Top 20 Mechanical Engineering Interview Questions And Answers

Mechanical engineering interviews often cover the technical and behavioural aspects of a candidate. Your skills, education, professional experience and approach to certain behaviour situations are garnered through this interview. Here are 2o mechanical engineering question and answers you need to know of:

Tell me about yourself.

Reason: to gauge your educational and professional experience.

Answer:

“I have a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering and i have an experience of 5 years in working on thermodynamics and product design”.

What do you know about us?

Reason: to assess your research about them and their values.

Answer:

“I am aware that your company is well known for projects that involve automotive engineering specifically in drivetrain systems. I want to expand my skillset through my experience in CAD by contributing to your projects”.

What is the second law of thermodynamics.

Reason: to understand your basic knowledge of the field.

Answer:

“The second law of thermodynamics state that not all energy is conserved and some of it is lost in form of heat. Moreover, the entropy of an isolated system would gradually increase overtime”.

Explain the different heat processes?

Reason: to understand your knowledge of basic concepts that are applied.

Answer:

“The different types of heating processes are annealing, tempering and quenching. These processes softens metals, reduce brittleness and harden metals respectively”.

Describe a challenging engineering project you worked on.

Reason:  to understand your experience with challenging and difficult projects.

Answer:

“During my final year project, i had to work on a heat reduction and cooling system. However, with the current strategy it was heating and not colling. I modified the model and strategies which reduced the heating by 20%”.

What software tools do you have experience with?

Reason: to estimate your efficiency and familiarity with software.

Answer:

“I am proficient in the use of SolidWorks, AutoCAD, and ANSYS for simulation tasks. I have also used MATLAB for data analysis and control system design”.

What is a two stroke engine and a four stroke engine?

Reason: to understand your knowledge of engine mechanism which are a vital part of mechanical engineering.

Answer:

“In the power cycle of two stroke engine it takes two strokes of the piston and the four stroke engine take four stokes of the piston. Moreover, the second stroke engine produces less pollution and are less efficient”.

How do you calculate the stress on material?

Reason: to understand your technical approach towards the subject.

Answer:

“The stress of a material is calculate by dividing the force by area i.e, the force applied on the material and the cross sectional area of the material calculates stress”.

How do you explain the concept of gear ratios?

Reason: mechanical operations require the concept of gear ratios while applications.

Answer:

“The relationship between the teeth of two meshing gears is referred as gear ratios. The higher gear ratio means that the speed of the gears is slow but the torque is high”.

Tell us the difference between fatigue and creep?

Reason: fatigue and creep are the key concepts of mechanical engineering which must be known by every candidate.

Answer:

“Fatigue refers to the weakening of the material through cyclic loading and creep is the gradual damage or deformation of the material that is under constant duress or stress”.

Why is a control system important in mechanical engineering?

Reason: control systems are important for automation, robotics and process management.

Answer:

“Control systems are used to regulate, manage and command the behaviour of other devices using system loops. “

List the factors that affect the efficiency of a thermal power plant.

Reason: to understand your knowledge of large scale processes and plants.

Answer:

“The factors that affect thermal power plant are the design of the boiler, the quality of fuel, turbine efficiency, heat loss in the process and the intensity of the temperature of steam”.

What is the difference between a laminar and turbulent flow?

Reason: to understand your knowledge about flow regimes and fluid mechanics.

Answer:

“Laminar flow occurs at lower velocities and is more predictable and calculated as compared to turbulent flow which occurs at higher velocity and its flow is more chaotic”.

What are the type of bearing?

Reason: to understand your knowledge about bearing which is important for machinery.

Answer:

“The component that allows relative motion typically rotational between two parts is called bearing which can be in the form of roller bearings, ball bearings etc”.

Explain the difference between a hydraulic system and pneumatic system?

Reason: to check your knowledge of systems that transfer power.

Answer:

“Hydraulic systems use oil like liquids to functions whereas pneumatic systems use compressed air to function. Moreover, hydraulic systems are efficient and precise whereas pneumatic systems are cleaner and faster”.

How do you complete a project being part of a team?

Reason: to assess your ability to work in a team setting.

Answer:

“I complete projects within a team by following the deadlines, making maximum use of available resources, communicating with team members and prioritising tasks”.

How do you stay updated about changes in the field?

Reason: to evaluate resources from which you get your information from.

Answer:

“I read articles and blog on social media and follow field related pages on LinkedIn and other socials. Moreover, i attend seminars that cover any updates and advancements”.

What is the difference between stress and strain?

Reason: it is important to know the difference between the two for material analysis.

Answer:

“Stress is the force applied to a material and strain is the result of the force or stress which causes deformation of the material”.

How do you approach product failure?

Reason: to evaluate your problem solving and trouble shooting skills.

Answer:

“I would step back and try to identify the potential causes of the failure. Once the causes are identified, i would isolate them and make necessary adjustments before retesting”.

Why do you choose us?

Reason: to gauge your interest in the company and role.

Answer:

“I want to work with you because I admire the potential career growth and successful project rates. I want to contribute to your success by using my existing skills and further learning newer skills from your company”.

This guide has covered all the technical and general knowledge concepts of the mechanical engineering. We hope through this article you will be able to engage in thoughtful conversation whether you are an interviewer or candidate.