Ball joint, stabilizer link, and ball joint manufacturing method

A ball joint comprising:

• a ball stud including a stud portion and a ball portion;
• a metal housing configured to rotatably support the ball portion of the ball stud;
• and
• a resin ball seat provided in an interposed manner between the ball portion and the housing,
• wherein
• the housing is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape by press work,
• the housing has a bottom wall and a peripheral side wall which are set respectively to thicknesses substantially equal to each other,
• the bottom wall and the peripheral side wall of the housing have therebetween a boundary portion formed with multiple rib portions which project in a brace shape from outside to inside of the housing, and
• wherein each rib portion is formed in a triangular pyramid shape and includes a pair of substantially triangular inclined portions with a ridge line in between.

A method of manufacturing a ball joint including a ball stud provided with a stud portion and a ball portion, a metal housing configured to rotatably support the ball portion of the ball stud, and a resin ball seat provided in an interposed manner between the ball portion and the housing, the method comprising:

• forming the housing by press work;
• attaching a support bar to a bottom wall of the housing;
• fitting the ball stud with the ball seat attached thereto into an internal space of the housing;
• and
• integrating the ball stud with the ball seat attached thereto with the housing by subjecting an opening rim portion of the housing to swaging by bending the opening rim portion inward,
• wherein the forming the housing by press work includes subjecting the housing to drawing and subjecting a boundary portion between the bottom wall and a peripheral side wall of the housing to rib processing into a brace shape.