FE Exam case studies
FE Exam · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam is generally the first step in the process of becoming a licensed professional engineer (P.E.). It is designed for recent graduates and for students who are close to finishing an undergraduate engineering degree from an EAC/ABET-accredited program. The FE Exam case studies are 5 cases and about 3,286 words.
1Concrete Lot Acceptance With One Low Cylinder
A ready-mix supplier delivers 60 m³ of concrete for a bridge deck. The specification requires a 28-day design strength of 28 MPa.
652 words, about 3 min2Pump Replacement With a Sunk Study and Unequal Lives
A municipal water utility must decide whether to keep a 3-year-old booster pump or replace it. The existing pump needs an immediate overhaul costing 9,000 and then has 5 years of remaining life, a salvage value of 4,000, and annual O&M of 18,000.
619 words, about 3 min3Booster Pump Cavitating Under Low Sump Level
A pump takes suction from an open sump whose water surface sits 3.0 m below the pump centerline. The suction line is DN150 (internal diameter 150 mm) with an equivalent length of 12 m and a total minor-loss coefficient of 4.5; take f = 0.020.
672 words, about 3 min4Waste-Heat Recovery Proposal That Fails an Energy Balance
A plant proposes to recover heat from 5.0 kg/s of clean exhaust gas at 320 °C to preheat 4.0 kg/s of process water from 20 °C to 60 °C in a gas-to-water heat exchanger. Use cp = 1.05 kJ/(kg·K) for the gas (approximately constant over this range) and cp = 4.18 kJ/(kg·K) for water.
576 words, about 3 min5Contractor's Alternate Uses a Superseded Wind Load Edition
You are the reviewing engineer for a client on a 6-story office building. A contractor submits a value-engineering alternate: a lighter steel framing scheme that saves the client about $180,000.
767 words, about 4 min