Behavioral Interview Questions to Ask

Mechanical Engineers
 How do you prioritize projects under pressure?
 How would handle your schedule when it’s interrupted?
 Describe a time when you had to work with a difficult coworker.
How were you able to handle interactions with that person?
 How have you handled engineering setbacks at work?
 Tell me how you communicated with your previous engineering
managers?

Technical Mechanical Engineering

Interview Questions to ask Candidates
Interested in testing the technical knowledge of the mechanical
engineer you’re interviewing?

Asking some questions listed below should be helpful depending on

the industry your company is in.

Explain how hydraulics work on a machine

Using an incompressible fluid machines use hydraulics to transmit
force from one point to another. In most cases, this increases the
force applied at one end for a given amount of effort.

What is a process flow diagram?

Commonly used in chemical and process engineering.
A process flow diagram (PFD) is a diagram that is used
to indicate the general flow of equipment and plant
processes.
The PFD displays the relationship between major
equipment of a plant facility and but doesn’t minor
details such as designations and piping details.

What is the difference between a

strut and a column?
A Column is always vertical but a strut could carry an
axial compressive load in any direction. A strut and
column both carry the compressive load.

To increase the corrosion

resistance of steel which elements
do you need?
Chromium and nickel.

What are the principal constituents

of brass?
Copper and zinc are principal constituents of brass are
copper.

An elastomer is a polymer when its

percentage elongation rate is?
Greater than 100%.
Distinguish between fatigue and
creep.
Fatigue is the reduced tendency of a material to offer
resistance to applied stress under repeated or
fluctuating loading conditions.
Creep is low and progressive deformation of a material
with time under constant stress at high-temperature
applications.

What is the second law of

thermodynamics?
The second law of thermodynamics states that total
entropy will always increase within a closed system
and can never decrease over time.

What is the process flow diagram?

A process flow diagram is a diagram commonly used in
chemical and process engineering to indicate the
general flow of plant processes and equipment.

Explain mechanical refrigeration

Using an artificial heat exchange system mechanical
refrigeration is a process where heated is removed from
a chosen location.
This refrigeration system can be thermoelectric,
magnetic, non-cyclic, cyclic, and will depend on the
refrigeration application needed.
Describe the difference between a
tube and a pipe
Pipes are always round while tubes can come in
different shapes such as rectangular, square, or
cylindrical.
A pressure force is evenly distributed due to the circular
shape of a pipe.
Outside diameter (OD) and wall thickness (WT) are used
to measure a tube.

Explain what a bearing is?

Bearings precision-made components that enable
machinery to move at high speeds while reducing
friction between moving parts.

What is a P&ID?
Used in the process industry a P&ID is a piping and
instrumentation diagram. This diagram shows process
equipment and piping together with control devices and
instrumentation in detail.

Explain what GD&T is

GD&T stands for geometric dimensioning and
tolerancing which is a system for defining and
communicating engineering tolerances.
1. What is the meaning of the term Greenfield Project?
Ans: A Greenfield Project refers to a project that has been built from scratch and has
been built in a way that does not cause pollution.
 2. Can you name the alloy of tin and lead?
Ans: The alloy of tin and lead is called solder and is primarily used to make electrical
joints.
3. What is meant by pitting?
Ans: Pitting is when there is a small hole in the metal due to corrosion.
4. Can you name the boiler that doesn’t need a steam drum?
Ans: The supercritical pressure boiler doesn’t need a steam drum.
5. What are the different types of brakes?
Ans: The various types of brakes are:
 Hydraulic brakes
 Electric brakes
 Mechanical brakes
6. What is knurling?
Ans: Knurling is the process of creating a pattern on a bar that can be used as a
handle.
7. What is called engineering drawing?
Ans: It is the technical document that is used to transfer technical details and
requirements.
8. Identify the different types of screws.
Ans: The different types of screws are: Screw Head, Screw Thread Type and Screw
Drive Types.
9. What does GD&T stand for?
Ans: GD&T stands for Geometric Dimension and Tolerance.
10. Can you give the definition of coal?
Ans: Coal is a sedimentary rock that contains elements like sulfur, oxygen, hydrogen
and nitrogen.
11. What is the full form of AFBC?
Ans: The full form of AFBC is Atmospheric Fluidized Bed Combustion.
12. What do you mean by Gravity?
Ans: It is the proportion of the mass of a substance to the density of a reference
substance.
13. What do you mean by latent heat?
Ans: It is the amount of heat that changes the property of a material without
increasing its temperature.
14. Explain case hardening.
Ans: It is the method of using low carbon steel for making the outer surfaces harder.
15. What is a periscope?
Ans: It is an optical instrument used for viewing objects above the level of sight. It is
mostly used in submarines.
16. What are the different types of gate valves?
Ans: The different types of gate valves are
 Parallel disk gate
 Single disk gate
 Wedge Gate
17. How can we see the pipes behind the wall?
Ans: We can do so by using radio waves.
18. What is FOF in piping design?
Ans: FOF stands for Face of Flange.
19. What is extrusion?
Ans: Extrusion is the process by which a metal bar is elongated by pulling it through a
mandrel.
20. What are the two types of cooling towers?
Ans: The two types of cooling towers are: Natural draft and Mechanical or induced
draft.
21. What is Ferrite?
Ans: Ferrite is a magnetic iron rock.
22. What are the vital conditions of a perfect gas?
Ans: The vital conditions of a perfect gas are:
It needs to satisfy the state equation.
The specific heat should remain constant.
23. What is enthalpy?
Ans: Enthalpy is the heat content of a thermodynamic system.
24. What do you mean by torque?
Ans: Torque is the measure of force needed to rotate an object.
25. What does superheating mean?
Ans: Superheating is the process in which the fluid’s temperature is increased along
with the pressure.
2. Mechanical Engineering Interview Questions for Experienced
The following are samples of questions that are asked to candidates with experience
for a Mechanical Engineering job.
1. Can you differentiate between thermodynamics and heat transfer?
Ans: Thermodynamics changes one equilibrium state to another. Heat transfer is a
non-equilibrium process.
2. Why is Nitrogen used in welding?
Ans: Nitrogen is used in welding to stop oxygen and air from entering the fused metal
while welding.
3. Which gases can be used in welding instead of nitrogen?
Ans: Nitrogen can be replaced with argon, helium and carbon dioxide.
4. Why does white smoke come out in two-stroke locomotive engines?
Ans: White smoke comes out of two-stroke locomotive engines when the engine is
running out of fuel.
5. What is a turboprop engine?
Ans: A turboprop engine is a gas turbine engine used to power propellers. It is an
efficient engine for aircraft designs.
6. How do you differentiate between a rocket motion and a projectile motion?
Ans: A rocket motion uses a rocket that can accelerate the motion and resist forces
like gravity. A projectile motion is a force given to a body during its launch.
7. What do you mean by orthographic drawing?
Ans: An orthographic drawing is a 3D representation of any object. The 3 Faces are:
Plan view, Front view and Side view.
8. Can you provide us with some examples of mechanisms from our day-to-day life?
Ans: Some instances that show the use of mechanisms in our daily lives are switching
a light on or winding up a clock.
9. Can you expand ABFC?
Ans: The full form of ABFC is Atmospheric Fluidized Bed Combustion.
10. Can you tell the features used to identify mild steel, cast iron and high carbon steel?
Ans: While mild steel gives medium and dense sparks, cast iron gives out thick and
short flashes. Meanwhile, high carbon steel gives long and thick sparks.
11. Do you know why a biological shield is used in nuclear plants?
Ans: The biological shield protects one from being exposed to neutron, gamma and
beta radiation.
12. Now, can you explain what a nuclear reactor is?
Ans: A nuclear reactor is a plant that control, sustains and maintains the nuclear
fission chain reaction, and thereby prevents exposure to radioactive radiation.
13. Why do you need to subject steel metal to heat treatment?
Ans: Heat treatment gives steel metal the desired properties.
14. Do you know why most gas containers are cylindrical?
Ans: Gas containers are built in a cylindrical shape to withstand high pressure. The
sphere can withstand high internal gas pressure.
15. Is it possible to use motor oil in a hydraulic system?
Ans: You can use motor oil in a hydraulic system but it is best to avoid it. The reason
is motor oil has elements that are harmful to seals and other parts of the hydraulic
system.
16. Why do aeroplanes made out of thicker paper fly for a longer distance?
Ans: The reason is the thicker paper has a greater mass and potential energy. This
changes into kinetic energy when it is in motion and gives the plane a larger lift.
17. What is the mechanical advantage of a double pulley?
Ans: A double pulley reduces the effort by half and moves the object by double the
distance.
18. How are the pneumatic and hydraulic systems similar?
Ans: Both the systems use pressure to act on a particular application. The difference is
that the pneumatic system uses gases like air or nitrogen and the hydraulic system
uses oil or water.
19. What are Newtonian fluids?
Ans: Newtonian fluids are those that have a linear stress-strain relationship curve. It
also passes through the origin.
20. Why do we not use galvanized pipes for steam lines?
Ans: We do not use galvanized pipes for steam lines because the high pressure and
temperature of the steam cause the zinc coating on the pipe to flake off.
21. What is a disadvantage of supercritical boilers?
Ans: Supercritical boilers do not have a heavy drum for separating steam from the
mixture of water and steam.
22. Can you explain a process flow diagram?
Ans: A process flow diagram describes the primary flow course. It shows major
equipment, plant streams and the relationship between components.
23. What is a universal coupling?
Ans: A universal coupling is a pair of hinges connected by a cross shaft. The shaft is
used to connect two shafts with axes inclined to each other.
24. What is the Otto cycle?
Ans: The Otto cycle is a thermodynamic combustion cycle. It is how heat engines turn
gasoline into motion.
25. What type of computer programs does a mechanical engineer use?
Ans: A mechanical engineer uses software like Mathcad, MATLAB, SolidWorks and
Autodesk Inventor.