Editing List of mechanical engineers

{{Short description|none}}
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.

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== A ==
* [[Abramo Colorni]] (1544–1599) – Italian-Jewish Renaissance engineer, architect, alchemist
* [[Ahmed Zulfikar]] (1952–2010) – entrepreneur and businessman
*[[Al-Jazari]] (1136–1206) – [[polymath]], numerous mechanical innovations
* [[Al-Zarqali]] (1029–1087) – instrument maker, astrologer, and leading astronomers
* [[Archimedes]] (c. 287–212 BC) – polymath, inventor of the [[Archimedes#The Archimedes Screw|screw pump]]
* [[Richard Arkwright]] (1733–1792) – credited with inventing the [[spinning frame]] but most notable for contributions to the modern factory system
* [[William George Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong]] (1810–1900) – [[Hydropower|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 (heavy equipment manufacturer)|JCB company]], manufacturing heavy plant, and especially backhoes
* [[Eugenio Barsanti]] (1821–1864) – early developer of [[internal combustion engine]]
* [[Karl Benz]] (1844–1929) – generally regarded as the inventor of the gasoline-powered [[automobile]], founder of [[Mercedes-Benz]]
* [[Henry Bessemer]] (1813–1898) – best known as the creator of the [[Bessemer Process]]
* [[John Blenkinsop]] (1783–1831) – [[steam locomotive]] pioneer, developed [[rack railway|rack and pinion railway]] system
* [[Thomas Bouch]] (1822–1880) – railway engineer, helped develop the [[Roll-on roll-off|roll-on/roll-off]] train ferry
* [[Matthew Boulton]] (1728–1809) – steam engineer, associate of [[James Watt]]
* [[Joseph Bramah]] (1748–1814) – [[hydropower|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 [[Steam Horse locomotive|Brunton's Mechanical Traveller]]
* [[Oliver Bulleid]] (1882–1970) – railway engineer
* [[David Bushnell (inventor)|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]], [[Drive shaft|Cardan shaft]], and [[Cardan grille]]
* [[Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot]] (1796–1832) – physicist and military engineer
* [[Thomas Carr (engineer)]] (1824–1874) - inventor of the [[Carr's disintegrator]]
* [[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 gear]]s
* [[Joseph Clement]] (1779–1844) – best known as the maker of [[Charles Babbage|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 ==
* [[Leonardo da Vinci]] (1452–1519) – polymath
* [[Rudolf Diesel]] (1858–1913) – inventor of the [[diesel engine]]
* [[Bryan Donkin]] (1768–1855) – 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 the Thames Tunnel, Chatham Docks and Caledonian Canal; member of Royal Society of Arts, Institution of Civil Engineers, and the Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers; founder member of the Royal Astronomical Society
* [[Cornelius Drebbel]] (1572–1633) – inventor of the first navigable submarine
* [[Keith Duckworth]] (1933–2005) – designer of the [[Cosworth DFV]]

== E ==

* [[Thomas Alva Edison]] (1847–1931) – inventor, entrepreneur
* [[Chaim Elata]] (born 1929) – Israeli professor of mechanical engineering, President of [[Ben-Gurion University of the Negev]], and Chairman of the [[Israel Public Utility Authority for Electricity]]
* [[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 [[Oliver Evans#Oruktor Amphibolos|"Oruktor Amphibolos"]]

== F ==

* [[William Fairbairn]] (1789–1874) – steam power pioneer, developer of early high-pressure boiler ([[Lancashire boiler#Lancashire boiler|Lancashire boiler]])
* [[Harry Ferguson]] (1884–1960) – agricultural equipment engineer, founder of [[Ferguson Company]] (later [[Massey Ferguson]])
* [[Giovanni Fontana (engineer)|Giovanni Fontana]] (c. 1395 – c. 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]] (1919–2019) – American bio-engineer, a founding figure of bioengineering, tissue engineering, and the "founder of modern biomechanics"

== G ==
* [[Emile Gagnan]] (1900–1979) – co-inventor (with [[Jacques-Yves Cousteau|Cousteau]]) of the [[diving regulator]] used in SCUBA equipment
* [[Henry Laurence Gantt]] (1861–1919) – inventor of the [[Gantt chart]]
* [[Blasco de Garay]] (1500–1552) – early steam power pioneer and developer of [[paddle wheel]]s as a substitute for oars
* [[Herbert William Garratt]] (1864–1913) – inventor of the [[Garratt locomotive|Garratt]] system of articulated locomotives
* [[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
* [[George B. Grant]] (1849–1917) – worked on improved calculators and gear industry pioneer
* [[Nigel Gresley]] (1876–1941) – [[steam locomotive]] engineer, developed [[Gresley conjugated valve gear]]
* [[Ravi Grover]] (born 1949) – Indian nuclear scientist and mechanical engineer; widely given credit for building India's nuclear bomb
* [[John Josiah Guest]] (1785–1852) – manager of the [[Dowlais Ironworks]], Wales
* [[Goldsworthy Gurney]] (1793–1875) – inventor and steam power pioneer, known for his [[Goldsworthy Gurney#Gurney.27s steam carriage|Gurney Steam Carriage]]

== H ==

* [[Timothy Hackworth]] (1786–1850) – early steam locomotive designer, associate of [[William Hedley]] and [[George Stephenson]]
* [[James Harrison (engineer)|James Harrison]] (1816–1893) – pioneer in the field of mechanical [[refrigeration]]
* [[William Hedley]] (1779–1843) – railway pioneer, built the first practical [[steam locomotive]] relying only on the adhesion of wheels to rails
* [[Beulah Louise Henry]] (1887–1973) – nicknamed "Lady [[Thomas Edison|Edison]]", patents included a bobbin-free sewing machine and vacuum ice cream freezer
* [[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) – refined [[Walter Hunt (inventor)|Hunt's]] ideas, was granted the 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]]

== M ==
* [[Ma Jun (mechanical engineer)|Ma Jun]] (fl. 220–265) – 3rd-century China, invented the [[south-pointing chariot]], mechanical [[puppet]] theaters, [[chain pump]]s, improved silk [[loom]]s
* [[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
* [[Eckart Meiburg]] (born 1959) – German/American researcher, notable contributions to [[Computational fluid dynamics]]
* [[Andrew Meikle]] (1719–1811) – contributions include [[threshing machine]] and [[windmill]] sails
* [[Otto Metzger]] (1885–1961) – German/British engineer and inventor of [[impact extrusion]] of containers
* [[Thomas Midgley Jr.]] (1889–1944) – developed [[tetraethyllead]] (TEL) and [[chlorofluorocarbons]] (CFCs)
* [[Samuel Morey]] (1762–1843) – steamship and [[internal combustion engine]] pioneer
* [[James Morgan (engineer)|James Morgan]] (1776?–1856) – [[Applied Materials]] CEO
* [[William Murdoch]] (1754–1839) – associate of [[James Watt|Watt]], improved [[steam engine]] ([[sun and planet gear]]ing), also developed [[gas lighting]]
* [[Gordon Murray]] (born 1946) – [[Formula One]], [[Brabham BT46B]], [[McLaren F1]]
* [[Matthew Murray]] (1765–1826) – steam engine designer, built one of the first commercially viable [[steam locomotives]] (''[[Salamanca (locomotive)|Salamanca]]'')
* [[Mohammad Reza Eslami]] (born 1945) – Iranian scientist and professor of Mechanical Engineering at [[Tehran Polytechnic]] (Amirkabir University of Technology), Tehran, Iran

== 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) – inventor of the shuttle-charging mechanism which led to the fully automatic [[Northrop Loom|Northrup Power Loom]]

== O ==

* [[Nicolaus Otto]] (1832–1891) – developer of the first commercially viable [[Otto cycle#The Otto cycle|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) – weapons scientist, [[aerodynamicist]], [[aerospace engineer|rocket engineer]] and [[missile|missile technologist]]

== R ==

* [[Adele Racheli]] (1894–?) – Italian mechanical engineer and founder of a patent protection office in Milan in 1925.
*[[Agostino Ramelli]] (c. 1531–1600) – inventor of the [[bookwheel]] as well as various water-powered inventions (clockwork, treadmill, pump)
* [[John Ramsbottom (engineer)|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 (engineer)|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 (engineer)|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 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)
* [[Dan Shechtman]] (born 1941) – discovered [[Icosahedral Phase]]
* [[Carl Wilhelm Siemens]] (1823–1883) – inventor of the [[Open hearth furnace|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 [[Thomas Newcomen|Newcomen's]] steam engine
* [[Edward Somerset, 2nd Marquess of Worcester|Edward Somerset]], 2nd Marquess of Worcester, (c. 1601–1667) – numerous mechanical innovations as described in "Century of Inventions" (1663)
* [[Rebecca Sparling]], P.E. (1910–1996) – professional engineer licensed in mechanical engineering, innovations in high-temperature metallurgy and nondestructive test methods, including simpler liquid [[dye penetrant inspection]] technique
* [[Sir William Stanier]] (1876–1965) – 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]] (1921–1997) – aerospace engineering and celestial mechanics

== T ==
* [[Taqi al-Din Muhammad ibn Ma'ruf|Taqi al-Din]] (1526–1585) – polymath, numerous mechanical innovations
* [[Nikola Tesla]] (1856–1943) – [[Serb]]ian [[electrical engineering|electrical]] and mechanical engineer contributing to the development of [[alternating current|AC]] motors and power delivery
* [[Torine Torines]] (1876–1944) – pioneer Swedish sewing machine mechanic engineer
* [[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#Cornish boiler|Cornish boiler]]) and "Puffing Devil" locomotive

== V ==
* [[Jacques de Vaucanson]] (1709–1782) – credited with creating early [[robot]]s ([[automaton|automata]]) as well as the automated [[Loom#Power looms|loom]]
* [[Richard Velazquez]] – automotive designer for [[Honda]] R&D Americas, Inc. and [[Porsche]] AG
* [[Visvesvaraya|Sir M Vishweswarayya]] (1861–1962) – chief designer, flood protection systems, [[Hyderabad]]; chief engineer, Krishna Raja Sagara dam, [[Mandya]]
* [[Wernher von Braun]] (1912–1977) – mechanical engineer, space architect credited with inventing the [[V-2 rocket]] for Nazi Germany and the [[Saturn V]] for the United States

== W ==

* [[Felix Wankel]] (1902–1988) – inventor of the [[wankel engine|Wankel Rotary Engine]]
* [[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 [[British Standard Whitworth|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 Wyeth (inventor)|Nathaniel C. Wyeth]] (1911–1990) – developed [[polyethylene terephthalate]] (PET) beverage container

== Y ==
* [[Yi Xing]] (683–727) China – first to use an [[escapement]] mechanism in operating a water-powered [[armillary sphere]]

==Z==
* [[Zhang Heng]] (78–139) – 1st century-2nd century China, inventor of first [[hydraulic]]-powered [[armillary sphere]], and first [[seismometer]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Mechanical Engineers}}
[[Category:Lists of engineers|Mechanical engineers]]
[[Category:Mechanical engineering]]