Ball joint

• US 5,078,531 A
• Filed: 11/19/1990
• Issued: 01/07/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TRW Steering & Industrial Products Company Limited
• Original Assignee: TRW Steering & Industrial Products Company Limited
• Inventors: Wasada, Tsuneharu, Sakai, Motohiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Kundrat, Andrew V.
• Application Number:
  US07/615,350
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• Field of Search: 403/135, 403/140, 403/132, 403/138, 403/133, 403/139, 403/122, 29/898.044, 29/898.047, 29/898.046, 29/898.043, 384/208, 384/206, 384/211
• US Class Current: 403/140
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 11/0623 Construction or details of the socket member
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32721 Elastomeric seat
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32737 including liner, shim, or discrete seat
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32778 Completely spacing the members

Abstract

Disclosed is a ball joint. The ball joint comprises a socket; a bearing provided along an inner face of said socket; and a ball stud embraced by said bearing; said socket including a stepped portion at an upper part and a rising portion rising integrally from an outer periphery of said stepped portion; said bearing including a flange portion at an upper part; said flange portion forcibly holding said ball stud to prevent a removal of said ball stud by caulking said stepped portion of said socket from upper and outer crosswise directions with said rising portion of said socket.

Claims

1. A ball joint comprising:

socket having a recess therein;

a bearing contained in said recess and having a spherical cavity;

a ball stud having a ball portion contained in said spherical cavity;

a first annular cavity formed on an inner wall of said recess in said socket, said cavity having a first stepped portion;

a rising portion rising integrally from an outer periphery of said first stepped portion;

a second annular cavity formed on the inner wall of said recess and spaced apart from said first cavity, said second annular cavity having a second stepped portion and a diameter less than a diameter of said first annular cavity;

a first flange portion provided on the outer periphery of said bearing and contained in said first cavity;

a second flange portion provided on the outer periphery of said bearing and contained in said second cavity;

said rising portion being caulked on said bearing to prevent removal of said bearing from said recess of said socket;

said first flange portion being supported on said first stepped portion when said rising portion is caulked on said bearing.

2. A ball joint as set forth in claim 1, wherein a gap is provided between said second stepped portion and said second flange portion.

3. A ball joint comprising:

a socket having a recess therein;

a bearing contained in said recess and having a spherical cavity;

a ball stud having a ball portion contained in said spherical cavity;

said socket having a first annular shoulder portion formed on an inner wall of said socket, a rising portion rising integrally from an outer periphery of said first annular shoulder portion, and a second annular shoulder portion formed on the inner wall of said socket and spaced apart from said first annular shoulder portion;

a first flange portion on said bearing and supported on said first annular shoulder portion;

a second flange portion on said bearing and located facing said second annular shoulder portion;

said rising portion being caulked on said bearing to prevent removal of said bearing from said recess of said socket.

4. A ball joint as set forth in claim 3, wherein a gap is provided between said second annular shoulder portion and said second flange portion.