US 4,832,523 AGranted

Ball joint

AssigneeTRW Ehrenreich GmbH & Co. KG

InventorsMichael Glatzel, Willy Blumberg

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Abstract

A ball joint sealing bellows (7) made of a plastic material and having a stud-side bellows rim (8) sealingly engaging a ball stud (5) and a housing-side bellows rim (10) fixed by a clamping ring (11) in a circumferential groove (12) in a joint housing (1), the housing-side bellows rim (10) being approximately cylindrical and having an inner diameter which is somewhat greater than the outer diameter of the circumferential groove (12), the housing-side bellows rim being pressed under the preload of the clamping ring (11) which engages the outer surface of the rim, radially into the ring groove (12) and sealingly engaging the joint housing (1) to prevent the sealing bellows (7), from being pulled or pushed out of the ring groove (12), the housing-side bellows rim (10) having one circumferential thickening (15) on the axially outer side thereof which abuts one side surface of the clamping ring (11), and another circumferential thickening (17) on the axially inner side thereof which abuts the other side surface of the clamping ring (11).

Claims11

Dependent claims

A ball joint comprising:

a joint housing (1) having a circumferential groove;
a pivotable or rotatable ball stud (5) projecting from the joint housing;
a sealing bellows (7) made of a plastic material for closing an opening (6) in the joint housing (1) through which the ball stud (5) extends, the sealing bellows (7) having a stud-side bellows rim (8) sealingly engaging the ball stud (5) and a housing-side bellows rim (10);
and
a clamping ring (11) engaging the outer surface of the housing-side bellow rim (10) to press it into the circumferential groove (12) in the joint housing (1);
the housing-side bellows rim (10) being approximately cylindrical and having an inner diameter somewhat greater than the outer diameter of the groove (12), the housing-side bellows rim (10) being pressed by the clamping ring (11) which engages with a preload the outer surface of the housing-side bellows rim into the groove (12) and sealingly engaging the joint housing (1);
characterized in that the housing-side bellows rim (10) has a first circumferential thickening (15) on the axially outer side thereof abutting one side surface of the clamping ring (11) and a second circumferential thickening (17) on the axially inner side thereof abutting another side surface of the clamping ring (11) so that both side surfaces of the clamping ring (11) are engaged by the thickenings (15, 17), the first axially outer thickening (15) of the housing-side bellows rim (10) having an approximately wedge-shaped cross section and a wall thickness which increases toward the bellows end.

4 more elements

A ball joint comprising:

a joint housing (1) having a circumferential groove;
a pivotable or rotatable ball stud (5) projecting from the joint housing;
a sealing bellows (7) made of a plastic material for closing an opening (6) in the joint housing (1) through which the ball stud (5) extends, the sealing bellows (7) having a stud-side bellows rim (8) sealingly engaging the ball stud (5) and a housing-side bellows rim (10);
and
a clamping ring (11) engaging the outer surface of the housing-side bellow rim (10) to press it into the circumferential groove (12) in the joint housing (1);
the housing-side bellows rim (10) being approximately cylindrical and having an inner diameter somewhat greater than the outer diameter of the groove (12), the housing-side bellows rim (10) being pressed by the clamping ring (11) which engages with a preload the outer surface of the housing-side bellows rim into the ring groove (12) and sealingly engaging the joint housing (1);
characterized in that the housing-side bellows rim (10) has a circumferential thickening on the axially outer side thereof which thickening, upon the bellows rim being positioned in the groove (12), is drawn into the groove (12) sealingly engaging the housing (1) and a side surface of the clamping ring (11);
and
the housing-side bellows rim (10) has another circumferential thickening (17) on the axially inner side thereof which thickening, upon the bellows rim being positioned in the groove (12), is drawn into the groove (12) sealingly engaging the housing (1) and a side surface of the clamping ring (11) so that both side surfaces of the clamping ring (11) are engaged by the thickenings (15, 17).

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.