specialists in a clear and unambiguous manner;
• Acting in developing original applications and products;
• Acquiring competencies and knowledge that enable learning attitudes throughout life, in a self-oriented and autonomous manner;
• Working in the knowledge threshold, contributing to the scientific and technological development of the region and the country, promoting such results, primarily, in high-impact journals;
• Applying science in the development of solutions to mechanical engineering issues.

 

LINES OF RESEARCH’S FIELDS AND DESCRIPTION

DYNAMIC FIELD AND CONTROL OF MECHANICAL SYSTEMS

Lines of Research

DYNAMICS OF MECHANICAL SYSTEMS – Studies, projects, and analyses aiming to solve mechanical systems problems under dynamic conditions. Development, modeling, and analyses of mechanisms. Studies on stability and applications to rigid and elastic mechanical systems. Studies and development of methodologies in methods of quantitative and qualitative methods of dynamic systems.

CONTROL OF MECHANICAL SYSTEMS – Studies on the development of automation techniques and control of dynamic systems. For example - solution of dynamics problems of mechanical systems (passive and active control of vibrations); analysis, synthesis, identification, implementation, and control of mechatronic systems in general; machine control and industrial systems, robotics, and study of adaptive systems.

INSTRUMENTATION OF MECHANICAL SYSTEMS – Development and use of instruments and equipment to measure, monitor, and register physical phenomena with the goal of promoting science, methods, functionality, and application of the measurement in mechanical systems. Project, development, and evaluation of instrumentation and measurement systems and components used in generation, acquisition, conditioning, and processing of signals of mechanical systems; analysis, representation, exposure, and preservation of information acquired from a set of mechanical systems measurements; maintenance and prediction engineering of mechanical systems; development and utilization of instruments for the analysis of the mechanical systems integrity; metrological analysis of mechanical systems.

 

FIELD – MANUFACTURING PROCESSES

Lines of Research

MECHANICAL/METALLURGICAL PROCESSES APPLIED TO MATERIALS – In this line of research, P&D activities are developed related to the various mechanical processes of metallic and ceramic materials and its composites, seeking to identify their correlation with the microstructural, mechanical, and physical-chemical characteristics. It aims at the full understanding of the inter-relation between processing, characterization, and properties. These processes are mainly welding, thermal treatments, hot and/or cold forming, high-energy milling, sinter plant, processing of ceramic and cement materials, melt-spinning, thermal deposits of post-metallic, and others. Also acting in the following themes: welding of steel for pipes; the phenomenon of Hydrogen-Induced Cracking in weld joints and the characterization of dissimilar joint welds.

 

QUANTIFICATION AND EVALUATION OF THE MATERIALS’ PROPERTIES – In this line of research, the processing of engineering materials is studied. It covers the structure of metallic alloys, primarily acting in the following subjects: characterization of amorphous alloys; nanostructured alloys, and alloys of quasicrystal alloys; shape-memory alloys, whereas such alloys are obtained through the induced welt, fast solidification and/or mechanosynthesis, magnetic properties of metallic alloys. The stage transformations in the solid state of shape-memory alloys. Thermomechanical processing  (thermomechanical properties and microstructure). Acquisition and characterization of titanium alloys for biomedical purposes and the Mechanical and microstructural Characterization of materials.

 

AREA OF THERMAL FLUIDS

Lines of Research

 

ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF ENERGY – Line of Research that focuses on the usage and/or analysis of different kinds of primary energy sources, as an alternative form of its usage, both in direct use or in the transformation process to the production of Electrical Energy. It is also related to the application of the concepts of energetic efficiency and rationality, and environmental impact. In an overview, this line of research relates to the study of the primary alternative sources: wind energy, solar energy (photovoltaic), geothermal energy, tidal driving energy, Biomass, Biogas related to this.

 

HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER – Line of research focusing on the study, analysis, and projects related to the problems of complex transfer of heat and mass, involving various methods for a solution, including the broadest computational packages for the computational dynamics of open fluids and commercially acquired. The signs of progress of the available computational codes in the market of fluids dynamics and the convection have enabled tackling a range of engineering issues, and notably those from the petrol and gas engineering. This does not invalidate the advent of new codes for the solution of new and old problems, such as the extension of techniques and methodologies. In this sense, the codes have been used with powerful packages, and also expanded programs developed in Fortran for the multifluid outflow. Some monophasic and biphasic have sought solutions in the field of speed and temperature including variable thermal-fluid variables. In addition, it also has sought to examine the analyses, in a theoretical manner, of the outflow of long-pressure variable fluids, typical features of pre-salt fluids, and even the contamination situation found in sanitary landfills.

 

ANALYSIS OF HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER THROUGH GENERALIZED INTEGRAL TRANSFORM TECHNIQUE – Line of research focusing on the extension of the application of the Generalized Integral Transform Technique (GITT) to complex problems of Heat and Mass transfer when looking for Hybrid solutions. The problems of heat and mass transfer are often formulated through complex partial differential equations and are frequently subject to boundary conditions also complex since it constricts the solution from the mathematical perspective through simple analytical methods. These types of problems, most times, are tackled aiming to be solved through purely numerical procedures, which also represents additional difficulties in the process and extension for a deeper parametric analysis. The Generalized Transform Technique, as a powerful analytic-numerical hybrid math tool, allows the acquisition of explicit solutions, even demanding computational numerical procedures in its implementation. In this sense, it is possible to extend the parametric analysis with deeper understanding and visibility of the problems in which the traditional math techniques cannot reach. Various extensions of the technique sage concerning problems for the acquisition of parameters of practical interest have been performed, such as - Nusselt Number, frictional force, Sherwood number, among others.

 

REFRIGERATION AND EXERGETIC ANALYSIS – This Line of Research was first associated to the energy and exergy analyses and extended to exergoeconomic and exergoenvironmental analyses of the energy generation systems through thermal transforms, refrigeration systems through vapor absorption, in development, for the direct and indirect burning, with construction and analysis of prototypes. The analyses of thermal systems have expanded since the utilization of the first law provides us quantitative data and does not qualify nor ascertain the acuity of the process of analysis. The insertion of the exergetic analysis associated with the development of new technological devices added to the process the quality and possibility of identification of the highest irreversibility points. In the sequence, the association with monetary costs for such wastes has led us to the importance and need of energy and economic analyses for the exergoeconomic evaluations, which enables the study of the monetary and exergetic costs associated with each process or with the whole. The exergo-economic evaluations have been carried out in two branches: following the explicit ideas by Luzano – Valero and his followers with the Theory of Exergetic Costs, and, more recently, carrying out studies with satsaronis and the followers of both exergo-economic and exergo-environmental analyses, through the method of specific exergy costs, known as – SPECO.

 

CURRICULAR STRUCTURE

The Stricto Sensu Graduation Program in Mechanical Engineering offers Doctoral and Academic Master Programs, and its activities are distributed in three concentration areas:

Thermal fluids

Manufacturing Processes

Dynamics and Control of Mechanical Systems.

 

PPGEM’s lines of research are:

I – Thermal fluids:

Analysis of Heat and Mass Transfer through Generalized Integral Transform Technique;

Alternative Sources of Energy;

Refrigeration and Exergy Analysis

Heat and Mass Transfer.

II – Manufacturing Processes:

Mechanical/Metallurgic Processes Applied to Materials;

Quantification and evaluation of the Materials’ Properties.

III – Dynamics and Control of Mechanical Systems;

Dynamics of Mechanical Systems;

Control of Mechanical Systems;

Instrumentation of Mechanical Systems;

 

For the Master program, the minimum amount of 22 credits is required, distributed as it follows:

In mandatory courses activities from the common core of the three fields – 8 credits;

In mandatory courses by concentration area: 6 credits;

In the set of optional courses and/or academic activities by concentration area: 8 credits;

As for the Doctoral program, the minimum amount of 22 credits is required, distributed as it follows:

In mandatory and academic activities of the common core of the three fields: 13 credits;

In mandatory courses by concentration area: 6 credits;

In the set of optional courses and/or academic activities by concentration area: 16 credits.

 

COMMON CORE COURSES – Scientific Production (2 credits);

COMMON CORE’S ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES – Dissertation Project (2 credits); Thesis project (4 credits); Research project I (4 credits); Research project II (exclusive for the doctoral program, 4 credits); Research project III (exclusive for the doctoral program, 3 credits).

 

MANDATORY COURSES

Field of Thermal Fluid: Thermodynamics (3 credits) and Fluid Mechanics (3 credits)

Field of MANUFACTURING PROCESSES: Physical Metallurgy (3 credits) and Structure and Property of Materials (3 credits).

Field of DYNAMICS AND CONTROL OF MECHANICAL SYSTEMS:

Servomechanisms and Control (3 credits) and Control I (3 credits)

 

OPTIONAL COURSES

Field of Thermal Fluids: Conduction Heat Transfer (3 CREDITS); Convection Heat Transfer (3 credits); Refrigeration and Air Conditioner (3 credits); Utilization of Solar Energy (3 credits); Analysis of Heat and Mass Diffusion (3 credits); Co-generation (3 credits); Absorption refrigeration (3 credits); Special Topics (1 to 3 credits).

 

Field of MANUFACTURING PROCESSES: Thermodynamics of Materials (3 credits); Crystallography and Diffraction of X-Rays (3 credits); Welding Technology (3 credits); Material Mechanical Essays (3 credits); Characterization of Materials (3 credits); Planning of Experiments (3 credits); Processing of Particulate Materials (3 credits); Stage Transformations (3 credits); Solidification (3 credits); Special Topics (1 to 3 credits)

 

Field of DYNAMICS AND CONTROL OF MECHANICAL SYSTEMS: Mechanical Vibrations (3 credits); Instrumentation (3 credits); Identification of Systems (3 credits); Computer-Assisted Metrology (3 credits); Artificial Intelligence (3 credits); Systems optimization (3 credits); Special Topics (3 credits).

 

COMMON OPTIONAL COURSES IN THE CONCENTRATION AREAS: Special Studies (1 to 4 credits); Numerical Methods (3 credits); Planning of experiments (3 credits); Applied math (5 credits); Signal Acquisition and Processing (5 credits)

 

Optional academic activity: Teaching practice.