Bearings are not only used in industrial and automotive environments, such as factories and motor vehicles. In fact, there are a lot of interesting facts about bearings.
The invention of ball bearings dates back to the Roman Empire and was used for rotating tables. Leonardo da Vinci invented ball bearings to reduce friction, and although *** failed to achieve this, ball bearings were later widely used. Galileo Galilei also mentioned an early form of ball bearings, and the patent for the "modern" ball bearing was not granted to the Englishman Philip Vaughn until 1792.
Bearings are ubiquitous in everyday products and are essential for smooth movement. Bearings in toys allow the wheels to rotate at high speed and efficiently, improving safety. Bearings in home appliances enable functions such as rotary cycles, rotating trays, etc. to function properly. Rotating or movable components of electronics also require bearings to function properly.
The world's largest bearing is produced at Huisman with a diameter of 30 metres for its 10,000-tonne crane.
The world's smallest bearing is a ball bearing designed by Minebea Corporation of Japan, which has won the Guinness Book of World Records for the smallest commercial steel ball bearing. Its size is an outer diameter of 15mm, inner diameter 05mm, width 065mm, tourbillon mechanism for Japan's highest mechanical watches.
Artists have made unusual wooden instruments out of bearings, and with pulleys, levers, gears and marbles, dozens of notes can be programmed.