1. Discipline Overview

The Mechanical Engineering discipline at Beijing Jiaotong University originated from the Railway Vehicles and Thermal Locomotive programs established in 1958. Over more than half a century, the discipline has aligned with major national needs, leveraged its strengths, expanded its scope, and optimized its structure. Focusing on rail transportation and aerospace/defense as its primary service industries, and with rail vehicles and transport equipment as its main research subjects, the discipline carries out high-level talent cultivation and scientific research.

The discipline currently boasts: 1 National "Ten Thousand Talent Program" Leading Talent in Science and Technology Innovation; 4 recipients of the Ministry of Education's New Century Excellent Talents award; 3 Beijing Municipal Teaching Masters; 1 Ministry of Science and Technology Innovation Team; 1 Ministry of Education Innovation Team; and 1 Beijing Municipal Excellent Teaching Team. It possesses research and teaching platforms including a National Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center, a National Engineering Practice Education Center, a Ministry of Education Key Laboratory, a Ministry of Education Engineering Research Center, and a Beijing Municipal Key Laboratory. It has established: 1 National Characteristic Specialty; 1 National Bilingual Demonstration Course; and 3 Beijing Municipal Excellent Courses. In the past four years, it has won 8 provincial/ministerial-level scientific and technological achievement awards and 3 provincial/ministerial-level teaching achievement awards.

2. Positioning and Goals

Centered on national development strategies and aiming at the international academic frontier, the discipline serves rail transportation and aerospace/defense, expands research fields, refines disciplinary directions, and strengthens basic research and original innovation. It continuously enhances its international influence, striving to build a key base in China for the research and development of core technologies for rail vehicles and transport equipment and for the cultivation of high-quality talent. The goal is to build a first-class discipline where its advantageous and characteristic fields reach internationally advanced levels and its overall strength ranks among the top nationwide.

3. Advantages and Characteristics

Through long-term development, the discipline has formed the following distinctive advantages:

(1) Structural Strength and Reliability Design of Rail Vehicles. Addressing the needs of major national rail transportation projects, it pioneered research on bogie load spectra internationally, proposed a load spectrum compilation theory and method based on the damage consistency criterion, established China's first bogie load calibration test bench, created a complete structural fatigue reliability evaluation system for rail vehicle bogies, and built an internationally advanced research base for rail vehicle fatigue reliability. It holds a leading domestic position in the field of structural reliability design and assessment for rail vehicles.

(2) Theory and Technology of Magnetic Fluid Seals. Dedicated to research on magnetic fluid theory and application, it was the first to apply magnetic fluids to reciprocating seals, established theories for pressure resistance and carry-over in reciprocating seals, and proposed a unique systematic design method for magnetic fluid seals, significantly improving the performance and lifespan of rotary seals, large-diameter static seals, and reciprocating seals under complex working conditions. The "Research on Magnetic Fluid Seals for Key Equipment of Transport Vehicles" team was approved as a Ministry of Education Innovation Team.

(3) Theory and Application of Mechanisms and Robotics. Focusing on the international academic frontier of mechanisms and robotics research, it conducts research on the fundamental theories and core technologies of parallel robot mechanisms, multi-mode linkage mobile robots, and teleoperation robots. It has formed original theories for the type synthesis of parallel robot mechanisms and the design theory for multi-mode linkage mobile robots, and successfully developed intelligent machining robots for aerospace launch equipment manufacturing. In the past four years, it has published over 60 high-level papers, obtained more than 80 national invention patents, nurtured 1 recipient of the Military Commission's Outstanding Youth Fund, and built a research team with considerable influence domestically and internationally.

(4) Testing and Machining Technology for Key Components of Aerospace and Defense Transport Equipment. Centered on major national needs in aerospace and defense, it carries out R&D of related key technologies, has developed test systems for important performance parameters of certain series of weapon equipment, successfully developed special CNC machine tools for machining critical components of aerospace launch vehicles, and solved many key technical problems for aerospace and defense equipment, making significant contributions to the development of China's defense and aerospace industries.

4. Talent Cultivation Objectives

The discipline aims to cultivate high-quality innovative talent engaged in mechanical science and technology research, development, and management. It strives to equip students with good moral character and innovation awareness, international perspective and team spirit, a solid foundation of broad basic knowledge and systematic, in-depth professional knowledge within the discipline, and comprehensive capabilities encompassing the basic theory of mechanical product design, manufacturing, production organization, and management, as well as applied technology research.

5. Discipline Direction Setup

The discipline focuses on the international frontier of disciplinary development and aligns with major national needs. It optimizes the disciplinary structure and refines disciplinary directions. While ensuring the completeness of the disciplinary system, it highlights the industry characteristics of rail transportation and transport equipment, forming distinctive research directions including: Structural Strength and Reliability of Rail Vehicles, Mechanism and Robotics, Theory and Application of Magnetic Fluids, Digital Manufacturing Technology and Equipment, Mechatronic System Control and Condition Monitoring, Mechanical Materials Processing Engineering, and Flow Heat Transfer and Energy Technology Equipment in Microelectromechanical Systems.

6. Domestic and International Influence

In recent years, the achievements of the discipline have generated considerable influence domestically and internationally, mainly manifested in the following aspects:

(1) The discipline ranks highly in world university subject rankings. It has consistently been placed within the top 300 in the QS World University Rankings by Subject since 2014, entering the top 300 in 2016, and the top 250 in 2017 and 2018. In the ShanghaiRanking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, it was in the top 200 in both 2016 and 2017, and the top 150 in 2018. These rankings reflect the international influence the discipline has garnered in recent years.

(2) Many faculty members hold important positions in international academic organizations and journals. In addition to a number of teachers serving in domestic academic organizations and journals, several professors hold significant positions in international academic organizations, including 5 who serve as Editors-in-Chief/Associate Editors for internationally renowned journals; 2 who are Fellows of the Canadian Academy of Engineering; 1 IEEE Fellow; and 4 who serve as Vice Chairpersons/Directors of important international academic organizations. Their service to these organizations also enhances the discipline's influence at home and abroad.

(3) Several research directions within the discipline hold important positions in their respective fields domestically and internationally. The Rail Vehicle Structural Reliability team is a core force in China's research on rail vehicle structural reliability, playing an irreplaceable role in the independent innovation and safe operation of China's rail vehicles. The Magnetic Fluid Seals team has overcome a series of theoretical and technical challenges and successfully applied their research results to a number of important defense and civilian equipment, achieving domestic leadership and international advanced levels. The directions of Mechanisms and Robotics, Electro-hydraulic Servo Technology, and Digital Design and Manufacturing have carried out effective work centered on the national economy and defense construction, receiving high recognition from relevant fields and industries.

(4) The discipline is an important base for cultivating talent in the design, manufacturing, and operation of rail vehicles. Relying on this discipline and its National Characteristic Specialty in Vehicle Engineering, it not only conducts degree education from bachelor's to doctoral levels, cultivating a large number of research and design talents needed for rail vehicles, but also planned and established a theoretical training base for EMUs in collaboration with the Ministry of Railways. It has long been committed to training the urgently needed operation and management personnel for high-speed EMUs, generating significant influence in the field of rail transportation.