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US 7,070,355 B2Granted
Ball- and -socket joint
AssigneeZF Lemförder Metallwaren AG
InventorsOlaf Abels, Dieter Gröger
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A ball-and-socket joint has a housing, a ball pivot (3) mounted pivotably in the housing, and a sealing bellows (1), which is fastened to the housing and is mounted on the ball pivot (3) slidably via a sealing ring (4) provided with two legs (5, 6). A first leg (5) of the two legs (5, 6) is in contact with the ball pivot (3) under tension and the second leg (6) meshes with the wall of the sealing bellows (1). The second leg (6) is, furthermore, fastened in an anchoring ring (7) arranged at least partially in the wall of the sealing bellows (1).
Claims26
A ball-and-socket joint, comprising:
- a housing;
- a ball pivot mounted pivotably in the housing;
- a sealing bellows fastened to the housing;
- a sealing ring, said sealing bellows being mounted on said ball pivot slidably via said sealing ring, said sealing ring having two legs, a first of said two legs being in forced contact with said ball pivot and a second of said two legs meshing with a wall of said sealing bellows;
- and
- an anchoring ring arranged at least partially in a wall of said sealing bellows, said second leg being fastened in said anchoring ring.
3 more elements
A connection comprising:
- a ball pivot;
- a sealing bellows arranged around the ball pivot;
- a sealing ring slidably connecting said sealing bellows to said ball pivot, said sealing ring having a first leg formed of a material to bias said first leg into direct and sealing contact with said ball pivot, said sealing ring having a second leg fixed to an end of said sealing bellows;
- wherein, said sealing bellows includes a pressing area;
- said first leg is movable from a first position spaced from said pressing area to a second position in contact with said pressing area, said pressing area biasing said first leg against said ball pivot when said first leg is in said second position;
- wherein, an anchoring ring is arranged in said end of said sealing bellows, said second leg being fixed to said anchoring ring, said anchoring ring being formed of a glass fiber-reinforced polyamide material having a cross section with an L shape;
- said sealing ring is formed of a PTFE material mixed with carbon;
- and
- said sealing bellows is made of an injection-moldable elastomer which is injection-molded onto said anchoring ring.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.