George B. Grant

George Barnard Grant (December 21, 1849 – August 16, 1917) was an American mechanical engineer, inventor, entrepreneur and botanist.

[1] He is notable for having made important contributions to 19th-century mechanical calculators, for pioneering new techniques in gear making, and for starting several successful companies.

With the encouragement of his professor, Oliver Wolcott Gibbs, he set about improving on the work of Babbage and Per Georg Scheutz.

Grant played an important role in shifting industry convention, and since then most gears produced have been involute.

[12] As with calculating machines, Grant published his work in journals, and was awarded patents for his inventions of new gear manufacturing devices (see below).

The Philadelphia Gear website has a corporate history that explains Grant's significance to the company.