The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American

professional association A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) is a group that usually seeks to advocacy, further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in ...

that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "

continuing education Continuing education is the education undertaken after initial education for either personal or professional reasons. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada. Recognized forms of post-secondary learning activities within the d ...

, training and

professional development Professional development, also known as professional education, is learning that leads to or emphasizes education in a specific professional career field or builds practical job applicable skills emphasizing Praxis (process), praxis in addition t ...

, codes and standards,

research Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...

, conferences and publications, government relations, and other forms of outreach." ASME is thus an engineering society, a

standards organization A standards organization, standards body, standards developing organization (SDO), or standards setting organization (SSO) is an organization whose primary function is developing, coordinating, promulgating, revising, amending, reissuing, interpr ...

, a

research and development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in some countries as OKB, experiment and design, is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products. R&D constitutes the first stage ...

organization, an advocacy organization, a provider of training and education, and a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

. Founded as an engineering society focused on

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines and mechanism (engineering), mechanisms that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and engineering mathematics, mathematics principl ...

in North America, ASME is today multidisciplinary and global. ASME has over 85,000 members in more than 135 countries worldwide. ASME was founded in 1880 by Alexander Lyman Holley, Henry Rossiter Worthington, John Edison Sweet and Matthias N. Forney in response to numerous steam

boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, centra ...

pressure vessel failures. Known for setting codes and standards for mechanical devices, ASME conducts one of the world's largest technical publishing operations. It holds numerous technical conferences and hundreds of

courses each year and sponsors numerous outreach and educational programs. Georgia Tech president and women engineer supporter Blake R Van Leer was an executive member. Kate Gleason and Lydia Weld were the first two women members.

Codes and standards

ASME is one of the oldest standards-developing organizations in America. It produces approximately 600 codes and standards covering many technical areas, such as fasteners, plumbing fixtures, elevators, pipelines, and power plant systems and components. ASME's standards are developed by committees of subject matter experts using an open, consensus-based process. Many ASME standards are cited by government agencies as tools to meet their regulatory objectives. ASME standards are therefore voluntary, unless the standards have been incorporated into a legally binding business contract or incorporated into regulations enforced by an authority having jurisdiction, such as a federal, state, or local government agency. ASME's standards are used in more than 100 countries and have been translated into numerous languages.

Boiler and pressure vessel code

The largest ASME standard, both in size and in the number of volunteers involved in its preparation, is the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC). The BPVC provides rules for the design, fabrication, installation, inspection, care, and use of

pressure vessel A pressure vessel is a container designed to hold gases or liquids at a pressure substantially different from the ambient pressure. Construction methods and materials may be chosen to suit the pressure application, and will depend on the size o ...

s, and nuclear components. The code also includes standards on materials, welding and brazing procedures and qualifications, nondestructive examination, and nuclear in-service inspection.

Other notable standardization areas

Other Notable Standardization Areas include but not limited to are; Elevators and Escalators (A17 Series), Overhead and Mobile Cranes and related lifting and rigging equipment (B30 Series), Piping and Pipelines (B31 Series), Bio-processing Equipment (BPE), Valves Flanges, Fittings and Gaskets (B16), Nuclear Components and Processes Performance Test Codes.

Publications

Journals

The journals published by ASME include: * '' Applied Mechanics Reviews'' * ''Journal of Applied Mechanics'' * ''Journal of Biomechanical Engineering'' * '' Journal of Computational and Nonlinear Dynamics'' * ''Journal of Dynamic Systems Measurement & Control'' * ''Journal of Fluids Engineering'' * ''Journal of Heat Transfer'' * '' Journal of Risk and Uncertainty in Engineering Systems''

Magazine

In addition to academic journals, since 1880 the ASME has also published the magazine ''Mechanical Engineering''.

Society awards

ASME offers four categories of awards: achievement awards to recognize "eminently distinguished engineering achievement"; literature awards for original papers; service awards for voluntary service to ASME; and unit awards, jointly awarded by six societies in recognition of advancement in the field of transportation. * ASME Medal * Worcester Reed Warner Medal * Charles T. Main Student Leadership Award * Holley Medal * Honorary Member * Kate Gleason Award * George Westinghouse Medal * Henry Laurence Gantt Medal * Leonardo Da Vinci Award * Lewis F. Moody Award * Melville Medal * Nadia Medal * Old Guard Early Career Award * Sia Nemat-Nasser Early Career Award * R. Tom Sawyer Award * Ralph Coats Roe Medal * Soichiro Honda Medal

Nadia Medal recipients

* Satya N. Atluri (2012) * Huseyin Sehitoglu (2007) * George Z. Voyiadjis (2022)

ASME Fellows

ASME Fellow is a Membership Grade of Distinction conferred by The ASME Committee of Past Presidents to an ASME member with significant publications or innovations and distinguished scientific and engineering background. Over 3,000 members have attained the grade of Fellow. The ASME Fellow membership grade is the highest elected grade in ASME.

E-Fests

ASME runs several annual E-Fests, or Engineering Festivals, taking the place of the Student Professional Development Conference (SPDC) series. In addition to the Human Powered Vehicle Challenge (HPVC), the Innovative Additive Manufacturing 3D Challenge (IAM3D), the Student Design Competition, and the Old Guard Competition, there are also talks, interactive workshops, and entertainment. These events allows students to network with working engineers, host contests, and promote ASME's benefits to students as well as professionals. E-Fests are held in four regions in the United States and internationally—western U.S, eastern U.S., Asia Pacific, and South America—with the E-Fest location for each region changing every year.

Student competitions

ASME holds a variety of competitions every year for engineering students from around the world. * Human Powered Vehicle Challenge (HPVC) * Student Design Competition (SDC) * Innovative Design Simulation Challenge (IDSC) * Innovative Additive Manufacturing 3D Challenge (IAM3D) * Old Guard Competitions * Innovation Showcase (IShow) * Student Design Expositions

Organization

ASME has four key offices in the United States, including its headquarters operation in New York, N.Y., and three international offices in Beijing, China; Brussels, Belgium, and New Delhi, India. ASME has two institutes and 32 technical divisions within its organizational structure. Volunteer activity is organized into four sectors: * Technical Events and Content * Public Affairs and Outreach * Standards and Certification * Student and Early Career Development

Controversy

In 1982, ASME was found to be the first non-profit organization to in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. The United States Supreme Court found the organization liable for more than $6 million in '' American Society of Mechanical Engineers v. Hydrolevel Corp.''

References

External links

*
ASME Peerlink
(archived)
Society Awards
{{DEFAULTSORT:American Society Of Mechanical Engineers American engineering organizations Mechanical engineering organizations ASME Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks Engineering societies based in the United States Scientific organizations established in 1880 1880 establishments in New York (state)