Bicycles & Manufacturing Technologies
Ball bearings
Ball bearings have been seen as far back as the ancient world, when ancient Egyptians used a simplified version to build sleds out of tree trunks. [1]. The modern bearing, however, was developed after being patented in 1869 by Jules Suriray, a bicycle mechanic from Paris. [2]
A bearing allows contrained motion between two parts, in a rolling or linear motion. A bicycle typically uses a ball bearing, a type of rolling bearing that uses individual balls to keep the moving parts of the separate. Bicycle ball bearings help reduce friction between the moving parts of the bicycle.
Ball bearings can be found in many parts of the bicycle
The wheels’ front and rear hubs
The bottom bracket, where the axle connects the two pedals
The fork tube, which allows the handlebars to turn
The pedals
[3]
Bearings have been improved over time, to allow different rotations of movement, different applications, and different loads of bearing. Today, you can find bearings in mostly any industrial product that involves a rotating component. For example, ultra high-speed bearings are used in dental drills and aerospace bearings are used in the Mars Rover. The most obvious contribution of the bicycle ball bearing is the use of gearbox and wheel bearings on automobiles. The invention and patent of the bicycle ball bearing led directly to the wheel bearing used in early and modern automobiles.
Pneumatic tires
Pneumatic tires are air filled coverings that wrap around a wheel rim and protect it against damage from directly touching the ground. The first rubber pneumatic tire was invented in 1887 by John Boyd Dunlop, a veternarian in Scotland. He developed it for his son’s bicycle, who was having a terrible time bicycling on rough roads.
The discovery of using rubber as an encasing for the wheel was a huge development in the world of locomotion. A rubber tire, unlike an iron tire, can withstand the wear and tear of roads, while still maintaining resilience.
Pneumatic tires have applications in a variety of industries, including all that require locomotion and movement. For example, aircraft tires are pneumatic, but are filled with nitrogen or helium to handle changes in pressure and ambient temperature. By adjusting the internal pressure, the external treads, or the load and speed ratings, tires can be modified to function in any conceivable environment. All terrain tires, used on SUVs and ATVs, have strong sidewalls to resist being punctured. Racing tires are specially built to meet the exact specifications of the road terrain and vehicle load, and to minimize weight and drag.
The invention of the bicycle led directly to the Dunlops creation of the pneumatic tire, which can be seen in hundreds of different vehicle and industrial applications. The development of the tire allowed related industries, such as the tire industry, to grow, leading to a strong economic and social shift.
Wire wheels
In the 1870s, the wire spoked wheel was invented for use in bicycles. [4] Previously, wheels were made out of wood, attached with nails or metal strips (for example, in chariots). While easy to make and easy to mass produce, wooden wheels can’t support loads as heavy as wire wheels.
Wire wheels are superior because of their flexibility. Wire can bend and flex, but returns to the same shape when the load is lifted. When a rider sits on a bicycle, the wheel slightly flats where it contacts the ground. The rest of the wheel remains circular. The tension of all the spokes doesn’t increase, but only the spokes directly underneath the hub decrease their tension. As the wheel rotates, the spokes smoothly adjust the load and tension depending on which are in closest contact to the ground.
The first wire wheel was used in bicycles by James Stanley, known as the Father Of The Bicycle Industry. The wire wheel was much lighter than previous incarnations of the wheel, and were slated for mass production. They were created for use with rubber pneumatic tires.
The wire wheel is still used in bicycles, and is used today in many varieties of motorcycles.
[1]American Society of Mechanical Engineers (1906), Transactions of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 27, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, p. 441.
[2] Bicycle History, Chronology of the Growth of Bicycling and the Development of Bicycle Technology by David Mozer
[3] “HowStuffWorks “How Bicycles Work”" Howstuffworks “Adventure” Web. 09 Dec. 2010.
[4] B.c., By 3500. “Wheel and Axle Summary | BookRags.com.” BookRags.com | Study Guides, Lesson Plans, Book Summaries and More. Web. 09 Dec. 2010.