Mechanical Engineer Mock Interview

Master 37 Mechanical Engineer interview questions covering thermodynamics, CAD proficiency, and design problem-solving.

WRITTEN BY JASON TOBY

QUESTION 25 OF 37

What is the difference between 'top-down' and 'bottom-up' design?

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37 Mechanical Engineer Interview Questions & Answers

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01 Why did you become a mechanical engineer? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 02 Where do you see yourself going in your career, and how will this role help you get there? ~CAREER GOALS 03 What do you know about our company? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 04 What interests you about working for our company? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 05 What is your ideal work environment? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 06 Can you tell me about a project you've worked on? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 07 What types of manufacturing technologies have you worked with? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 08 What is your 'shop' experience? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 09 How would you describe your communication style? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 10 How would you calculate the number of manholes in New York City? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 11 What is a free-body diagram? When would you use one? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 12 What are the phases of the Carnot cycle? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 13 What is a Factor of Safety (FoS), and when would you use it? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 14 What is the difference between static friction and kinetic friction? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 15 How would you calculate the maximum deflection of a cantilevered beam? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 16 You have a lever that must lift 50 pounds. The lever is 1 foot long with a fulcrum point 4 inches from the right side, which must supply the lifting force. How much force needs to be applied to the left-hand side? What mechanical advantage is this? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 17 A gear rotates at 5 rpm and interfaces with a smaller gear in a 10:1 ratio. How fast does the second gear spin? If the first gear applies 10N*m of torque, then what does the second gear experience? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 18 A force of 5 N compresses two identical springs in series by 10 cm. What will be the total distance that the same springs in parallel are compressed? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 19 How would you define a simple machine? What is an example? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 20 What types of standard views do you include in a drawing for manufacture? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 21 What is the difference between an interference fit and a clearance fit, and when might you use them? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 22 Why are screws generally not ideal for location in fixture design? What is a better way to do it? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 23 In CAD Design, what is 'surface modeling,' and what makes it different from 'solid modeling?' ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 24 What does 'parametric' refer with regards to 3D modeling software? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 25 What is the difference between 'top-down' and 'bottom-up' design? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 26 You're inspecting the surface of a machined steel plate to make sure it is within 0.005 inches of flatness across its surface. What does flatness refer to, and how do you measure it? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 27 What does 'circularity' refer to? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 28 What is the difference between stainless steel and tool steel? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 29 You're asked to take the design for a load-bearing steel plate and create an aluminum design that can withstand the same load. What design considerations would you keep in mind? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 30 What is the 'Young's Modulus' of a material? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 31 What does 'cold working' refer to? What effect does this have on a material's properties? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 32 What is the difference between an end-mill and a drill-bit? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 33 Why are sharp corners on internal geometry very difficult to machine? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 34 You're designing a machined cylindrical part that is 0.525 inches in diameter with a 1/4 -20 threaded hole in its center. What shop equipment would you most likely use to manufacture this? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 35 How are LEGO bricks made? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 36 What does 'draft' refer to in Injection Molding? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER 37 If you were looking for defects in an injection molded part, what would you look for? ~MECHANICAL ENGINEER

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