EP2470803A1

EP2470803A1 - Ball-joint pin and ball joint

Info

Publication number: EP2470803A1
Application number: EP09848811A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ingela ST JÄRNVY; Leon Fuks
Original assignee: Volvo Lastvagnar AB
Current assignee: Volvo Truck Corp
Priority date: 2009-08-26
Filing date: 2009-08-26
Publication date: 2012-07-04
Also published as: RU2012111429A; WO2011025414A1; RU2519597C2

Abstract

The invention relates to a ball-joint pin (10) for interconnecting a ball joint (32) of a component (34) to a counterpart (36) for a vehicle, particularly a commercial vehicle, comprising a first portion (12) to be received in a first seat (38) provided in the component (34) and a second portion (14) to be received in a second seat (40) provided in the counterpart (36), wherein the second portion (14) comprises a serration (28) in circumferential direction provided for a positive locking of the ball- joint pin (10) in the counterpart (36).

Description

BALL-JOINT PIN AND BALL JOINT

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a ball-joint pin for interconnecting a ball joint of a component to a counterpart for a vehicle, a ball joint and a vehicle according to the preambles of the independent claims.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Devices for mounting and connecting different components in relation to each other are known in the art. Especially in the field of vehicles, devices for mounting and connecting different components in relation to each other are used for mounting ball joints. The ball joints are utilized when mounting for example link rods, tie rods, stabilisers and similar components which form parts of the wheel suspension of the related vehicle.

Ball joints can for example be used in a front wheel suspension in a passenger car or, particularly, in a front wheel suspension in a commercial vehicle. This can be for example a steering arm on a wheel axle and a suspension arm or a tie rod. From the WO 02/23054 A1 an arrangement for mounting a ball joint pin in relation to a second component is known. In the arrangement the second component comprises a through hole, wherein the ball joint pin comprises an end section which is provided with threads and is adapted to be guided into and inserted through the hole in the second component and is adapted to be locked by means of a locking nut. The locking nut, e.g. a castle nut, normally is tightened to a predetermined tightening moment. After that, additional tightening is necessary so that the hole of the split pin comes into right position in order for the splint pin to be able to be mounted. This in turn results in a risk of the tightening resulting in a locking moment which in this case cannot be predetermined in a n exact manner. The mounting of the split pin and ball joint stud is time consuming. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a ball joint pin for connecting at least two components to accommodate relative angular movement there between and to find an easier and faster connection arrangement between a component and a counterpart. Another object of the invention is to provide a ball joint which can be mounted efficiently with respect to time consumption and components needed. The objects are achieved by the features of the independent claims. The other claims and the description disclose advantageous embodiments of the invention.

A ball-joint pin for interconnecting a ball joint of a component to a counterpart for a vehicle is proposed, particularly for a commercial vehicle, wherein the ball-joint pin comprises a first portion to be received in a first seat provided in the component and a second portion to be received in a second seat provided in the counterpart. The second portion comprises a serration in circumferential direction provided for a positive locking of the ball-joint pin in the counterpart. Advantageously, the ball-joint pin allows to connect the counterpart can be connected to the component using the ball-joint pin in a fast and efficient manner. The serration of the ball-joint pin provides a relatively fixed position of the ball-joint pin in the counterpart when the ball-joint pin is inserted into the second seat of the counterpart and a locknut is arranged to a receptacle, i.e. a thread, of the ball-joint pin and tightened. The serration can cut itself into the surface of the counterpart while the locknut is turned on the thread of the ball-joint pin. The first part of the component includes a cup-shaped housing defining a cavity therein. The first portion of the ball-joint pin comprises a ball-shaped first portion which is disposed in the first seat. The second portion of the ball-joint pin has an extension forming a shaft, in order to define a required distance between the component and the counterpart. The counterpart comprises the second seat, which is preferably a through hole, wherein the ball-joint pin can be guided through until the serration of the second portion has reached the second seat. At this position the receptacle projects from the second seat. The locknut can be mounted and tightened. Thereby the component and the counterpart can be mounted together to accommodate a relative angular component in the cavity and a fixed position between the counterpart and the ball-joint pin. According to a favourable embodiment of the invention the second portion can comprise a tapered section with a bigger diameter towards the first portion and a smaller diameter at its free end at a side opposite of the first portion. The tapered section can be inserted with its free end the smaller diameter into the second seat, which allows an easy insertion in the second seat of the counterpart. The ball-joint pin can easily glide into the second seat because of a tolerance between an inner diameter of the second seat and the smaller diameter can smoothly be adapted until the walls of the tapered section and the second seat are nearly parallel aligned. According to a favourable embodiment of the invention the serration can be located at the tapered section distal to the first portion. Alternatively, the serration can be arranged at the upper end of the tapered section, whereby the serration is positioned first during being inserted in the second seat close to the inner wall of the second seat of the counterpart. Thereby a subsequent cutting of the serration in the second seat can be facilitated. The serration can be arranged at various places. It is expedient to arrange the serration in a region where the function is best, for instance at places with low stress and/or a small diameter.

According to a favourable embodiment of the invention, the serration can be located at the tapered section proximate to the first portion. Even a short ball-joint pin can be used to be mounted in the second seat of the counterpart providing a suitable projection of the receptacle of the ball-joint pin in order to mount the locknut. According to a favourable embodiment of the invention, the serration can comprise less than 50%, preferably less than 25%, of a longitudinal extension of the tapered section. It is expedient that the serration covers only part of the tapered section. This allows utilizing a lower force to achieve the cutting of the serration into the second seat. According to a favourable embodiment of the invention, the tapered section can have a taper ratio between 1 :2 and 1 :10, preferably 1 :6. A tapered section with such a taper ratio provides a stable connection even with a counterpart made of cast steel.

According to a favourable embodiment of the invention, a receptacle for a locknut can be arranged downstream of the second portion with respect to the first portion. Preferably, the locknut is a locknut with frictional locking. The receptacle is preferably equipped with a thread. The fixing is performed by the frictional locking which requires a fixed position of the ball-joint pin. The fixed position is achieved by the serration.

According to a favourable embodiment of the invention, the serration can have a diameter at its outermost circumference which is larger than a diameter of a portion of the tapered section abutting the serration. Thereby an outer part of the teeth of the serration can first touch the wall of the second seat of the counterpart with a very small area. The cutting in the wall can be achieved by cutting the teeth into the material of the wall slowly without using a large force. Expediently, the material of the second seat is softer than the material of the ball-joint pin, particularly of the serration.

According to a favourable embodiment of the invention, the ball-joint pin can be made of hardened steel. Thereby a standard material can be used to fabricate the ball-joint pin. No special expensive material has to be used like hard inserts etc. has to be used for the serration. By using hardened steel for the ball-joint pin it is advantageously possible to use cast material for the counterpart. Usually, cast metal is softer than hardened steel. The serration can cut into the material of the counterpart.

According to another aspect of the invention, a ball joint between a component and a counterpart for a vehicle is proposed, particularly a commercial vehicle, comprising a ball-joint pin, wherein the ball-joint pin comprises a first portion to be received in a first seat provided in the component and a second portion to be received in a second seat provided in the counterpart, wherein the second portion of the ball-joint pin comprises a serration and/or the second seat of the counterpart comprises a serration A locknut is arranged on a receptacle downstream of the second portion with respect to the first portion, preferably a locknut with frictional locking.

An efficient mounting between the counterpart and the component is achieved by fixing the position between the ball-joint pin and the counterpart by the serration cutting into a wall of the second seat of the counterpart. The locknut can fix this position by the frictional locking. Thereby a ball joint which is easy to mount and cheap in production can be provided. Either the counterpart or the ball-joint pin which has the serration can be made of the harder material. For instance, hardened steel can be used for the harder material and cast steel as softer material. For example, the ball-joint pin having the serration is made of hardened steel and the second seat, for instance a knuckle, a tie rod arm, a steering arm, a pitman arm, a stabilizer link or a reaction rod, is made of cast steel. Casting of the counterpart allows for cheaper production than forging of the counterpart and reduces the cost of production, particularly in a series production concerning large numbers of identical or similar parts.

According to a favourable embodiment of the invention, the first portion can be a ball portion received in a ball seat of the component. A relative movement of the ball-joint pin and the component can be realised. According to a favourable embodiment of the invention, the second portion can be received in a tapered seat of the counterpart. A smooth and easy insertion of the ball-joint pin into the second seat can be facilitated.

According to a favourable embodiment according to the invention, the tapered seat can have a taper ratio between 1 :2 and 1 :10, preferably 1 :6. A high taper ratio allows for using a softer material for the counterpart, e.g. cast metal.

According to a favourable embodiment according to the invention, a top of the serration can be arranged in relation to the tapered section in a way that before a connection between the ball-joint pin and the counterpart is established, the serration in the second portion contacts the second seat of the counterpart and/or the serration in the second seat contacts the second portion of the ball-joint pin, so that the locknut can perform at least 1 ,5 threads before the locknut friction increases to establish the connection between the ball-joint pin and the

counterpart. The area of the teeth of the serration is very small and a small force has to be utilized at the beginning of the fixing process in order to achieve a fixed arrangement between the ball-joint pin and the counterpart. The locknut can be fixed without turning the ball-joint pin.

According to a favourable embodiment according to the invention, at least the seat of the counterpart can be made of cast metal and/or the ball-joint pin can be made of hardened steel. In order to achieve the fixture between the ball-joint pin and the counterpart one of the two is preferably a material of a lower hardness than the other to allow the serration the cutting into the other one. Cast steel is in general softer than hardened steel. Both materials are used in the production of vehicles.

Further, a vehicle is proposed comprising a ball joint between a component and a counterpart. Herein the connection is performed with a ball-joint pin comprising a first portion to be received in a first seat provided in the component and a second portion to be received in a second seat provided in the counterpart, wherein the second portion of the ball-joint pin comprises a serration and/or the second seat of the counterpart comprises a serration; a locknut is arranged on a receptacle downstream of the second portion with respect to the first portion, preferably a locknut with frictional locking. Thereby the vehicle can be mounted in a fast and time saving procedure using an efficient mounting between the counterpart and the component which is achieved by fixing the position between the ball-joint pin and the counterpart by the serration cutting into a wall of the second seat of the counterpart.

According to a favourable embodiment of the invention, the component is an intermediate arm of a reaction stay and/or a tie rod.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention together with the above-mentioned and other objects and advantages may best be understood from the following detailed description of the embodiment, but not restricted to the embodiment, wherein is shown

schematically:

Fig. 1a-1c examples of fabrication steps of ball-joint pin according to the

invention, with a ball-joint pin before fabricating serrations (Fig. 1a), the ball-joint pin with serrations on its outer circumference (Fig. 1b) and a tool for preparing a serration in the ball-joint pin (Fig. 1c);

Fig. 2 an example embodiment of a ball joint between a counterpart and a component with a ball-joint pin according to Fig. 1 b having a serration and being fixed wit a locknut;

Fig. 3 a detail of the ball joint of Fig. 2 with the ball-joint pin inserted in the second seat of the counterpart at the beginning of the mounting process before the locknut is fixed; Fig. 4 a detail of the ball joint with the ball-joint pin mounted in the

counterpart in a fixed position according to the invention; and

Fig. 5 a detail of the serration of the ball-joint pin mounted in the

counterpart in the fixed position according Fig. 4 with an enlarged detailed part of the serration cut into the counterpart.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION In the drawings, equal or similar elements are referred to by equal reference numerals. The drawings are merely schematic representations, not intended to portray specific parameters of the invention. Moreover, the drawings are intended to depict only a typical embodiment of the invention and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention. Figures 1a and 1b depict schematically an example embodiment of a ball-joint pin 10 having a first portion 12, a second portion 14 and a receptacle 16, which is equipped with a thread (not shown). The overall shape of the ball-joint pin 10 is cylindrical. The first portion 12 is nearly ball-shaped and can be accommodated in a housing of a component (not shown). The second portion 14 has a longitudinal extension 15, which is indicated between two arrows 17a and 17b. The second portion 14 comprises a tapered section 18. The tapered section 18 extends between a first end 20 and a second end 22 of the second portion 14. The first end 20 is located close to the ball-shaped first portion 12 and the second end 22 is located close to the receptacle 16. The tapered section 18 has a bigger diameter 24 at the first end 20 close to the first portion 12, and a smaller diameter 26at the second end 22 close to the receptacle 16. The taper ratio of the tapered section 18 is between 1 :2 and 1 :10, preferably about 1 :6. This gives an angle α according to tan α = 1/10, preferably 1/6 between an longitudinal axis 23 of the ball-joint pin 10 and the tapered wall 25. A taper ratio can be defined as (d2-d1)/length, with d1 is the smallest and d2 the largest diameter and the length is the distance between d1 and d2. At the second end 22 of the second portion 14 a serration 28 is arranged having teeth 30. The serration 28 is provided in circumferential direction to the second portion 14. The number of teeth per inch can preferably be between 15 and 24. Fig. 1a shows the ball-joint pin 10 without the serration 28 and Fig. 1b the ball-joint pin 10 with the serration 28.

Fig. 1c depicts a topi 29 having a wheel 31 , known as knurl wheel, and a holder 33. The wheel 31 is driven along the second portion 14 of the tapered section 18 of the ball-joint pin 10 at a location where the serration 28 has to be placed. By the wheel 31 the teeth 30 are cut into a part of the tapered section 18. The serration 28 comprises expediently less than 50%, preferably less than 25%, of a

longitudinal extension 15 of the tapered section 18.

Fig. 2 shows a ball joint 32 with a ball-joint pin 10 mounted between a component 34 and a counterpart 36. The component 34 comprises a first seat 38 forming a housing for the ball-shaped first portion 12 of the ball-joint pin 10. The first seat 38 is also called ball-seat and holds the ball-shaped first portion 12 (Figs. 1a, 1b) of the ball-joint pin 10. The counterpart 36 forms a second seat 40, which is formed by a ring-shaped inner wall 42 of a through hole or clearance hole 44. The inner wall 42 is tapered with expediently the same taper ratio as the tapered section 18 of the ball-joint pin 10. A locknut 48 is mounted at the thread of the receptacle 16 fixing the ball-joint pin 10 by a frictional force to the counterpart 36. In the fixed position the teeth 30 of the serration 28 have cut into the material of the inner wall 42 of the counterpart 36. The material of the counterpart 36, which is for example made of a cast metal, is expediently softer than the material of the ball-joint pin 10, which is preferably made from hardened steel.

Figures 3, 4 and 5 show the connection between the counterpart 36 and the ball- joint pin 10 in more detail. Fig 3 depicts the ball-joint pin 10 and the counterpart 36 at the beginning of the mounting process. Fig. 4 shows the completed connection at a fixed position of the ball-joint pin 10 in the second seat 40 of the counterpart 36. Fig. 5 shows an enlarged view between the serration 28 and the inner wall 42 of the second seat 40 of the completed connection shown in Fig. 4. At the start of the connection as illustrated in Fig. 3 the ball-shaped first portion 12 of the ball-joint pin 10 has been inserted into the first seat 38 of the component 34 (Fig. 2) and the second portion 14 with the receptacle 16 has just been inserted into the second seat 40 of the counterpart 36. A locknut 48 has been placed on the thread of the receptacle 16 ready for fixing the ball-joint pin 10 to the counterpart 36 and resting on the upper surface 54 of the seat 40 of the counterpart 36. The length of the receptacle 16 and its thread is adapted in a way to allow the locknut 48 to touch the upper surface 54 of the seat 40 before friction locking of the locknut 48 starts. The teeth 30 of the serration 28 touch the inner wall 42 of the counterpart 36. A small gap 56 is arranged between the inner wall 42 of the tapered seat 40 and the outer wall 46 of the tapered section 18 of the ball-joint pin 10. The gap 56 can have a size of e.g. a few tens to a few hundreds of

micrometers, depending on the outermost diameter of the serration 28. The upper surface 52 of the upper end 22 of the tapered section 18 and the upper surface 54 of the seat 40 are spaced apart by a distance 50.

The connection is accomplished by turning the locknut 48 in a direction to fix the locknut 48. As the serration abuts the inner wall 42 of the seat, an unwanted rotation of the ball-joint pin 10 in the seat 40 is prevented. Instead, by turning the locknut 48, the ball-joint pin 10 is pulled into the tapered seat 40 of the counterpart 36 and the serration 28 cuts into the seat 40 forming a positive locking of the ball- joint pin 10. Figs. 4 and 5 shows the completed connection after the locknut 48 had been fixed and the teeth 30 of the serration 28 have cut into the material of the counterpart 36. In this state, the gap 56 between the inner wall 42 of the seat 40 and the outer wall 25 of the ball-joint pin 10 has virtually vanished. The outer wall 25 of the ball-joint pin 10 is now resting against the inner wall 42 of the seat 40 providing a frictional force of the ball-joint pin 10 virtually without a clearance. The distance 50 between the upper surface 52 of the serration 28 and the upper surface 54 of the seat 40 is smaller. For instance, in one example the distance can be about 70 mm before and about 40 mm after locking the locknut 48. The concrete numbers depend, of course, on the dimensions of the component 34, the counterpart 36 and ball-joint pin 10 and can vary for other examples embodiments. The ball-joint pin 10 is now in a fixed position relative to the counterpart 36.

The detail view of Fig. 5 depicts the same fixed position of the ball-joint pin 10 in the second seat 40 shown in Fig. 4. It can be seen that a diameter 60 of an outermost circumference of the serration 28 is larger than a diameter 62 of a portion of the tapered section 18 abutting the serration 28.An arrow indicates how the teeth 30 of the serration 28 cut into the material of the second seat 40 and extend in the material of the second seat 40. In this position the friction between the locknut 48 and the receptacle 16 as well as between the outer wall 25 of the ball-joint pin 10 and the inner wall 42 of the seat 40 is strong enough to keep the ball-joint pin 10 fixed in a position relative to the counterpart 36.

Expediently, the ball joint 32 (Fig. 3) is preferably used in a vehicle (not shown), wherein the vehicle comprises the ball-joint pin 10 mounted between a component 34 of the vehicle and a counterpart 36 of the vehicle. The component 34 can favourably be an intermediate arm of a reaction stay and/or a tie rod.

The use of the serration 28 and the Iocknut 48 together with the tapered section 18 of the ball-joint pin 10 allows an easy mounting of the counterpart 36 and the component 34, which is faster than the mounting according to the prior art.

Claims

C L A I M S

1. A ball-joint pin (10) for interconnecting a ball joint (32) of a component (34) to a counterpart (36) for a vehicle, particularly a commercial vehicle, comprising a first portion (12) to be received in a first seat (38) provided in the component (34) and a second portion (14) to be received in a second seat (40) provided in the counterpart (36), characterized in that the second portion (14) comprises a serration (28) in circumferential direction provided for a positive locking of the ball-joint pin (10) in the counterpart (36).

2. The ball-joint pin according to claim 1 , characterized in that the second portion (14) comprises at least partly a tapered section (18) with a bigger diameter (24) towards the first portion (12) and a smaller diameter (26) towards a side (22) opposite of the first portion (12).

3. The ball-joint pin according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the

serration (28) is located at the tapered section (18) distal to the first portion (12).

4. The ball-joint pin according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the serration (28) is located at the tapered section (18) proximate to the first portion (12).

5. The ball-joint pin according to anyone of the claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the serration (28) comprises less than 50% of a longitudinal extension (15) of the tapered section (18).

6. The ball-joint pin according to anyone of the claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the tapered section (18) has a taper ratio between 1 :2 and 1 :10, preferably 1 :6.

7. The ball-joint pin according to any preceding claim, characterized in that a receptacle (16) for a locknut (48) is arranged downstream of the second portion (14) with respect to the first portion (12), preferably a locknut (48) with frictional locking.

8. The ball-joint pin according to anyone of the claims 2 to 7, characterized in that a diameter (62) of an outermost circumference of the serration (28) is larger than a diameter (60) of a portion of the tapered section (18) abutting the serration (28).

9. The ball-joint pin according to any preceding claim, characterized by being formed of hardened steel.

10. A ball joint (32) between a component (34) and a counterpart (36) for a

vehicle, particularly a commercial vehicle, comprising a ball-joint pin (10), wherein the ball-joint pin (10) comprises a first portion (12) to be received in a first seat (38) provided in the component (34) and a second portion (14) to be received in a second seat (40) provided in the counterpart (36), wherein the second portion (14) of the ball-joint pin (10) comprises a serration

(28) and/or the second seat (40) of the counterpart (36) comprises a serration (28);

- a locknut (48) is arranged on a receptacle (16) downstream of the second portion (14) with respect to the first portion (12), preferably a locknut

(48) with frictional locking.

11. The ball joint according to claim 10, characterized in that the first portion (12) is a ball portion received in a ball seat (38) of the component (34).

12. The ball joint according to claim 10 or 11 , characterized in that the second portion (14) is received in a tapered seat (18) of the counterpart (36).

13. The ball joint according to claim 12, characterized in that the tapered seat (18) has a taper ratio between 1 :2 and 1 :10, preferably 1 :6.

14. The ball joint according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that a top (22) of the serration (28) is arranged in relation to the tapered section (18) in a way that before a connection between the ball-joint pin (10) and the counterpart (36) is established, the serration (28) in the second portion (14) contacts the second seat (40) of the counterpart (36) and/or the serration (28) in the second seat (40) contacts the second portion (14) of the ball-joint pin (10), so that the locknut (48) can perform at least 1 ,5 threads before a locknut friction increases to establish the connection between the ball-joint pin (10) and the counterpart (36).

15. The ball joint according to anyone of the claims 10 to 14, characterized in that at least the seat (40) of the counterpart (36) is made of cast metal and/or the ball-joint pin (10) is made of hardened steel.

16. A vehicle comprising a ball joint (32) according to anyone of the claims 10 to 15 between a component (34) and a counterpart (36).

17. The vehicle according to claim 16, wherein the component (34) is an

intermediate arm of a reaction stay and/or a tie rod.

18. A ball-joint pin for interconnecting a ball joint of a component to a

counterpart for a vehicle, particularly a commercial vehicle, comprising a first portion to be received in a first seat provided in the component and a second portion to be received in a second seat provided in the counterpart, characterized in that the second portion comprises a serration in

circumferential direction provided for a positive locking of the ball-joint pin in the counterpart.

19. The ball-joint pin according to claim 18, characterized in that the second portion comprises at least partly a tapered section with a bigger diameter towards the first portion and a smaller diameter towards a side opposite of the first portion.

20. The ball-joint pin according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that the

serration is located at the tapered section distal to the first portion.

21. The ball-joint pin according to claim 18, characterized in that the serration is located at the tapered section proximate to the first portion.

22. The ball-joint pin according to claim 19, characterized in that the serration comprises less than 50% of a longitudinal extension of the tapered section.

23. The ball-joint pin according to claim 19, characterized in that the tapered section has a taper ratio between 1 :2 and 1 :10, preferably 1 :6.

24. The ball-joint pin according to claim 18, characterized in that a receptacle for a locknut is arranged downstream of the second portion with respect to the first portion, preferably a locknut with frictional locking.

25. The ball-joint pin according to claim 19, characterized in that a diameter of an outermost circumference of the serration is larger than a diameter of a portion of the tapered section abutting the serration.

26. The ball-joint pin according to any preceding claim, characterized by being formed of hardened steel.

27. A ball joint between a component and a counterpart for a vehicle,

particularly a commercial vehicle, comprising a ball-joint pin, wherein the ball-joint pin comprises a first portion to be received in a first seat provided in the component and a second portion to be received in a second seat provided in the counterpart, wherein

the second portion of the ball-joint pin comprises a serration and/or the second seat of the counterpart comprises a serration;

a locknut is arranged on a receptacle downstream of the second portion with respect to the first portion, preferably a locknut with frictional locking.

28. The ball joint according to claim 27, characterized in that the first portion is a ball portion received in a ball seat of the component.

29. The ball joint according to claim 27 or 28, characterized in that the second portion is received in a tapered seat of the counterpart.

30. The ball joint according to claim 29, characterized in that the tapered seat has a taper ratio between 1 :2 and 1 :10, preferably 1 :6.

31. The ball joint according to claim 27, characterized in that a top of the

serration is arranged in relation to the tapered section in a way that before a connection between the ball-joint pin and the counterpart is established, the serration in the second portion contacts the second seat of the counterpart and/or the serration in the second seat contacts the second portion of the ■ ball-joint pin, so that the locknut can perform at least 1 ,5 threads before a locknut friction increases to establish the connection between the ball-joint pin and the counterpart.

32. The ball joint according to claim 27, characterized in that at least the seat of the counterpart is made of cast metal and/or the ball-joint pin is made of hardened steel.

33. A vehicle comprising a ball joint according to claim 27 between a

component and a counterpart.

34. The vehicle according to claim 33, wherein the component is an

intermediate arm of a reaction stay and/or a tie rod.