GB1091407A - Bushes - Google Patents

Abstract

1,091,407. Spherical joints. ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS Inc. Dec. 8, 1964 [Dec. 30, 1963], No. 49917/64. Heading E2F. [Also in Division F2] A spherical joint for a shaft 40 comprises a part-spherical bush 10 that is made of a resilient synthetic-plastics material and contains a cylindrical bore 18 with a reduced diameter at one end thereof so as to define a shoulder 20, which engages with an annular groove 46 in said shaft, the radially - outermost peri - pheral-surface of the bush being engaged by the wall of a cylindrical bore 32 in a block 30. The external diameter of the bush is slightly greater than the diameter of the bore 32 to effect firm contact between the bush and the block. The joint is assembled by placing the bush in the bore 32 in abutment with a shoulder 34 at one end thereof and then driving the shaft 40 into the bore 18 until the shoulder 20 is lodged in the groove 46, the bush being subsequently retained in the bore 32 by friction. To facilitate assembly of the joint, the bush is split longitudinally, Fig. 2 (not shown). To obtain satisfactory contact between the bush and the wall of the bore 32, the bush may be moulded with one half thereof radially displaced relative to the other half so as to form diametrally-opposed shoulders (15), Figs. 4 and 5 (not shown). Alternatively, the outer surface of the bush may contain a plurality of grooves, ribs or nodules, Figs. 6 to 14 and Figs. 16 and 17 (not shown), and for details of these modifications the Specification should be consulted. The wall of the bore 18 may contain axially-orientated ribs (19g), Fig. 15 (not shown), which engage with the shaft 40. Axially-orientated ribs (14j), Fig. 18 (not shown), may be formed on both the internal and external surfaces of the bush. The bush may contain axially-orientated grooves (14n), Fig. 19 (not shown), and deformable projections (21n) on a flat surface defined by a portion of the bush that closes one end of the bore 18, which projections are engaged by the end of the shaft 40 when the latter supports an axial load acting in the direction of the bush.