(Part 2) Best mechanical engineering books according to redditors
We found 275 Reddit comments discussing the best mechanical engineering books. We ranked the 128 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
Someone recommended "Thermodynamics for Dummies" on this sub when I posted about the class not "clicking" 2 years ago. Best $17 you can spend on the class IMO, it reads really well and should help a lot in understanding the underlying concepts.
There's also a pdf probably floating around (arrg), but I'd recommend buying the physical copy since it's really light newsprint. I ended up highlighting and writing notes all over it and it ended up becoming a "half-blood prince" book of sorts for thermo concepts.
/u/another_user_name posted this list a while back. Actual aerospace textbooks are towards the bottom but you'll need a working knowledge of the prereqs first.
Non-core/Pre-reqs:
Mathematics:
Calculus.
1-4) Calculus, Stewart -- This is a very common book and I felt it was ok, but there's mixed opinions about it. Try to get a cheap, used copy.
1-4) Calculus, A New Horizon, Anton -- This is highly valued by many people, but I haven't read it.
1-4) Essential Calculus With Applications, Silverman -- Dover book.
More discussion in this reddit thread.
Linear Algebra
3) Linear Algebra and Its Applications,Lay -- I had this one in school. I think it was decent.
3) Linear Algebra, Shilov -- Dover book.
Differential Equations
4) An Introduction to Ordinary Differential Equations, Coddington -- Dover book, highly reviewed on Amazon.
G) Partial Differential Equations, Evans
G) Partial Differential Equations For Scientists and Engineers, Farlow
More discussion here.
Numerical Analysis
5) Numerical Analysis, Burden and Faires
Chemistry:
Physics:
2-4) Physics, Cutnel -- This was highly recommended, but I've not read it.
Programming:
Introductory Programming
Programming is becoming unavoidable as an engineering skill. I think Python is a strong introductory language that's got a lot of uses in industry.
Core Curriculum:
Introduction:
Aerodynamics:
Thermodynamics, Heat transfer and Propulsion:
Flight Mechanics, Stability and Control
5+) Flight Stability and Automatic Control, Nelson
5+)[Performance, Stability, Dynamics, and Control of Airplanes, Second Edition](http://www.amazon.com/Performance-Stability-Dynamics-Airplanes-Education/dp/1563475839/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315534435&sr=8-1, Pamadi) -- I gather this is better than Nelson
Engineering Mechanics and Structures:
3-4) Engineering Mechanics: Statics and Dynamics, Hibbeler
6-8) Analysis and Design of Flight Vehicle Structures, Bruhn -- A good reference, never really used it as a text.
G) Introduction to the Mechanics of a Continuous Medium, Malvern
G) Fracture Mechanics, Anderson
G) Mechanics of Composite Materials, Jones
Electrical Engineering
Design and Optimization
Space Systems
Machine Design by Norton
Theory of Machines and Mechanisms by Shigley
are considered the two bibles on machine design and are common in machine design courses.
Materials Selection in Mechanical Design by Ashby
The Machinery's Handbook is a must have and I assume you already know about this.
Mechanisms and Mechanical Designs Sourcebook is good to help spark ideas or solve problems. There are other books along the same lines.
There's information on tolerancing and machining in The Machinery's Handbook especially. I'm not sure on other resources for those. There are books on manufacturing processes that'll discuss the tolerances capable and design limitations.
I'm using Precision Machining Technology at school right now. Covers pretty much everything, from basic hand tools right up to programing G-code. You can get a second hand copy pretty cheap.
I'd like to give you my two cents as well on how to proceed here. If nothing else, this will be a second opinion. If I could redo my physics education, this is how I'd want it done.
If you are truly wanting to learn these fields in depth I cannot stress how important it is to actually work problems out of these books, not just read them. There is a certain understanding that comes from struggling with problems that you just can't get by reading the material. On that note, I would recommend getting the Schaum's outline to whatever subject you are studying if you can find one. They are great books with hundreds of solved problems and sample problems for you to try with the answers in the back. When you get to the point you can't find Schaums anymore, I would recommend getting as many solutions manuals as possible. The problems will get very tough, and it's nice to verify that you did the problem correctly or are on the right track, or even just look over solutions to problems you decide not to try.
Basics
I second Stewart's Calculus cover to cover (except the final chapter on differential equations) and Halliday, Resnick and Walker's Fundamentals of Physics. Not all sections from HRW are necessary, but be sure you have the fundamentals of mechanics, electromagnetism, optics, and thermal physics down at the level of HRW.
Once you're done with this move on to studying differential equations. Many physics theorems are stated in terms of differential equations so really getting the hang of these is key to moving on. Differential equations are often taught as two separate classes, one covering ordinary differential equations and one covering partial differential equations. In my opinion, a good introductory textbook to ODEs is one by Morris Tenenbaum and Harry Pollard. That said, there is another book by V. I. Arnold that I would recommend you get as well. The Arnold book may be a bit more mathematical than you are looking for, but it was written as an introductory text to ODEs and you will have a deeper understanding of ODEs after reading it than your typical introductory textbook. This deeper understanding will be useful if you delve into the nitty-gritty parts of classical mechanics. For partial differential equations I recommend the book by Haberman. It will give you a good understanding of different methods you can use to solve PDEs, and is very much geared towards problem-solving.
From there, I would get a decent book on Linear Algebra. I used the one by Leon. I can't guarantee that it's the best book out there, but I think it will get the job done.
This should cover most of the mathematical training you need to move onto the intermediate level physics textbooks. There will be some things that are missing, but those are usually covered explicitly in the intermediate texts that use them (i.e. the Delta function). Still, if you're looking for a good mathematical reference, my recommendation is Lua. It may be a good idea to go over some basic complex analysis from this book, though it is not necessary to move on.
Intermediate
At this stage you need to do intermediate level classical mechanics, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, and thermal physics at the very least. For electromagnetism, Griffiths hands down. In my opinion, the best pedagogical book for intermediate classical mechanics is Fowles and Cassidy. Once you've read these two books you will have a much deeper understanding of the stuff you learned in HRW. When you're going through the mechanics book pay particular attention to generalized coordinates and Lagrangians. Those become pretty central later on. There is also a very old book by Robert Becker that I think is great. It's problems are tough, and it goes into concepts that aren't typically covered much in depth in other intermediate mechanics books such as statics. I don't think you'll find a torrent for this, but it is 5 bucks on Amazon. That said, I don't think Becker is necessary. For quantum, I cannot recommend Zettili highly enough. Get this book. Tons of worked out examples. In my opinion, Zettili is the best quantum book out there at this level. Finally for thermal physics I would use Mandl. This book is merely sufficient, but I don't know of a book that I liked better.
This is the bare minimum. However, if you find a particular subject interesting, delve into it at this point. If you want to learn Solid State physics there's Kittel. Want to do more Optics? How about Hecht. General relativity? Even that should be accessible with Schutz. Play around here before moving on. A lot of very fascinating things should be accessible to you, at least to a degree, at this point.
Advanced
Before moving on to physics, it is once again time to take up the mathematics. Pick up Arfken and Weber. It covers a great many topics. However, at times it is not the best pedagogical book so you may need some supplemental material on whatever it is you are studying. I would at least read the sections on coordinate transformations, vector analysis, tensors, complex analysis, Green's functions, and the various special functions. Some of this may be a bit of a review, but there are some things Arfken and Weber go into that I didn't see during my undergraduate education even with the topics that I was reviewing. Hell, it may be a good idea to go through the differential equations material in there as well. Again, you may need some supplemental material while doing this. For special functions, a great little book to go along with this is Lebedev.
Beyond this, I think every physicist at the bare minimum needs to take graduate level quantum mechanics, classical mechanics, electromagnetism, and statistical mechanics. For quantum, I recommend Cohen-Tannoudji. This is a great book. It's easy to understand, has many supplemental sections to help further your understanding, is pretty comprehensive, and has more worked examples than a vast majority of graduate text-books. That said, the problems in this book are LONG. Not horrendously hard, mind you, but they do take a long time.
Unfortunately, Cohen-Tannoudji is the only great graduate-level text I can think of. The textbooks in other subjects just don't measure up in my opinion. When you take Classical mechanics I would get Goldstein as a reference but a better book in my opinion is Jose/Saletan as it takes a geometrical approach to the subject from the very beginning. At some point I also think it's worth going through Arnold's treatise on Classical. It's very mathematical and very difficult, but I think once you make it through you will have as deep an understanding as you could hope for in the subject.
Try this one: Mobile Hydraulics Manual
I'm a student (Junior ME) so my recommendation would be better suited over at /r/engineeringstudents but if you wanted to get started on the entry level coursework. Here's where you can start.
Calculus
http://www.amazon.com/Calculus-Early-Transcendentals-Stewarts-Series/dp/0495011665/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1371011569&sr=8-2&keywords=stewart+calculus+6th+edition
Physics
http://www.amazon.com/Physics-Scientists-Engineers-Strategic-Approach/dp/0321516591/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371011593&sr=1-2&keywords=knight+physics+for+scientists+and+engineers+2nd+edition
Engineering Statics / Dynamics
http://www.amazon.com/Engineering-Mechanics-Combined-Statics-Dynamics/dp/0138149291/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371011626&sr=1-9&keywords=hibbler+statics+dynamics
Engineering Mechanics of Materials
http://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-Materials-8th-Russell-Hibbeler/dp/0136022308/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371011680&sr=1-1&keywords=hibbler+mechanics+of+materials
The general name of what you're trying to do is "kinematics," which is the branch of mechanics focused on calculating motion of bodies. Since you can assume 2D rigid bodies, the problem is simplified significantly.
Also useful will likely be numerical methods for calculating position over time using basic calculations for figuring out acceleration/velocity/etc at a specific time (instead of as functions of time):
Edit: Bullet points. Also: I was an engineering major, that's why I know this stuff. XD
Edit x2: You may be able to find some sort of physics engine that does this stuff for you.
Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer by Incropera is pretty much the standard text on the subject by my understanding.
I used Hibbeler for Mechanics of Materials, but Beer is also a popular choice.
Hibbeler for dynamics as well.
Larson has a pretty good calculus book, will take you from derivatives up through multivariable.
A good resource if you feel like digging deeper is the physics forums - science and math textbook forum.
You may want to explore Sterling Cycle Engines.
They require a certain amount of tooling and precision to make from scratch.
Here is one already built:
http://www.amazon.com/Temperature-Stainless-Steel-Stirling-Engine/dp/B006GT9JMO/
This book on the subject looks interesting.
http://www.amazon.com/Three-Stirling-Engines-Without-Machine/dp/1452806578/
Here's a decent video on how they work:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2tQaLAwj0Q
Check to see if your local trade school or community college has a drawings class. I just took a 6 week one. It was a beast of a class with a massive homework load.
Want to self-learn, see if you library has any good old drafting books.
For something more modern you can look for a used copy of this.
I do not recommend self-learning with this book unless you want to learn how to find errors that will drive you crazy.
1, 4 & 5: This book was a huge help to me when it came to understanding the various 'steampunkish' ways the engineers of the industrial revolution designed their machines. I think a lot of them are beautiful in their simplicity.
https://www.amazon.com/507-Mechanical-Movements-Henry-Brown/dp/1614275181
2 & 3: I would research the way which clocks slowly release their stored energy. A 'cocking' mechanism which spins only one direction would be called a pawl and ratchet wheel. An assembly which prevents something from spinning too fast is called a speed governor. Instead of using springs to store the energy, you could consider lifting a hammer, and once it is lifted to the correct height release it to strike the bell.
507 Mechanical Movements was the original (I think) from 1868. It's a fun book to flip through, especially since it's so cheap. There's a great website that has it all for free, plus well done animations for many of them.
There's also 1800 Mechanical Movements from 1899.
Wouldn’t hurt, looks like fun.
I would inquire about actually taking the AWS D 1.1 tests. Employers would really like you to have that Cert. and DONT let it expire! That’s just another foot in the door during the application process.
Blueprint Reading
I think the most important skill is teaching them the design process. In our Intro to Engineering class in college we mainly just learned how to accurately describe the problem, present solutions to the problem, and select the best solution to that problem.
Our professor wrote this book, which is a good introduction to the methodology.
I personally did not care for the Philpot book. I found the Hibbeler Mechanics of Materials book to be far superior. However, I had to purchase the online version of the textbook for my class and I found the animations for that text to be very helpful.
When it comes to the Machine Design course I really liked Machine Elements in Mechanical Design by Mott, and Shigley's Mechanical Engineering Design. Machine Design by Norton was my required text for my Machine Design course and the rest of the class, including myself, found that text to be very difficult to follow. It felt like, at least in the fourth edition, the author released a new edition without thoroughly checking his examples. Therefor, about 9 weeks into the course the professor decided to switch textbooks and assigned yet another text for the class. Having fallen for that trap already, I did a quick amazon search and bought the highest rated machinery design textbook; which was the textbook by Mott.
Also, keep in mind that you don't have to spend $100 for a textbook that is not required for the class. Do as I did and purchase either an international edition or better yet and old edition for which you can easily obtain a solutions manual.
It should go without saying that there are many avenues for purchasing textbooks online. I used to frequent Abebooks, but Amazon has since bought it and I have found that their prices have began to increase. Your best bet is to use a site like Bigwords because a site like that searches many textbook websites for all of the textbooks you want, then picks the best price including things like shipping and coupon offers.
Best of luck.
Sorry that other people are being harsh critics, but yeah man. Respectfully, a couple of these are pretty overpriced.
Thing is, most people would rather buy a new book from the store than buy a used book for barely less than retail. I suggest you lower the prices, especially keeping this in mind:
Astrodynamics sells new for $17: https://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-Astrodynamics-Dover-Aeronautical-Engineering/dp/0486600610
Propulsion sells new for $25: https://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-Thermodynamics-Propulsion-Philip-Peterson/dp/8131729516/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1526807320&sr=1-2&keywords=mechanics+and+thermodynamics+of+propulsion+2nd+edition
Your edition of COE 3001 sells new for $113: https://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-Materials-James-M-Gere/dp/1111577730/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1526807508&sr=1-2&keywords=mechanics+of+materials+goodno and it's also not the current edition
Best of luck. And if you find someone looking specifically for the current edition of the Mechanics of Materials book, please send them my way!
Vector dynamics is just a dynamics course. A book like this would work - Engineering Mechanics: Dynamics
Wouldn't this be the same as a pressure vessel calculation from Mechanics class? If you have access to Mechanics of Materials, 8th Edition by Gere & Goodno, it will explain it on page 678.
To summarize, though:
Start here: Low Pressure Boilers
amazon.com/dp/0826943659
It's pretty much the standard text for boilers.
Depends on the type of physics you want to learn. If you are interested in Quantum, I had a class that used this book for concepts and famous experimental impacts in a super clear way. It isn’t that heavy on the math so with your knowledge of calc you should be fine. If anything it is actually a fun read.
However Griffiths, as they say, is the man!
I do think that's the book the reviewer is suggesting, yes.
But if I might offer some unsolicited advice: I think learning about quantum mechanics in the context of philosophy is pretty risky. It's a lot safer to save all the interpretation and philosophy for after you understand the theory in a mathematical light—that way, you can be sure you understand what it is you're commenting on.
Since you mention you have some advanced math background, you might be better served by getting a more standard quantum mechanics textbook. It honestly doesn't take much to get a feel for the subject. Specifically, if you know linear algebra and have any background in PDEs, you should be fine with a book like Griffiths. It does take more work to read, but I tend to think that if you aren't dong that work, you're not learning this stuff properly.
If you don't have the time just now to dig into the theory mathematically, I do have another book recommendation: The Quantum Challenge by Greenstein and Zajonc. They give an excellent and firmly empirical introduction to the philosophically-interesting parts of quantum mechanics, using only minimal mathematics.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the reading. This subreddit is always here should you run into interesting questions along the way!
I've become greatly interested in geometric concepts in physics. I would like some opinions on these text for self study. If there are better options, please share.
For a differential geometry approach for Classical Mechanics:
Saletan?
For a General self study or reference book:
Frankel or Nakahara?
For applications in differential geometry:
Fecko or Burke?
Also, what are good texts for Geometric Electrodynamics that includes spin geometry?
These are the ones (1 2 3) we used when I was in school.
Design of Machinery covers kinematics and dynamics. You're thinking of Machine Design: https://www.amazon.com/Machine-Design-5th-Robert-Norton/dp/013335671X/
I took a graduate-level advanced dynamics course for my Master's. I was going to recommend the same textbook that's listed in your syllabus: Principles of Dynamics by DT Greenwood. It's an excellent book. However, it's not going to help you much if you don't already have a strong foundation in dynamics. If you want to get up to speed, spend some time with Hibbeler's undergraduate-level textbook on Statics and Dynamics (https://www.amazon.com/Engineering-Mechanics-Combined-Statics-Dynamics/dp/0138149291/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=229ANRZ1Q41XGJXJMEE6).
is this the one you're talking about? If so, i have it too...good book. https://www.amazon.com/Mobile-Hydraulics-Manual-Eaton-Training/dp/0963416251
Anyone knows about this one: https://www.amazon.com/Marks-Standard-Handbook-Mechanical-Engineers-ebook/dp/B00938YC9U/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1511518136&sr=1-1&keywords=mechanical+engineering+handbook?
I'd say a copy of Cameron Hydraulic Data. Every teacher that I had for any of my water classes basically calls it the holy grail of all hydraulics books.
The Cameron Hydraulic Data Book is basically the bible of pumps for many engineers that I work with.
Also, many pump distributors will provide a wealth of education if you are a decision maker in terms of specifying or ordering pumps. I've been to several training sessions where the local distributor brought in an engineer from the manufacturer for lunch-and-learns, etc.
The problem isnt with the power output. Power output is based on the rate at which the brushes in the alternator are spinning. There is a torque that we have to overcome in order to spin those brushes. Because of how the bike was geared in that video the rider had to work really hard to push those pedals and spin the system. A better option would be to reduce the gear size at the pedal. You would still have to spin faster but its easier to spin faster than to push harder. A flywheel would also conserve angular momentum and give the rider the chance to take a breather.
Here are a good link for you to learn more
link_1
Three LTD Stirling Engines You Can Build Without a Machine Shop: An Illustrated Guide
Tooling University offers decent programs through SME. I had to do them for my Apprenticeship.
Not quite sure on individual pricing because my subscription was through the company, but it’s worth looking into.
Also had to work through this book, which was an excellent resource for self teaching:
https://www.amazon.com/Basic-Blueprint-Reading-Sketching-Thomas/dp/1435483782
That would be absolutely amazing. Thanks for all your help. The ISBN for the book is: 9780136123705. And here is a link to the Amazon page for it.
take a look at this. it realy dumbs down a lot of stuff for beginners, but also includes some stuff pertaining to entry level cnc programming. I think it goes over like coolant compositions, types of mills and lathes, types of cutting tools, processes and such. Has lots of illustrations and, as my cnc instructor says, pitchers for the visual learner.
edit forgot to put the name of the book/ a link
nims precision machining technology book
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1133605788/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467922355&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=blueprint+reading+for+welders&dpPl=1&dpID=51wioD3lZkL&ref=plSrch
This is a similar book I bought while in school. Should have practice prints and practice tests in it.
https://www.amazon.ca/Fundamentals-Fluid-Mechanics-Bruce-Munson/dp/0471675822
It's 58$ on amazon.ca
http://ca.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-EHEP003510.html#purchase
62-200$ here
I would also recommend a mechanics of materials course. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1118083474/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1481397290&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=mechanics+of+materials&dpPl=1&dpID=51N4GPvi2IL&ref=plSrch This is the textbook I used for my class in it. I'm not really sure about any online resources, but I'm sure you can find some open online course for that.
https://www.amazon.com/Thermodynamics-Dummies-Mike-Pauken/dp/1118002911/ref=asc_df_1118002911/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=330474681568&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16337282915305806497&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9026542&hvtargid=pla-462852681324&psc=1
I used this plus a whole lot of textbooks and YouTube videos. Plus an absolute ton of office hours. I felt like Thermo was the class I understood the least in the beginning and the most at the end. You can do it!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0826943659/ref=pd_aw_sim_sbs_14_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=7K6PA11CVJRKW14CVWYW
https://www.amazon.com/Engineering-Design-Project-Based-Introduction-Clive/dp/1118324587/
Technical books are way more. Try $124 for a Kindle edition.