You've got to have the balls for it.

There are a lot of components in an aircraft that rely on roller ball bearings to ensure smooth, accurate movement. But how much do you know about those little steel balls that are the things that make these bearings work?

Here's a video which shows the processes involved in making those shiny little spheres.

Ahh, you have indicated a little confusion in your mind, as regards bearing load-carrying shapes, OME.

Roller bearings are a whole lot different design to ball bearings - and taper roller bearings and barrel roller bearings, are a whole lot different stories again.

The video is specifically about the manufacture of balls for ball bearings, I didn't see a roller bearing anywhere. But it's a very good explanation of how balls for bearings are manufactured.

A good rule of thumb is that ball bearings are used in lightly-loaded and high speed applications, but roller bearings are used in applications where heavy loads need to be carried.

Taper roller bearings are adjustable for preload, and barrel roller bearings are "all position", and are used when the drive or members flex under extreme loading. The barrel roller allows for the bearing race flexing under those extreme loads.

Flat roller bearings are used when loads are very heavy and they have to endure worn steel particles from other components, such as gears, going through them regularly. They have higher roller to race clearances than any other bearings.

Ball bearings have been relegated to cheap installations today, whereas, before WW2, ball bearings were common in many applications, including wheel bearings.

Wheel bearings on vehicles are typical of an application where ball bearings have virtually disappeared, and the ubiquitous taper roller bearing has replaced them, due to the taper roller bearings superior performance.

Ahh, you have indicated a little confusion in your mind, as regards bearing load-carrying shapes, OME.

However, relying on the wit and wisdom that perfuses this forum, I have ceased to suffer confusion of the mind and have amended the error of my ways.

But you will still find ball bearings in rod ends, and pulleys.

What you can learn on a wet winters day.

They are more suited to high RPM applications than rollers are and will take moderate to medium end thrust in various deep groove designs. You can't match the radii of the balls and the grooves exactly or they wear out as the are really point contact. A taper roller will skid if the geometry is not correct but rollers have a line contact so have a higher load rating.. These anti-friction bearings do not need or rely on a lot of oil or grease especially if they are revving fast as in wood working machinery. Nev

The ball bearing factory at Schweinfurt was a key target for allied bombers during WW2.

The WW1 put one at least of the US motorcycle makers out of business (The Flying Merkel) as it's engine design depended on ball bearings only made in Germany. Reading Standard and Harley Davidson also used metric sized bearings but adapted their designs to get around their non availability, but the Merkel had a unique BALL bearing big end for it's Vee twin motor. THE bike was very advanced as it had a swing arm rear suspension on it's 1912 Model (a year ahead of Indian's). Nev

The ball bearing bird,

the ball bearing bird,

never been seen, never been heard.

Not to be confused with the legless Oomedoodle bird, so called for its cry on landing.

It just makes you wonder what was going through these entertainers minds, to write such silly nonsense. I guess it's in the realm of Spike Milligan silliness.

I knew a poultry farmer who had a massive tom cat that used to patrol the layer sheds. He called it the Ball-bearing Rat Trap.

Better to have a frictionless Carpet snake. My Uncle had one in his feed sheds. Nev

A carpet snake would be a major risk around chooks and eggs, wouldn't it?? Chooks go ballistic at the sight of a snake, they will go off laying in shock. A big carpet snake would scoff down a chook, no worries.

https://www.frasercoastchronicle.com.au/news/carpet-snake-has-chicken-for-breakfast/1253703/

Maybe rats and mice taste better, but that's how it was. Chooks were in the yard underneath and I never heard mention of the chooks getting bothered. Nev

Not to be confused with the legless Oomedoodle bird, so called for its cry on landing.

When I was hang gliding I knew a bloke like that - he had a habit of getting stoned before flying and then forgetting to get his legs out of the bag before landing.

And I suppose you said "enjoy your trip?" Nev

He just made doubly sure to get high.

He was taking off from the grass.