Vehicles traveling at hypersonic speeds (faster than Mach 5) experience tremendous aerodynamic stress. Purdue University researchers are investigating ways of managing that stress passively, using materials and geometry built into the vehicle’s body design. They have received a supercomputer allocation from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to enable large-scale simulations supporting current and future hypersonic experiments at the Air Force Research Laboratory.

You're starting up the ladder in industry, and a Master's degree can be a big boost to your career. But who has the time? With the Professional Master's Program (PMP) from Purdue University Mechanical Engineering, you can get a world-class education in your engineering focus area in just 1-2 years, sharpen your professional management skills, and join a network of more than 100,000 Boilermaker engineers around the world!

Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, is rich with organic substances and may contain clues to the chemical beginnings of life. NASA is planning to send a first-of-its-kind rotorcraft lander called Dragonfly to explore Titan’s unique surface.

But before it begins flying, Dragonfly’s entry capsule has to make it through Titan’s dense atmosphere. That’s where Purdue University researchers come in. They are studying the chemistry that unfolds at extreme temperatures behind shock waves in Titan’s atmosphere. This directly influences the amount of radiative heating impacting the vehicle’s heat shield, which must withstand incredible temperatures to survive and allow for a successful landing of the Dragonfly rotorcraft on the surface of Titan.

Adrian Buganza Tepole, associate professor of mechanical engineering, has received the 2024 Y.C. Fung Early Career Award from ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers).

The next time you adjust the thermostat in your home, car, office, or refrigerator, thank an air-conditioning engineer! This field is vital for the future of energy, sustainability, and human comfort. Purdue has graduated so many of these engineers through the decades, that they have their own student organization on campus: American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

Purdue University researchers are using machine learning to train a robot to recognize a jumbled pile of items, locate the one item it needs, and retrieve it in the most efficient way. It’s one small step to creating resilient and versatile robots that can assist astronauts in maintaining future extraterrestrial habitats on the Moon, on Mars, or in deep space.

Purdue ME faculty and staff were recently recognized for milestone anniversaries, celebrating 10, 15, 20, or more years of service to Purdue.

Teams of Purdue mechanical engineering students have developed novel prototype projects involving hydroponic farming, spacecraft fairings, and roofing nails. The teams competed for the Malott Innovation Awards, given to the best senior design project of the fall 2023 semester.

Ajay Malshe, the R. Eugene and Susie E. Goodson Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering, has been appointed as a President's Fellow by Purdue University.

The future of transportation may be above us, with electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles. These aircraft combine the speed and convenience of helicopters with the electric power of drones — and the potential of sustainable carbon-free aviation. But achieving this future requires scrutiny of the vehicle’s most important component: the batteries. Purdue University researchers have conducted one of the first lithium-ion battery investigations specific to the demands of eVTOL vehicles.