By examining ancient Egyptian wall paintings, historians determined that the pyramids were built by standing massive, heavy stones atop one another.

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1500 AD - Blueprint drawings and the early concept design of a helicopter by Leonardo da Vinci used ball bearings. This is the first known recorded use of bearings in aerospace design.

According to Hartford Technologies, metallurgical processes improved as our understanding of chemistry widened. This led to harder, more wear-resistant materials and improved lubricants, making it possible for bearings to run at higher temperatures and speeds than ever before.

1917 - During World War I, U.S. bearing manufacturers decide to create an informal group to assist in bearing manufacturing. This led to the founding of The American Bearing Manufacturers Association (ABMA).

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The sketch da Vinci created is practically identical to the structure of bearings we use in the modern-day. This “basic bearing structure” of races, rolling elements, and a cage was thought up nearly 500 years ago thanks to the genius of Leonardo, and it pushed bearing technology forward in monumental proportions.

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Sven Winquist is known for his role in coming up with the design for self-aligning ball bearings, which revolutionized a new standard in terms of design. Winquist’s invention in 1907 led to a quick succession of innovations within the field, from the wire race bearing to the vee groove bearing. [source] The growing demand for ball bearings prompted the foundation of multiple specialty bearing companies.

1740 - John Harrison invents the first caged-roller bearing for H3 marine timekeeping. Little did he know, he used the same bearing in a contemporary regulatory clock.

a) Disk or plate cam (Fig. 1a and b): The disk (or plate) cam has an irregular contour to impart a specific motion to the follower. The follower moves in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the camshaft and is held in contact with the cam by springs or gravity.

2600 BC - Ancient Egyptians used a form of roller bearings to assist in moving large stone pieces that were for the construction of the Pyramids.

The structure that da Vinci sketched out consisted of two rings (known as races) that were above and below, as well as rolling balls (known as rolling elements) stuck between the rings and a “cage” so the balls do not come in contact with each other. [source]

The 2000s - Now, we see the ball and roller bearings used in all kinds of industrial applications, from wheel bearings in the automotive industry to ultra-high-speed bearings used in dental drills and anything in between.

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40 BC - An early known example of a wooden ball bearing was used to support a rotating table. This example was found in the remains of a sunken Roman ship in Lake Nemi, Italy.

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My name is Dean Payne and I am the Sales Manager at BDS. I have been with BDS for 19 years and started when I was 18 years old in the warehouse. I have learned a little bit about bearings over the years and would consider myself a career-bearing guy at this point. I enjoy the challenges and the constant changing of nomenclature the bearing industry has to offer, you learn something new every single day.

Bearings are part of our everyday life. It would be incredibly difficult to picture the modern world without them, especially in the industrial age.

That’s right. According to a number of wall paintings depicting the pyramid construction, scholars have found depictions of logs being rolled underneath the massive stones. This was done to reduce friction and make transporting the hefty stones easier by exerting less force. [source]This method of transportation paved the way for the idea of using rolling elements, also known as rollers, in bearings.

(b) Off-set follower: For this type, the lines of movement are offset from the centers of the camshafts (Fig. 6 a, b, c, and d).

1794 - The first patent for the ball race was awarded to Philip Vaughn of Carmarthen, Wales. His design incorporated a ball running along a groove in an axle assembly.

Scholars found a sketch of a bearing in one of his notebooks, which is now regarded as a symbol of ingenuity that birthed bearings that reduce friction.

The Industrial Revolution lasted from the mid-18th century through the 19th century. This period is notable for bearings due to the large quantity production of steel. This allowed for high-strength bearings to be mass-produced for the first time in history, making bearings usable in a wide variety of industrial fields.

These vital pieces of technology did not appear overnight when the creation of metal machines began. In fact, bearings have a long history of use that goes back to the stone age.

1869 - Parisian bicycle mechanic Jules Suriray receives the first patent for a radial ball bearing, which he fitted on the winning bike of the world's first bicycle race in Paris.

(a) Radial follower: The lines of movement of in-line cam followers pass through the centers of the camshafts (Fig. 4 a, b, c, and d).

Later on, the roller bearing was developed, which used a roller as its rolling element and was used for axles in horse-drawn carriages. The discovery of the bearing-based axle propelled a leap in movement and transportation.

Now that we’ve covered the timeline of bearing history, let’s dive into the more in-depth history behind how the idea of the first bearing was created and how it evolved to the modern-day types of bearings we use every day.

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While this is the first recorded instance of humankind reducing friction, there are plenty of other records worldwide throughout history that differ in time periods and methods used.

1898 - First patent is issued for Timken Tapered roller bearings. In the following year, Henry Timken established his company.

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b) Cylindrical cam (Fig. 2): The cylindrical cam has a groove cut along its cylindrical surface. The roller follows the groove, and the follower moves in a plane parallel to the axis of rotation of the cylinder.

One of the most notable discoveries in the Industrial Revolution was axles using bearings. Initially, the ball bearing was used for axles in bicycles, which used a ball as its rolling element, which became widely popular.

The Parisian bicycle mechanic Jules Suriray received a patent in 1869 for a radial ball bearing fitted into metal bicycles. The success of his improved design ended up creating several new types of metal ball bearings.

Bearingmanufacturing process PDF

While bearings often go unnoticed in day-to-day life, it’s safe to say that our world would not be the same without the invention of bearings. The innovation that bearings brought on has allowed humankind to move heavy objects with ease and has created conveniences through modern machinery.

Although we credit Leonardo da Vinci with discovering the basic bearing structure, the building and mass production of bearings was still an untouched matter. It’s not until the Industrial Revolution that bearings became widely used in machinery.

Plus, bearings were an integral part of the Industrial Revolution, thanks to their role in allowing the machinery to operate efficiently.

While the wheel is considered by many to be the first invention by early civilizations, the concept of the bearing technically has it beat. Since ancient times, humankind has worked to find and develop new ways to reduce friction.

A cam is a mechanical device used to transmit motion to a follower by direct contact. The driver is called the cam and the driven member is called the follower. In a cam follower pair, the cam normally rotates while the follower may translate or oscillate. A familiar example is the camshaft of an automobile engine, where the cams drive the push rods (the followers) to open and close the valves in synchronization with the motion of the pistons.

Furthermore, bearings have played a key role in developing human civilization and are a crucial testament to the ingenuity of our ancestors and the discoveries they made.

In 1917, US bearing manufacturers created an informal group to aid bearing manufacturing for World War I. The foundation of the ABMA (American Bearing Manufacturers Association) led to the creation of the numbering system, which is still used throughout the globe today to produce and manufacture all types of standard bearings. [source]

1907 - Sven Wingquist of SKF invents new self-aligning ball bearings. This set a new standard of design, and from it, innovations popped up like the wire race bearing in 1934 and the vee groove bearing in 1968, respectively.

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In the 20th century, improvements in bearings directly led to advancements in the military, automotive, and machine tool industries. The array of choices for rolling elements expanded from balls to rollers, spherical rollers, and tapered rollers. Not to mention, bearings now could support combined loads (axial and radial) and withstand greater forces.

Since bearings are vital to your customers' needs, it’s important to have a comprehensive understanding of how bearings were created and how they have evolved to provide us with the modern-day solution for various loads and jobs.

Leonardo da Vinci, known as one of Italy's most influential Renaissance men, is considered the “father” of the modern bearing." Thanks to his insatiable curiosity, he left a significant impression on the world of art as well as the field of mechanical design.

The first modern recorded patent on ball bearings was awarded to British inventor and iron-master Philip Vaughan. He patented the first design for ball bearings in 1794, which were designed to support a carriage axle. [source] The design allowed for ball bearings to run along a track, or ball race in an axle assembly, therefore making it possible for wheels to rotate freely.

c) Translating cam (Fig. 3a and b). The translating cam is a contoured or grooved plate sliding on a guiding surface(s). The follower may oscillate (Fig. 6.3a) or reciprocate (Fig. 6.3b). The contour or the shape of the groove is determined by the specified motion of the follower.

The 1980s - Here, we saw the first bi-material plain bearing, which Robert Schroeder invented. Schroeder was the founder of Pacific Bearing.

Today bearings are put to use in a variety of ways, both small and large. Some examples include Formula 1 cars, dental drills, gearbox and wheel bearings in the automotive industry, flexure bearings in optical alignment mechanisms, bicycle wheel hubs, and more. [source]