Boot with lubricant relief

A boot for a ball socket assembly having a housing and a ball stud shaft, said boot formed of an elastomeric material with an upper end configured to seal around but permit movement of the ball stud shaft in the ball socket assembly and a lower end with an annular flange configured for sealing engagement with the housing, said flange having an embedded elastic steel ring with inwardly directed serrations, said annular flange having one or more notches in the periphery of the flange, each of said notches terminating at a closed end with a web forming a gate, a cavity in the lower end of the boot opening to the web forming a passageway for lubricant to escape when internal pressure is applied.

A boot for a ball socket assembly having a housing and a ball stud shaft, said boot formed of an elastomeric material with an upper end configured to seal around but permit movement of the ball stud shaft in the ball socket assembly and a lower end with an annular flange configured for sealing engagement with the housing, said flange having an embedded elastic steel ring with inwardly directed regularly spaced uniform serrations, said flange having one or more notches in the periphery of the flange, each of said notches terminating at a closed end with a web forming a gate, an arched tunnel cavity in the lower end of the boot aligned with each notch and opening to the web forming a passageway for lubricant to escape when internal pressure is applied, said metal ring aligned with the notches such that adjacent serrations flank each the cavity.

An automotive pivoting and/or rotating socket for chassis applications having an elastomeric sealing member with a first end attached to an exterior housing member of the pivoting and/or rotating socket, said socket containing a stud with spherical, partially spherical, or partially conical enlarged first end and a second end exiting the socket housing and protruding through a second end of the sealing member for attachment to a cooperating suspension member, said sealing member allowing for relative pivoting and/or rotating motion of the first end of the stud to occur between a cooperating member fixedly attached to the housing member, said second end of the stud sealed by the elastomeric sealing member to form a chamber for lubricant, said elastomeric sealing member formed of an elastomeric material with an annular flange configured for sealing engagement with the housing, said flange having one or more thinned sections forming a gate, a cavity in the lower end of the elastomeric sealing member opening to each thinned section and together forming a temporary passageway for lubricant to flow when internal pressure is applied.