What do a famous painter, children’s toys and a street race with bicycles have in common? This is surprising to some, but in some ways they are associated with ball bearings. When you think about ball bearings, many know that they are mainly used in industry, such as factories and automobiles. Rolling bearings are essential components in many of these applications. However, you may be surprised what four interesting facts about ball bearings await you below.
The inventor of the ball bearing
The next known mention of a type of ball bearing came almost 1500 years later. The man behind the invention of the ball bearing was not who you think he is. He was not only a famous artist, philosopher, mathematician, but also an inventor. He became known for his painting “The Mona Lisa”. You may have guessed it by now. The inventor of the ball bearing was none other than Leonardo Da Vinci. He discovered the ball bearing in 1498-1500 to reduce the friction between two plates that would touch in his famous design of the propeller, a sketched aircraft.
Although the construction of the helicopter went down like a lead balloon, the ball bearing is a different story. 100 years after Da Vinci’s design, Galileo Galilei also mentioned an early form of the ball bearing. It was not until 1792 that a patent was applied for the “modern” ball bearing – it was granted in 1791 to the Englishman Philip Vaughan.
The first known discovery of a ball bearing device was found in the Roman Empire around 40 AD. It was a simple turntable with balls underneath, presumably to enable the people who ate at the table to simply turn the table to get other food.
Ball bearings in everyday life
Interesting facts about ball bearings, the second: You may not know this, but ball bearings can be found practically everywhere. In essence, bearings are critical to creating a smooth flow of motion, and almost anything that has moving parts requires some type of storage.
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Stock in toys
All toys with wheels whose components roll or spin have ball bearings as part of their design, such as the well-known fidget spinners, skateboards, roller blades, remote-controlled cars, etc. The bearings in these toys allow for quick, efficient functionality and safety.
Warehouse in home appliances
How does the spin cycle in the washing machine or the rotation of the plate in the microwave come about? Correct. Ball bearings are also involved here. Both application examples require the ball bearing for proper operation. Your fridge door and garage door are fitted with bearings that are easy to open and close on their hinges. Other examples include mixers, fans, air conditioners, and hot tubs.
The largest ball bearing in the world
In 2017 it was reported that Huisman, the global specialist in lifting, drilling and subsea solutions, is currently producing the world’s largest ball bearings in its production facility in China. These two bearings with a diameter of 30 meters are intended for the TMC cranes designed by Huisman. These have a lifting capacity of 10,000 tons and a radius of around 48 meters.
In contrast to traditional TMC cranes, which use either bogies or large running wheels for their slewing system, the cranes developed by Huisman use large ball bearings of their own design. The advantage of the storage is that it enables a significant weight saving of the crane.
Ball bearings win the first road bike race
In August 1869, a Parisian bicycle mechanic named Jules Suriray patented the use of a radial ball bearing he had developed for bicycles.
Just over three months after Suriray received his patent, the ball bearing he developed was subjected to a rigorous and well-publicized test during the world’s first major city-to-city bicycle street race. This inaugural race went about 80 miles between Paris and Rouen, and one of the contestants – an Englishman named James Moore – rode a bicycle that had this type of ball bearing mounted on the oversized front wheel.
Moore won the race and his medal for first place was undoubtedly due to the new ball bearings installed on his bike.
As you can read, the ball bearing established itself early on and is therefore an indispensable part of our everyday life. At igus, we specialize in the manufacture of xiros plastic ball bearings. These do not require any external lubrication, work extremely quietly, are corrosion-resistant and run smoothly. This makes them an inexpensive alternative to conventional metal ball bearings. We would be happy to advise you and test whether xiros plastic ball bearings are also suitable for your application.
For details, please visit: www.abdultraders.com
