The Disciplinary Structure Study Based On The Interior Relationship & Exterior Linkages Of Mechanical Journals

Research on academic journals is of great significance to explore disciplinary structure and scientific development. From 66 international mechanical journals of Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE), using methods of bibliometric and scientometrics, the paper studied the interior structure and exterior linkages of mechanical journals group, explored mechanical disciplinary structure, and analyzed the nature and status of mechanics.The content analysis and citation analysis, two methods were used to study the interior structure of mechanical journals group. Firstly, using word frequency analysis, based on the titles, keywords and abstracts of journals, the degree of its similarity and distinction were analyzed. Secondly, using citation analysis, from the cited publications of mechanical articles' references and interciting of mechanical journals, the degree of its citation contact was analyzed. The interior structure of the journals group was displayed through multi-dimension analysis and factor analysis. Finally, comprehensive analysis of journals group was conducted, citation tendency and citation intensity of each journal were analyzed in the network of mechanical journals' interciting, and outlined the disciplinary structure of mechanics based on the interior relationship of the mechanical journals group. Using Q-measure, from the interciting of mechanical journals, it was reveals the nature and role of solid, fluid and computational mechanics. The result of interior disciplinary structure of the mechanics research was shown that mechanics consists of solid, fluid, rational, vibration, computational mechanics and dynamics, rheology, adhesion. Solid and fluid mechanics are the most important components, are two relatively independent sub-disciplines; computational mechanis has played a significantly intermediary role as a bridge for the two sub-disciplines in the mechanical journals interciting network.The exterior linkages of mechanical journals group was explored through two perspectives: What disciplines of journals were cited by mechanical journals and what disciplines of journals cited mechanical journals? Disciplines which the mechanics cited more, but by which the mechanics was cited less are multidisciplinary physics, applied physics, acoustics, atomic, molecular & chemical physics, optics, mathematics, applied mathematics, aerospace engineering, multidisciplinary sciences, multidisciplinary geosciences, computer science (interdisciplinary applications), meteorology & atmospheric sciences, polymer science, electrical & electronic engineering. These disciplines can be seen as the basis of mechanics. Disciplines which the mechanics cited less, but by which the mechanics was cited more are primarily engineering and technological disciplines, such as multidisciplinary engineering, mechanical engineering, metallurgy & metallurgical engineering, nanoscience & nanotechnology, manufacturing engineering, civil engineering, chemical engineering, instruments & instrumentation, multidisciplinary materials science, composites materials science, multidisciplinary chemistry, physical chemistry, condensed matter physics, mathematical physics, mathematics (interdisciplinary applications), geochemistry & geophysics, water resources, thermodynamics, oceanography, energy & fuels, fluids & plasmas physics. These disciplines are on the basis of mechanics and are the mechanics main application areas. Mechanics cited a lot of physics, mathematics and other basic science, maintained direct links with basic science. And the same time, it has widely applied in engineering to solve the engineering problems.Finally, this paper used Hsue-Shen Tsien's thought on engineering science, based on the results of the paper, from basic sciences, technological sciences, engineering sciences three levels to analyze the nature and status of mechanics. Mechanics as the typical technological science, rooted in the basic sciences, mainly guided by the basic theory of physics and used mathematics and computer science, is served for mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering , metallurgy & metallurgical engineering these engineering sciences. Mechanics is also served for materials science, thermodynamics, energy and fuels, nanoscience & nanotechnology, oceanography, and other technological sciences. It can be said that mechanics is the common foundation of most of technological sciences and engineering sciences. In short, mechanics is based on basic sciences, and it is widely used in the field of engineering sciences. Mechanics is a bridge which links basic sciences and engineering sciences.