Ball Bearing

A ball bearing is a type of rolling-element bearing that uses balls to maintain the separation between the bearing races. The purpose of a ball bearing is to reduce rotational friction and support radial and axial loads. It achieves this by using at least two races to contain the balls and transmit the loads through the balls.

Who invented the ball bearings?

Although Leonardo Da Vinci invented it to keep the components of the helicopter in place, it took more than 294 years for Philip Vaughan to invent the modern version in 1794.

         

The first modern recorded patent on ball bearings was awarded to Philip Vaughan, a British inventor and ironmaster who created the first design for a ball bearing in Carmarthen in 1794. His was the first modern ball-bearing design, with the ball running along a groove in the axle assembly.