List of mechanical engineers

This is a list of mechanical engineers, noted for their contribution to the field of mechanical engineering.

See also List of engineers for links to other engineering professions.

A

• Al-Jazari (1136–1206) – polymath, numerous mechanical innovations
• Al-Muradi (11th Century) – Mechanical engineer, author of early texts on engineering, inventor w/ Al-Zarqali of the universal astrolobe
• Al-Zarqali (1029–1087) – Instrument maker, astrologer, and leading astronomers; inventor w/ Al-Muradi of the universal astrolobe
• Archimedes (c. 287–212 BC) – Polymath, inventor of the screw pump
• Richard Arkwright (1733–1792) – Credited for inventing the spinning frame but most notable for contributions to the modern factory system
• William George Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong (1810–1900) – Hydraulic power pioneer, founder of Armstrong Whitworth

B

• Charles Babbage (1791–1871) – Creator of the Difference Engine
• George Herman Babcock (1832–1893) – Co-invented an improved safety water tube steam boiler, co-founder of Babcock & Wilcox
• Joseph Cyril Bamford (1916–2001) – Founder of the JCB company, manufacturing heavy plant, and especially backhoes
• Eugenio Barsanti (1821–1864) – Early developer of internal combustion engine
• Henry Bessemer (1813–1898) – Best known as the creator of the Bessemer Process
• Karl Benz (1844–1929) – Generally regarded as the inventor of the gasoline-powered automobile, founder of Mercedes-Benz
• John Blenkinsop (1783–1831) – Steam locomotive pioneer, developed rack and pinion railway system
• Thomas Bouch (1822–1880) – Railway engineer, helped develop the roll-on/roll-off train ferry
• Matthew Boulton (1728–1809) – Steam engineer, associate of James Watt
• Joseph Bramah (1748–1814) – Hydraulic power pioneer and inventor of the hydraulic press
• Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1805–1859) – Design contributions include the Great Western Railway and the SS Great Eastern
• William Brunton (1777–1851) – Early steam power pioneer, inventor of the Brunton's Mechanical Traveller
• Oliver Bulleid – Railway engineer
• David Bushnell (1742–1824) – Creator of the Turtle, credited as the first military submarine

C

• Gerolamo Cardano (1501–1576) – Numerous mechanical inventions including the combination lock, gimbal, Cardan shaft, and Cardan grille
• Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot (1796–1832) – physicist and military engineer
• Willis Carrier (1876–1950) – Pioneered the design and manufacture of modern air conditioning systems
• Edmund Cartwright (1743–1823) – Inventor of the first commercial power loom
• George Cayley (1773–1857) – Aerodynamics pioneer and founding member of the British Association for the Advancement of Science
• Colin Chapman (1928–1982) – Automotive engineer, founder of Lotus Cars
• André Citroën (1878–1935) – Founder of Citroën automotive, known for application of double-helical gears
• Joseph Clement (1779–1844) – Best known as the maker of Babbage's Difference Engine
• Dugald Clerk (1854–1932) – Inventor of the two-stroke engine
• Demetrius Comino (1902–1988) – Inventor of Dexion slotted angle steel construction system
• Peter Cooper (1791–1883) – Designed and built the first American steam locomotive, the Tom Thumb, and founded the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
• William R. Cosentini (1911–1954) – Founder of Cosentini Associates
• Thomas Russell Crampton (1816–1888) – Inventor of the Crampton locomotive and an early advocate of the Channel Tunnel
• Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot (1725–1804) – Early developer of a self-propelled (steam) vehicle

D

• Bryan Donkin (22 March 1768 – 27 February 1855) – Associated with paper making and printing machinery, tinned food, beam Engines, Gas valves and the Babbage Difference Engine. Employed on Civil Engineering projects such as Thames Tunnel, Chatham Docks and Caledonian Canal. Member of Royal Society of Arts, Institution of Civil Engineers, The Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers. Founder member of the Royal Astronomical Society.
• Kalyanmoy Deb – Famous for work on optimization for Engineering Design
• Rudolf Diesel (1858–1913) – Inventor of the diesel engine
• Cornelius Drebbel (1572–1633) – Inventor, first navigable submarine
• Keith Duckworth (1933–2005) – designer of the Cosworth DFV

E

• Richard Lovell Edgeworth (1744–1817) – Inventor and telegraphy pioneer
• Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931) – Inventor, entrepreneur
• John Ericsson (1803–1889) – Steam engine design, propeller design, iron clad warships (USS Monitor)
• Oliver Evans (1755–1819) – Steam power pioneer and inventor, best known for his "Oruktor Amphibolos"

F

• William Fairbairn (1789–1874) – Steam power pioneer, developer of early high-pressure boiler (Lancashire boiler)
• Harry Ferguson (1884–1960) – Agricultural equipment engineer, founder of Ferguson Company (later Massey Ferguson)
• Giovanni Fontana (ca. 1395 – ca. 1455) – fifteenth-century Venetian engineer.
• Henry Ford (1863–1947) – Automotive engineer and industrialist, founder of Ford Motor Company
• Benoît Fourneyron (1802–1867) – Pioneered early practical water turbine
• Robert Fulton (1765–1815) – Credited with the development of the first commercial steamboat
• Yuan-Cheng Fung – American bio-engineer, a founding figure of bioengineering, tissue engineering, and the "Founder of Modern Biomechanics

G

• Emile Gagnan (1900–1979) – Co-inventor (with Cousteau) of the diving regulator used in SCUBA equipment
• Blasco de Garay (1500–1552) – Early steam power pioneer and developer of paddle wheels as a substitute for oars
• Herbert William Garratt (1864–1913) – Inventor of the Garratt system of articulated locomotives
• Henry Laurence Gantt (1861–1919) – Inventor of the Gantt chart
• Daniel Gooch (1816–1889) – first chief mechanical engineer of the Great Western Railway
• John Viret Gooch (1812–1900) – locomotive superintendent of the London and South Western Railway
• J.E. Gordon (1913–1998) – Engineering author and developer of composite materials
• John Josiah Guest (1785–1852) – Manager of the Dowlais Ironworks, Wales
• Nigel Gresley (1876–1941) – Steam locomotive engineer, developed Gresley conjugated valve gear
• Goldsworthy Gurney (1793–1875) – Inventor and steam power pioneer, known for his Gurney Steam Carriage
• Ravi Grover (1949–) – India nuclear scientist and Mechanical Engineer. He is widely given credit of building India's Nuclear bomb.

H

• Timothy Hackworth (1786–1850) – Early steam locomotive designer, associate of William Hedley and George Stephenson
• James Harrison (1816–1893) – Pioneer in the field of mechanical refrigeration
• Beulah Louise Henry (1887–1973) – Nicknamed "Lady Edison", patents included bobbin-free sewing machine and vacuum ice cream freezer
• William Hedley (1779–1843) – Railway pioneer, built the first practical steam locomotive relying only on the adhesion of wheels to rails
• Hero of Alexandria (c. 10–70 AD) – Described many inventions including the aeolipile and the windwheel
• August Horch (1868–1951) – Automotive engineer, founder of Audi
• Jonathan Hornblower (1753–1815) – Steam power pioneer, developed the first compound steam engine
• Elias Howe (1819–1867) – Refining Hunt's ideas, granted first U.S. patent for a sewing machine using a lockstitch design

I

• Alec Issigonis (1906–1988) – Automotive engineer associated with the development of the Mini

J

• Joseph Marie Jacquard (1752–1834) – Invented the Jacquard loom, forerunner of modern digital computers (also see Basile Bouchon)
• György Jendrassik (1898–1954) – Developed first working turboprop engine (the Jendrassik Cs-1)

L

• Frederick Lanchester (1868–1946) – Polymath with contributions in automotive and aviation engineering, co-founder of Lanchester Motor Company
• Gustaf de Laval (1845–1913) – Developer of the De Laval nozzle, contributions in steam and dairy engineering, founder of Alfa Laval
• Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716) – Polymath who invented, among other things, the Leibniz wheel
• Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) – Polymath

M

• Ma Jun – 3rd century China, invented the south-pointing chariot, mechanical puppet theaters, chain pumps, improved silk looms, etc.
• Felice Matteucci (1808–1887) – Early developer of internal combustion engine
• Henry Maudslay (1771–1831) – Considered a founding father of machine tool technology, helped perfect the hydraulic press
• Elijah McCoy (1843–1929) – African Canadian inventor, contributions include automatic lubricator for steam engines
• Andrew Meikle (1719–1811) – Contributions include threshing machine and windmill sails
• Thomas Midgley, Jr. (1889–1944) – Developed tetraethyllead (TEL) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
• Samuel Morey (1762–1843) – Steamship & internal combustion engine pioneer
• James Morgan – Applied Materials CEO
• William Murdoch (1754–1839) – Associate of Watt, improved steam engine (sun and planet gearing), also developed gas lighting
• Gordon Murray – Formula One, Brabham BT46B, McLaren F1
• Matthew Murray (1765–1826) – Steam engine designer, built one of the first commercially viable steam locomotives (Salamanca)

N

• James Nasmyth (1808–1890) – Inventor of the steam hammer and other important machine tools
• Thomas Newcomen (1664–1729) – Inventor of the first practical steam engine for pumping water
• James Henry Northrop (1856–1940) – Invented shuttle-charging mechanism which led to the fully automatic Northrup Power Loom
• Bill Nye [The Science Guy] – educational science television

O

• Nicolaus Otto (1832–1891) – Developer of the first commercially viable four-stroke engine

P

• Denis Papin (1647–1712) – Inventor of the steam digester, forerunner of the steam engine
• Charles Algernon Parsons (1854–1931) – Steam and power engineer, inventor of compound steam turbine
• Ferdinand Porsche (1875–1951) – Automotive engineer, best known for creating the Volkswagen Beetle

Q

• Muhammad Hafeez Qureshi (1930–2007) – Weapon Scientist, Aerodynamicist, rocket engineer and missile technologist.

R

• Agostino Ramelli (c. 1531–1600) – Inventor of the bookwheel as well as various water-powered inventions (clockwork, treadmill, pump)
• John Ramsbottom (1814–1897) – Inventor of the tamper-proof spring safety valve and the displacement lubricator
• William John Macquorn Rankine (1820–1872) – Major contributor to thermodynamics, heat engine theory and metal fatigue
• George Rennie (1791–1866) – Among other developments, a pioneer in food processing equipment (biscuit, corn, chocolate mills)
• Osbourne Reynolds (1842–1912) – Major contributor to the science of fluid dynamics and heat transfer
• Harry Ricardo (1885–1974) – internal combustion engine designer and researcher
• Richard Roberts (1789–1864) – Developer of high-precision machine tools which helped enable mass production
• Alfred H. Rzeppa (1885–1965) – Developer of the constant-velocity joint

S

• Dan Shechtman (born January 24, 1941) – discovered Icosahedral Phase
• Ralph Sarich (born December 10, 1938) – Invented Orbital engine
• Thomas Savery (c. 1650–1715) – Early steam engine patent holder, author of "A Miner's Friend; or An Engine to Raise Water by Fire"
• Per Georg Scheutz (1785–1873) – Pioneer in computer technology (Scheutzian calculation engine)
• Carl Wilhelm Siemens (1823–1883) – Inventor of the regenerative furnace
• Igor Sikorsky (1889–1972) – Aviation engineer, inventor of the single-rotor helicopter, founder of Sikorsky Aircraft Company
• Isaac Singer (1811–1875) – Credited with improvements in lockstitch sewing machine, founder of the Singer Sewing Machine Company
• John Smeaton (1724–1792) – Principally a civil engineer, but made numerous improvements to Newcomen's steam engine
• Edward Somerset, 2nd Marquess of Worcester, (c. 1601–1667) – Numerous mechanical innovations as described in "Century of Inventions" (1663)
• Sir William Stanier – Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.
• George Stephenson (1781–1848) – Known as the "Father of Railways", founder of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers
• Robert Stephenson (1803–1859) – Railway engineer, son of George Stephenson
• Robert Stirling (1790–1878) – Inventor of the Stirling Engine
• Su Song (1020–1101) China – First to use an escapement mechanism (see Yi Xing below) and chain drive to operate his astronomical clock tower
• Dr. Victor Szebehely – Aerospace Engineering & Celestial Mechanics

T

• Taqi al-Din (1526–1585) – Polymath, numerous mechanical innovations
• Dr. Andy Thomas – Australian Astronaut
• Nikola Tesla (1856–1943) – Serbian electrical and mechanical engineer contributing to the development of AC motors and power delivery
• John Tregoning (1840s-1920s) – American mechanical engineer, who wrote the first books on factory management
• Richard Trevithick (1771–1833) – Steam power pioneer, designer of early high-pressure boiler (Cornish boiler) and "Puffing Devil" locomotive

V

• Jacques de Vaucanson (1709–1782) – credited with creating early robots (automata) as well as the automated loom
• Richard Velazquez – automotive designer for Honda R&D Americas, Inc. and Porsche AG
• Boris Vian – writer
• Sir M Vishweswarayya (1861–1962) – chief designer, flood protection systems, Hyderabad; chief engineer, Krishna Raja Sagara dam, Mandya

W

• James Watt (1736–1819) – Inventor of the Watt steam engine whose development helped enable the Industrial Revolution
• Samuel T. Wellman (1847–1919) – Inventor and industrialist responsible for numerous steel industry innovations
• Eli Whitney (1765–1825) – Inventor of the cotton gin
• Joseph Whitworth (1803–1887) – Associated with standardizing thread pitch and techniques enabling precision machining
• Martin Wiberg (1826–1905) – Computer technology pioneer (logarithmic table machine)
• Walter Gordon Wilson (1874–1957) – inventor of the Wilson preselector gearbox
• Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951) – aerospace engineer turned philosopher
• Nathaniel C. Wyeth (1911–1990) – Developed polyethylene terephthalate (PET) beverage container
• Felix Wankel (1902–1988) – Inventor of the Wankel Rotary Engine

Y

• Yi Xing (618–907) China – First to use an escapement mechanism in operating a water-powered armillary sphere

Z

• Zhang Heng – 1st century-2nd century China, inventor of first hydraulic-powered armillary sphere, and first seismometer

References