Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering is about designing, developing and improving mechanical components and systems that make our world and lives function; everything from nuclear fusion and artificial hearts to driverless cars. Put simply, mechanical engineering deals with anything that moves, including human beings! Tomorrow’s Engineers: From Idea to Career
Table Tennis Server
This DIY Faraday challenge asks students to work in teams to design and make a prototype device, which will serve tennis balls consistently across a table tennis table. The server must fit securely on the edge of the table and serve at least four balls accurately and precisely in the same position and allow the ball to be returned. This DIY Challenge Day resource was produced by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).
Flood Defence
This DIY Faraday challenges asks students to work in teams to design and make a prototype device that can design and make a prototype of a simple device (to be sold in stores like B&Q) that will allow homeowners to remove water from their house during periods of flooding. The device will have to move 100ml of water from one position to another to a height of 300mm. Students are awarded marks for the amount of water they successfully move within one minute.
This DIY Challenge Day resource was produced by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).
Tape Dispenser Challenge
This activity asks students to design a new way of delivering sticky tape, using one hand. Students must look at existing sticky tape dispensers, consider the key factors of their design and look at how they might be adapted (or completely redesigned) for users with only one hand.
Design a new robot submarine
This activity explores how robot submarines are used to explore the oceans and how they use different systems including the use of air pressure to go underwater, in their work. Students will investigate the relationship between displacement of water using air; and how this can be used to control and maneuver a submarine craft from the surface to floor of the ocean.
This resource is part of the Polar Explorer Resource Collection: https://www.stem.org.uk/polar-explorer-educational-resources
Making a house a home
This video shows Angela Malynn, a mechanical engineering at Arup. Angela helped bring London's King's Cross railway station - one of the UK's busiest stations - up to date and make it a pleasant place to work or wait for a train. She tells us all about this challenge and why she finds a job in engineering really addictive!
Choosing the right composite material
Taking inspiration from the Born to Engineer video from Nina Parsons, a young engineer who has combined her love of motorsport with a career in composite design, this resource supports students to increase their understanding of composites in a motorsport setting. Students will learn about different composites, with a specific focus on carbon fibre, Glass Reinforced Polyester (GRP), Kevlar and concrete, and perform compression and load tests on a sample of chocolate composites.
The Digital Twin Challenge
This game from Siemens gives pupils the opportunity to design a virtual car by altering various factors such as the type of tyres, body style, engine and materials for wheels. The real-time simulation tests each design change in terms of outputs and how it performs on the road. The game can be used to support the teaching of forces, movement, aerodynamics and design for pupils aged 11 to 14 and the resource includes some lesson plan ideas and worksheets to do this.
Ingenious engineering app
This lesson from Siemens uses an app to inform students about new technologies and the impact of automation, digitalisation and electrification on individuals, society and the environment. It is intended to address the 'evaluate' strand of the key stage 3 design and technology curriculum.