A ball bearing is a type of rolling-element bearing that uses a set of balls to keep the moving parts of a machine separated and reduce friction between them, supporting both radial and axial loads with a much lower coefficient of friction than sliding surfaces produce. The Welsh inventor and ironmaster Philip Vaughan patented the first modern design for a ball bearing in Carmarthen in 1794, and the now-familiar radial ball bearing was designed decades later, in 1869, by the Parisian bicycle mechanic Jules Suriray, whose bearings were fitted to the bicycle that won the Paris-Rouen race that same year.
Facts
Patent or First-Use DateSourced to the subject's own accountOnly the year of the patent is given in the source; the exact day is not stated. YearSourced to the subject's own account SignificanceSourced to the subject's own accountPhilip Vaughan, a Welsh inventor and ironmaster, patented the first modern ball bearing design in 1794, with the ball running along a groove in the axle assembly, decades before Jules Suriray's 1869 radial ball bearing used on a racing bicycle. 1 FAQs
What made Philip Vaughan's ball bearing design modern?
His 1794 design had the ball running along a groove in the axle assembly.
Philip Vaughan, a Welsh inventor and ironmaster, was awarded the first modern recorded patent on ball bearings, for a design he created in Carmarthen in 1794. What made his design the first modern one was that the ball ran along a groove in the axle assembly. Bearings of other kinds had been developed since ancient times, so his patent marks the start of the modern ball bearing rather than of bearings in general.
Connections
Associated With
Source Philip Vaughan (Grace's Guide)
In Field
Source Ball Bearing (Wikipedia)
Invented By
Source Philip Vaughan (Grace's Guide)
Sources
1. Ball Bearing (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHistory section, opening paragraph
the first modern recorded patent on ball bearings was awarded to Philip Vaughan, a Welsh inventor and ironmaster who created the first design for a ball bearing in Carmarthen in 1794.
History section, Vaughan patent sentence
the first modern recorded patent on ball bearings was awarded to Philip Vaughan, a Welsh inventor and ironmaster who created the first design for a ball bearing in Carmarthen in 1794.
History section, opening paragraph, second sentence
His is the first modern ball-bearing design, with the ball running along a groove in the axle assembly.
History
the first modern recorded patent on ball bearings was awarded to Philip Vaughan, a Welsh inventor and ironmaster who created the first design for a ball bearing in Carmarthen in 1794
In Field: Mechanical Engineering, Categories
Bearings (mechanical)
View the Source Philip Vaughan (Grace's Guide)
Associated With: Philip Vaughan, Biography
who patented a ball bearing race for carriage axle-trees in 1794
Invented By: Philip Vaughan, Biography
who patented a ball bearing race for carriage axle-trees in 1794
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