FREE Mechanical Videos
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To Help You Make that Leap of Understanding.
I have taught every mechanical engineering undergraduate course, and I have always enjoyed finding a way to help my students understand mechanical concepts and apply them. That’s why I’m offering these free videos, to help people make that leap of understanding.
I originally created most of these videos as I come across topics in the MERM and NCEES Practice Exam that needed greater clarification. From the response we have received to them, the videos have turned out to be valuable to anyone studying these concepts. The video on Distributed Loads has been watched over 50,000 times and the other top videos on Slider-Crank, Vehicle Dynamics, Zero-force Members and other topics have been watched many thousands of times.
I plan to keep adding new free videos, and I hope they help you understand these topics better in ways that improve your success in your school work and your career.
– Dr. Tom

“Many of the prep course options seemed a little impersonal to me and offered very few samples of the course content that they offer. I noticed Dr. Tom was much more generous with his free content and explained himself very clearly. I was pretty much sold after I saw his videos on exam strategy. His course requires a lot of time and work, but he had a solid plan and he was there with us every step of the way. By the time exam day came around, I was very prepared and felt I had a realistic chance of passing this exam.
– Brian, PE, Taylor Machine Works, Starkville, Mississippi
Sample lessons from DTC Mechanical PE EXAM REVIEWS
These are lesson videos from our Mechanical PE Exam Review lessons for the new CBT exam format. They give you a good idea what the lessons are like.
HVAC & REFRIGERATION EXAM - SAMPLE LESSONS
Machine Design & Materials Exam - Sample Lessons
Thermal & Fluid Systems Exam - Sample Lessons
What the MERM Doesn’t Tell You Videos
The MERM has some major gaps and problematic approaches to various topics. The goal of these videos is to address these tricky concepts that are important to understand if you are taking any of the Mechanical Engineering PE Exams.
STATICS
MACHINE DYNAMICS
NCEES PE Mechancial Practice Exam Problems (Solution Tips)
HVAC & REFRIGERATION- NCEES PRACTICE EXAM
MACHINE DESIGN & MATERIALS - NCEES PRACTICE EXAM
You can purchase the NCEES Practice Exam for the PE exam you are taking at: https://account.ncees.org/exam-prep/.
For PE Mechanical Machine Design & Materials Practice Exam Problem 28, the NCEES solution is fine, except there appears to be an inconsistency between the wording in the statement of the problem and the information shown in the solution as to what value of the shear force should be used.
THERMAL & FLUIDS SYSTEMS - NCEES PRACTICE EXAM
For PE Mechanical Thermal & Fluid Systems Practice Exam Problem 20, the NCEES solution uses constant specific heats, though nothing is said in the statement of the problem. They do give the value of the constant pressure specific heat and use it in the solution. Not being clear on this issue creates confusion. Also, the solution starts with an equation for “work”, however this should be labeled power, the rate of doing work. And the assumption to use constant specific heats has already been applied in this first equation without showing how it is obtained.
Give this problem a try, then watch the video, and I hope you find it helpful. – Dr. Tom
You can purchase the NCEES Practice Exam for the PE exam you are taking at: https://account.ncees.org/exam-prep/.
For PE Mechanical Thermal & Fluid Systems Practice Exam Problem 39, the details of a steam power plant with reheat are not provided in the NCEES Reference Handbook. However, with a schematic of the system and a little background information, through a process of elimination the correct answer can be determined. Give this problem a try, then watch the video, and I hope you find it helpful. – Dr. Tom
You can purchase the NCEES Practice Exam for the PE exam you are taking at: https://account.ncees.org/exam-prep/.
PE Mechanical Thermal & Fluid Systems Practice Exam Problem 39 is a very straightforward problem where the thermal efficiency, or the coefficient of performance, of a heat pump is to be determined. Give this problem a try, then watch the video, and I hope you find it helpful. – Dr. Tom
You can purchase the NCEES Practice Exam for the PE exam you are taking at: https://account.ncees.org/exam-prep/.
For PE Mechanical Thermal & Fluid Systems Practice Exam Problem 40, feedwater heaters are basically heat exchangers used to increase the temperature of the water entering the boiler of a steam power plant. The NCEES solution, however, does not identify the various streams entering and exiting the feedwater heater. This makes the solution difficult to follow. And there is a complete lack of units provided except in the final answer.
Give this problem a try, then watch the video, and I hope you find it helpful. – Dr. Tom
You can purchase the NCEES Practice Exam for the PE exam you are taking at: https://account.ncees.org/exam-prep/.
For PE Mechanical Thermal & Fluid Systems Practice Exam Problem 48, the problem involves a desuperheater which has several functions in a steam power plant, one of which is to provide a bypass around a high-pressure turbine to the inlet of a low-pressure turbine if the high-pressure turbine develops a problem or needs to be temporarily taken offline for some reason. As for the NCEES solution, there is a nice diagram showing the various streams, however there is a lack of units provided except in the exit mass flow rate on the diagram and with the final answer. And more important, what happens to the steam as it passes through the pressure reducing valve is not addressed.
Give this problem a try, then watch the video, and I hope you find it helpful. – Dr. Tom
You can purchase the NCEES Practice Exam for the PE exam you are taking at: https://account.ncees.org/exam-prep/.
For PE Mechanical Thermal & Fluid Systems Practice Exam Problem 67, the problem involves a steam turbine. The NCEES solution is fairly straightforward, using an equation from Fluid Mechanics, but where the density in the form of the specific volume is found from the steam tables. However, the equation presented is missing a “dot” over the “m” term to indicated that it is mass flow rate. And the notations from the steam tables for “liquid” and “vapor” are unfamiliar.
Give this problem a try, then watch the video, and I hope you find it helpful. – Dr. Tom
You can purchase the NCEES Practice Exam for the PE exam you are taking at: https://account.ncees.org/exam-prep/.
You can purchase the NCEES Practice Exam for the PE exam you are taking at: https://account.ncees.org/exam-prep/.
For PE Mechanical Thermal & Fluid Systems Practice Exam Problem 77, the given schematic is intimidating to say the least. The information about the cogeneration plant supplying electricity and steam to a chemical process plant is not needed. The NCEES solution is fine, however it leaves out the details of why you are to do what you are to do. In the end it is just a problem involving a “closed” feedwater heater. So the energy equation for it should have come first, then the details of finding the various enthalpies. Give this problem a try, then watch the video, and I hope you find it helpful. – Dr. Tom
You can purchase the NCEES Practice Exam for the PE exam you are taking at: https://account.ncees.org/exam-prep/.
Mechanical Engineering Fundamentals Videos
These videos review several fundamental topics of Mechanical Engineering that are likely to appear on the Mechanical PE Exam.
This video has been quite popular and is a great place to begin your review of Fluid Mechanics, starting with Fluid Properties, including a discussion of viscosity for Couette and Poiseuille Flows.
This video on Fluid Properties was originally the second of three-part Study Strategy series on Fluid Mechanics topics found on the Mechanical PE Exam. With the many changes in the PE Exam since this was recorded, the first video was made obsolete, so it is no longer available.
This video on the Continuity Equation was originally the third of three-part Study Strategy series on Fluid Mechanics topics found on the Mechanical PE Exam. With the many changes in the PE Exam since this was recorded, the first video was made obsolete, so it is no longer available.
I suggest that you watch my Fluid Properties video before watching this one. This video continues our review Fluid Mechanic Fundamentals, focusing on the Continuity Equation. I begin with a discussion on the Types of Fluid Flow. Please let us know if you find it helpful. – Dr. Tom
In this video on Heat Exchangers, I go over LTMD Correction and the epsilon NTU method. It’s an important topic on the Thermal & Fluid Systems Mechanical PE Exam.
This video was originally a lesson in my review for the Thermal & Fluid Systems Mechanical PE Exam, and you’ll find lots more lessons like this in my review.
In this video on Welding Symbols, I go over the basics of using these symbols, based on the American Welding Society Standards. It’s an important topic to understand for the Machine Design & Materials Mechanical PE Exam.
This video was originally a lesson in my review for the Machine Design & Materials Mechanical PE Exam, and you’ll find lots more lessons like this in my review.
“Dr. Tom’s 20-week Thermal Fluid System course is the best option on the market, hands down. During my preparation, I was fortunate to have access to two other mainstream services. After a few weeks of using them concurrently, it was apparent that Dr. Tom’s classroom would be the most effective use of my time. His method is clear, consistent, and most of all – it works.”
– Aldo Leon II, PE, Entergy Nuclear, New Orleans, Louisiana