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US 4,790,682 AGranted
Ball joint
AssigneeTRW Ehrenreich GmbH & Co. KG
InventorGunther Henkel
Life of this patent
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AssigneeTRW Ehrenreich GmbH & Co. KG
InventorGunther Henkel
Estimating the term…
A ball joint for motor vehicles comprises a plastic bearing member (2) located between a ball head (1) or a ball and a joint housing (3). The bearing member has a rim flange (9) that lies against an inner step (10) in the joint housing (3). A closing part has an inner surface which lies under a preload against the rim flange (9) and an outer surface engaged by a rolled-in rim (13) of the joint housing (3). The rolling process is thereby simplified and, at the same time, securing of the bearing member against rotation is achieved, while smaller variations of the operational characteristics are attained. To this end, the joint housing (3) has a second inner step (12), displaced radially outward for supporting the inner surface of the rim of the closing part. The distance, in the axial direction of the stud, between the first inner step (10) and the outer step (12) determines the maximum deformation of the rim flange (9) by the closing part lying against the rim flange under preload.
A ball joint for motor vehicles comprising a plastic bearing member (2) located between a ball head (1) or a ball and a joint housing (3) and having a rim flange (9) lying on an inner step (10) in the joint housing (3), and a preload closing part having an inner surface lying against the rim flange (9) and portions of the bearing member which are adjacent to the rim flange (9) and an outer surface engaged by a rolled-in rim (13) of the joint housing (3), the joint housing (3) having a second inner step (12) displaced radially outward relative to the first step for supporting the inner surface of a rim of the closing part, the distance, in the axial direction, between the first inner step (10) and the second inner step (12) controlling the maximum deformation of the rim flange (9) by the closing part which lies against the rim flange under preload, characterized in that the bearing member comprises an outer shell (4) having the rim flange (9), and an inner shell (5), and that the inner shell is received in an opening (15) of the outer shell defined by the rim flange (9), the closing part engaging the inner shell with a preload.
A ball joint comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.