List of mechanical engineers

This is a list of mechanical engineers, notable people who were trained in or practiced mechanical engineering, nuclear engineering, etc. This is not a list of engineers practicing that profession.

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

A

• Archimedes (c. 287-212 BC) - Polymath, inventor of the screw pump
• Al-Jazari (1136–1206) - Polymath, numerous mechanical innovations
• 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 - 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
• Keith Black - American high performance automobile engineer
• 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 sytem
• 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

• Rudolf Diesel (1858–1913) - Inventor of the diesel engine
• Cornelius Drebbel (1572–1633) - Inventor, first navigable submarine
• Keith Duckworth - designer of the Cosworth DFV

E

• Richard Lovell Edgeworth (1744–1817) - Inventor and telegraphy pioneer
• John Ericsson (1803–1889) - Inventor of Ship Propeller [1]
• 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 - 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 - 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 early compound 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 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)

K

• Alan Kulwicki - 1992 NASCAR Champion

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
• 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 tetra-ethyl lead (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, (Death, 1998)- 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 the science of thermodynamics, known for advancements in 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

• Ralph Sarich (born December 10, 1938) – Invented Orbital engine in 1972 and developed the orbital combustion process engine, which is based on a re-designed two stroke engine using direct gasoline injection
• 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 (c. 1601-1667) - Numerous mechanical innovations are described in his book "Century of Inventions" published 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 physicist, electrical and mechanical engineer whose work formed the theoretical and practical basis for modern AC power systems
• Richard Trevithick (1771–1833) - Steam power pioneer, designer of early high-pressure boiler (Cornish boiler) and "Puffing Devil" locomotive

V

• Richard Velazquez - automotive designer for Honda R&D Americas, Inc. and Porsche AG
• Jacques de Vaucanson (1709–1782) - Credited with creating early robots (automata) as well as the automated loom
• Boris Vian - writer

W

• James Watt (1736–1819) - Inventor of the Watt steam engine whose development helped enabled 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, invented the first hydraulic-powered armillary sphere, and the first seismometer device to detect the direction of earthquakes