Method of manufacturing a ball joint assembly
AssigneeSKF Aerospace France S.A.S
InventorPatrick Jean-Marie Firmin Reverchon
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of manufacturing a ball joint assembly including providing an internal centerpiece substantially in the shape of a hollow truncated sphere, placing the centerpiece within a metal hollow sleeve and deforming the sleeve by forcing the sleeve against an outer surface of the centerpiece to shape the sleeve to complement the outer surface of the centerpiece, forming at least one groove in an exterior surface of the sleeve and there after molding a plastic matrix composite material over the exterior surface of the sleeve to form an external body over the sleeve.
Claims11
A method of manufacturing a ball joint assembly, which comprises, in succession:
- a first step of providing a ball joint centerpiece so as to have an exterior surface in a form of a truncated sphere;
- a second step of fitting the centerpiece into a metal tubular sleeve;
- a third step of applying force to an exterior surface of the sleeve to urge an interior surface of the sleeve against the exterior surface of the centerpiece until the sleeve is shaped to complement the exterior surface of the centerpiece such that the exterior surface of the sleeve is in a form of a truncated sphere;
- and
- a fourth step of molding an external body made of a plastic matrix composite material around the exterior surface of the sleeve in such a way that the sleeve forms an insert and the exterior surface of the sleeve is fixedly attached to the external body so as to form an interface by way of which stresses can be transmitted between the insert and the external body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.