US 4,386,869 AGranted

Integrally sealed vibration dampening ball and socket joints

AssigneeGulf & Western Manufacturing Company

InventorJoseph E. Smith

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Abstract

Integrally sealed vibration dampening ball and socket joints having a spherical member capable of swivelling relative to a socket member. A split metallic or high strength plastic bearing ring disposed with clearance in a shell has a concave spherical surface portion in swivelling engagement with the ball member, and a pair of symmetrically disposed resilient rings installed between the bearing ring and the inner surface of the shell constantly urge the bearing surface of the bearing ring in engagement with the spherical member surface to prevent rattle and to compensate for wear. Normal loads are taken by the resilient rings, and overload and shock load are taken by the bearing ring. A bellows seal, formed integrally with one of the resilient rings or, alternatively, formed separate is fastened at one end in the shell. The bellows seal is held elastically at its other end around a portion of the spherical member. A second seal, disposed in the same manner, seals the gap between the shell and the spherical member in structure where the spherical member is a hollow ball. Alternatively, the other end of the shell is closed by an integral or separate end cap in structures wherein the spherical member is a ball formed on the end of a stud. The bearings are prepacked with a lubricant.

Claims48

Dependent claims

A sealed bearing comprising an inner member having a peripheral surface of regular predetermined contour, a tubular shell, a bearing ring disposed in said shell and having a bearing surface in sliding engagement with the peripheral surface of said inner member, said bearing ring having a peripheral surface generally conforming to the inner surface of said shell and fitting in said shell, a pair of resiliently deformable rings each made of elastomeric material and each disposed on one side of said bearing ring, means in said shell holding said deformable rings under compression such as to firmly engage said deformable rings with a portion of said bearing ring for biasing the bearing surface of said bearing ring towards the peripheral surface of said inner member, an elastomeric bellows seal having a flange at an end held by one of said means in said shell for holding one of said deformable rings under compression, said bellows seal having a garter flange at its other end in firm elastic engagement with a portion of the peripheral surface of said inner member, sealing means at the other end of said shell sealing the interior of said shell and said bearing surfaces from the ambient, and a clearance annular space between the peripheral surface of said bearing ring and the inner surface of said shell, wherein radial loads between said bearing inner member and said bearing shell beyond a predetermined load are transmitted by engagement of a portion of said bearing ring peripheral surface with a portion of said shell inner surface.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.