The Discipline of Mechanical Engineering was established in 1950. Mechanical Design and Theory was selected among the first batch in China to be authorized to grant doctoral degrees in 1981 and was designated as a National Key Discipline in 2007. It established a postdoctoral research station in 1999 and was authorized as a first-tier discipline doctoral programs in 2006. The discipline has received continuous support from the the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions in 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022. The undergraduate program in Mechanical Engineering is recognized as a National Distinctive Major, an Outstanding Engineer Education and Training program, and a Jiangsu Provincial Brand major. It was selected among the first batch of National First-Class Undergraduate majors in 2019.
The faculty includes recipients of numerous prestigious awards and honors: one winner of the National Award for Excellence in Innovation, two winners of the Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation Science and Technology Innovation Award, two winners of the China Youth Science and Technology Award, one National Outstanding Young and Middle-Aged Expert with Significant Contributions, two National candidates of the New Century Hundred, Thousand and Ten Thousand Talent Project, five recipients of the State Council Special Government Allowance, two National Outstanding Science and Technology Workers, and one winner of the National Outstanding Engineer Award. There is the "Reliability of Large-scale Mining Electromechanical Equipment" Ministry of Education Innovation Team, the "Mining Mechanical Engineering" Jiangsu Provincial Outstanding Teaching Team, and three Jiangsu Provincial Science and Technology Innovation Teams, including "Mining Electromechanical Equipment Health Monitoring" and "Mining Robotic Excavation Equipment."
Discipline Directions, Advantages, and Characteristics: The main research directions include mining equipment design theory, mechatronic-hydraulic integration technology for mining equipment, and advanced manufacturing technology for mining equipment. Over the past five years, significant innovative achievements have been made in areas such as intelligent mining excavation equipment, high-efficiency mine transportation and hoisting technology, and transmission and control technology for heavy-duty mining machinery.
Talent Development Objectives: The discipline aims to build a high-level faculty team with pioneering spirit and international vision, and to establish a high-level talent cultivation base that is internationally advanced, domestically first-class, and distinguished by mining machinery. Focusing on developing students' scientific research capabilities, innovation capabilities, and engineering practice skills, the discipline integrates quality education with innovation ability training to provide high-quality innovative talents for the mining machinery industry and local economic development.
Domestic and International Influence: Over the past five years, the discipline has collaborated with companies like Xi'an Coal Mining Machinery Co., Ltd. and Zhengzhou Coal Mining Machinery Group Co., Ltd. to jointly develop the world's first set of 8.8m Large Mining Height Intelligent Shearer, hydraulic support, and intelligent armored face conveyor. It has also cooperated with XCMG Group to develop the world's first 400t mining dump truck. Commissioned by the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety, it has conducted safety technology training for 1,230 chief engineers of coal mines. As the chair unit of the "Mining Machinery Branch of the Chinese Engineering Machinery Society," it hosts an annual Intelligent Mining Equipment Technology Exchange Conference. Research achievements in intelligent mining equipment have been reported by CCTV programs such as "News Live Broadcast" and "Super Equipment." The college has established research collaborations and joint postgraduate training programs with 11 overseas universities, including Imperial College London, National University of Singapore, and the University of Michigan. The "Intelligent Mining Equipment Innovation Center for Introducing Talents of Universities " was approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education. This base gathers renowned international scholars in artificial intelligence and big data to collaborate on intelligent mining technology.In the USNews 2021 World University Rankings by Subject, this discipline ranked 38th globally.