Rolling bearings

In plain language

A bearing is the part that lets a shaft or wheel turn while holding it in place. In a plain bearing, the moving part slides against a fixed surface, and a lot of energy is lost to friction and heat. A rolling bearing places small balls or rollers in a ring-shaped track so that the moving surfaces roll over each other, much as a ball rolls across a floor rather than dragging along it.

The idea is very old, but making it work well took centuries. Philip Vaughan patented a ball bearing design in 1794, but his balls were hand-cast from cast iron and had to be finished by hand. Later makers learned to grind balls to a precise size and roundness. In 1898 Henry Timken patented a tapered roller bearing that could carry heavy side loads, such as those on a turning vehicle, as well as the weight it supported.

Technical explanation

A rolling-element bearing carries load through balls or rollers that run between an inner and an outer raceway. Because the contact area is small and the surfaces roll rather than slide, the friction coefficient is much lower than for a plain journal bearing. Ball bearings handle mainly radial loads. Tapered roller bearings use cone-shaped rollers between cone-shaped races, so they can carry radial and thrust (axial) loads at the same time. A cage keeps the rolling elements spaced apart, and preload or adjustment sets the clearance.

The historical record gives a clear sequence. A 1981 NASA technical memorandum by D. Dowson and B. J. Hamrock states that by 1800 the essential features of ball and rolling-element bearings had emerged, and that precision manufacture and mass production were then needed to show their value. Schaeffler's company history credits Vaughan's 1794 patent as the first modern ball bearing. Friedrich Fischer's ball grinding mill, built in 1883 in Schweinfurt according to a company history, made hardened cast-iron spheres of uniform size, with accuracy stated as down to 20 micrometres. Jules Suriray's French patent of 2 August 1869 covered the use of ball bearings in bicycles, and the bicycle used to win the Paris to Rouen race in November 1869 is reported to have carried them. Timken's US patent 606,635, granted 28 June 1898, describes conical rollers between conical cups and cones, with ribs and grooves that keep the rollers from working out endwise.

The historical dates above rest mainly on company histories, encyclopaedia entries and one NASA memorandum whose full text was not reviewed for this profile. The Timken patent was read on Google Patents. The Suriray patent could not be opened, so its details come from Wikipedia. Where sources differ on details, such as the bearing type in Suriray's patent or the date of Timken's patent, the profile says so rather than choosing one account.

What the evidence says

Each statement is typed by the strength of its evidence and linked to the source that supports it.

Limitations and open problems

• Early ball bearings used hand-finished balls, and Vaughan's design tended to rumble rather than run smoothly (Schaeffler company history). The sources reviewed do not give measured noise or life figures for these early designs.
• The bearing type in Suriray's patent is disputed between sources: some describe it as ball bearings for bicycles, and others as the first radial-style ball bearing. The patent text was not opened for this profile.
• A plain journal bearing relies on lubricant to avoid failure, and rolling bearings also need lubrication and sealing. Wikipedia's article on tapered roller bearings notes that journal bearings without adequate lubrication failed because friction generated excessive heat.
• The sources reviewed give no verified figures for how much friction a given bearing type saves in a specific wheel, shaft or engine, so this profile does not quote one.
• John Lincoln Scott applied for a US roller-bearing patent in 1895, but his design used cylindrical rollers rather than tapered ones (Wikipedia).

Possible future uses

Timeline

1. 1794Philip Vaughan patents a ball bearing design using hand-cast iron balls that had to be finished by hand. Sources: [5], [7]
2. 2 Aug 1869Jules Suriray is awarded French patent No. 86,680, Perfectionnements dans les vélocipèdes, covering ball bearings in bicycles. Sources: [4]
3. 1883Friedrich Fischer designs a ball grinding mill in Schweinfurt that makes hardened cast-iron spheres of uniform size and roundness. Sources: [5]
4. 23 Mar 1895John Lincoln Scott applies for a US patent on a roller bearing for wagon axle hubs, using cylindrical rollers rather than tapered ones. Sources: [6]
5. 28 Jun 1898US patent 606,635, Roller-bearing for vehicles, is granted to Henry Timken and Reginald Heinzelman for a tapered roller bearing. Sources: [2], [3]

Glossary

Rolling-element bearing

A bearing that uses balls or rollers between two rings so that the moving parts roll rather than slide.

Journal bearing

A plain bearing in which a shaft slides against a fixed surface, usually with a film of lubricant between them.

Raceway

The grooved or conical track on which the balls or rollers run, usually on an inner or outer ring.

Cage

A spacer that keeps the rolling elements at even intervals so they do not bunch together.

Sources

1. government report
   History of ball bearings (NASA Technical Memorandum 81689, E-209)
   D. Dowson, B. J. Hamrock. NASA Technical Reports Server, 1 Feb 1981. Accessed 22 Oct 2026.
2. patent
   Roller-bearing for vehicles (US Patent 606,635)
   Henry Timken, Reginald Heinzelman. United States Patent Office, via Google Patents, 28 Jun 1898. Accessed 22 Oct 2026.
3. other
   Henry Timken
   National Inventors Hall of Fame, 1998. Accessed 22 Oct 2026.
4. other
   Jules Suriray
   Wikipedia, 22 Oct 2026. Accessed 22 Oct 2026.
5. company announcement
   Impeccable round and smooth
   Schaeffler (company history article), Dec 2023. Accessed 22 Oct 2026.
6. other
   Tapered roller bearing
   Wikipedia, 7 Mar 2026. Accessed 22 Oct 2026.
7. other
   Ball bearing
   Wikipedia, 22 Oct 2026. Accessed 22 Oct 2026.

Revision history

3 changes since this profile was created.