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US 5,672,023 AGranted
Ball joint
AssigneeTRW Fahrwerksystems GmbH & Co. KG
InventorsHanno Lieber, Erhard Welchert
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AssigneeTRW Fahrwerksystems GmbH & Co. KG
InventorsHanno Lieber, Erhard Welchert
Estimating the term…
The invention pertains to a ball joint, having a ball joint socket (1), inside of which the ball (3c) of a ball-ended spindle (3) is arranged in a rotatable and tiltable manner by means of a bearing shell (2) that supports the ball (3c) below its largest diameter on a bearing surface that has the shape of a ball race, namely under the influence of spring force generated by a spring element (4) that simultaneously forms the upper bearing shell and is supported on the underside of a cover (5) that closes the ball joint socket (1). In order to entirely eliminate all manufacturing tolerances during assembly of the ball joint and provide defined spring forces that compensate for the wear-related elasticity of the ball joint until a defined wear is reached after assembly, the cover (5) which is realized in such a way that its outer diameter exceeds the inner diameter of the ball joint socket (1) in the initial state is nonpositively supported in the ball joint socket (1) with its edge (5c). The spring element (4) is exclusively supported in the center of the cover (5) by means of spring tabs (4a) that point toward the center and transform into a cylindrical center part (4b) at their outer edge, with a marginal region (4c) that has the shape of a ball race and adjoins the surface of the ball (3c) situated adjacent to the cylindrical center part.
Ball joint, in particular, for tie rods and steering rods of utility vehicles, comprising a ball joint socket, inside of which the ball of a ball-ended spindle is arranged in a rotatable and tiltable manner arranged by means of a bearing shell positively arranged in the lower part of the ball joint socket which supports the ball below its largest diameter on a bearing surface that has the shape of a ball race, namely under the influence of spring force generated by a spring element that simultaneously forms an upper bearing shell and is supported on the underside of a cover that closes the ball joint socket, characterized by the fact that the cover (5), the outer diameter of which exceeds the inner diameter of the ball joint socket (1) in the initial state, is nonpositively supported in the ball joint socket (1) with its edge (5c), and that the spring element (4) is exclusively supported in the center of the cover (5) by means of spring tabs (4a) that point toward the center and transform into a cylindrical center part (4b) at their outer edge, with a marginal region (4c) that has the shape of a ball race and adjoins the surface of the ball (3c) situated adjacent to said cylindrical center part.
Ball joint comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.