GB2108196A - Ball and socket joints - Google Patents

Ball and socket joints Download PDF

Info

Publication number
GB2108196A
GB2108196A GB08229245A GB8229245A GB2108196A GB 2108196 A GB2108196 A GB 2108196A GB 08229245 A GB08229245 A GB 08229245A GB 8229245 A GB8229245 A GB 8229245A GB 2108196 A GB2108196 A GB 2108196A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
ball
socket
screw head
bearing cup
cup
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB08229245A
Inventor
Alan Vernon Stott
Paul Frederick Lidstone
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Automotive Products PLC
Original Assignee
Automotive Products PLC
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Automotive Products PLC filed Critical Automotive Products PLC
Priority to GB08229245A priority Critical patent/GB2108196A/en
Publication of GB2108196A publication Critical patent/GB2108196A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16C—SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS
    • F16C11/00—Pivots; Pivotal connections
    • F16C11/04—Pivotal connections
    • F16C11/06—Ball-joints; Other joints having more than one degree of angular freedom, i.e. universal joints
    • F16C11/0619—Ball-joints; Other joints having more than one degree of angular freedom, i.e. universal joints the female part comprising a blind socket receiving the male part
    • F16C11/0623—Construction or details of the socket member

Abstract

A ball and socket joint particularly for use as a steering rack end joint which comprises a ball pin (16) on the ball (17) of which is located in a cup-shaped bearing (15) housed in a socket (10). The socket comprises a tubular housing (21) and a screw head (11), the tubular housing having an internal shoulder (19) for abutment with the screw head (11). The bearing cup (15) is trapped between tubular housing (21) and the screw head and dimensioned so as to exert a control load on the ball (17), the shoulder (19) preventing assembly loads being applied to the bearing cup (15). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Ball and socket joints This invention relates to ball and socket joints, e.g. for motor vehicle steering linkages.
A known ball and socket joint comprises a cup-shaped socket formed from a tubular member, a bearing cup located in the socket and a ball pin, the ball of which is mounted for rotation in the bearing cup and the shank of which extends through the mouth of the socket, and the base of the socket is formed by a screw head. Such a joint will hereinafter be called a joint of the kind referred to and an example is shown in GB 1 344 878.
In the above patent specification the tubular socket is pressed onto the screw head to compressively load the bearing cup therebetween to a predetermined degree, and the tubular socket is then swaged over the screw head to lock the socket in position on the screw head. The preload bearing establishes a desired torque resistance for movement of the ball in the bearing cup.
In this illustrated joint the torque load is applied to the joint during assembly of the socket onto the screw head and the only control to the amount of preload on the ball is that applied by assembly apparatus, i.e. the assembly machines are set to exert a controlled load on the bearing during assembly of the joint.
The present invention provides a joint of the kind referred in which the bearing cup exerts a a preload on the ball and in which any preload is not directly applied by loading the bearing cup between the socket housing and the screw head.
Accordingly there is provided a ball and socket joint of the kind referred characterised in that the tubular socket member has an internal shoulder for abutment with the screw head, and an bond portion which is deformed around the screw head to lock the screw head between the shoulder and said end portion.
An advantage of this type of construction is that the ball of the ball pin can be matched with a given cavity size in the bearing cup to achieve the desired torque load on the ball.
The internal shoulder on the tubular member then prevents any assembly load being exerted on the bearing cup when the end portion of the tubular member is deformed around the screw head. This ensures that the torque loads exerted by the selected bearing cup on the ball are more predictable.
The invention will be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings which is a longitudinal section through a motor vehicle steering rack end joint.
The joint has a screw head 11 having a threaded stud 1 2 thereon for attachment to a vehicle steering rack (not shown). An alternative connection with the steering rack would be a screw threaded cavity. The external surface of the screw head 11 has flats 1 3 thereon for the application of a spanner when screwing the joint onto a rack. The screw head 11 has an end face 1 4 thereon which provides a seat for a bearing cup 1 5.
The ball pin 1 6 has a ball 1 7 and a shank 1 8. The ball 1 7 is mounted for rotation in the bearing cup 1 5 which supports the ball on both sides of its equator E-E, and the shank 1 8 extends through the mouth of the cup.
The bearing cup 1 5 is illustrated as a one piece snap over bearing moulded from Nylon 6, 66, or acetal resin, or alternatively could possibly be made from a two part cup. The bearing cup 1 5 is located in a cup shaped socket 10 formed from a screw head 11 and a tubular housing 21 having a spherically shaped mouth 23 which co-operates with a like surface on the exterior of the bearing cup to retain it in the surround. The shank 18 projects through the mouth 23 of the surround and the other end portion 22 of the housing 21 has an internal shoulder which is level with the bottom face 20 on the base of the bearing cup 1 8. The shoulder 1 9 and bottom face 20 present a continuous face when the ball pin and cup 1 5 are assembled in the tubular housing 21.The end face 14 of the screw head 11 abuts the so formed continuous face to hold the bearing cup in place and the end portion 22 is deformed around the screw head to clinch the shoulder 1 9 hard against the end face 14.
The torque control load exerted on the ball 1 7 of the ball pin is due to the match between the size of the bearing cup 15, the ball 17, and the tubular housing 21. The bearing cup 1 5 is made slightly oversize for the defined space between the housing and ball in which it is to be located so as to exert the desired control load on the ball. The shoulder 1 9 prevents any compressive loads from being applied to the bearing cup 1 5 when the housing 21 is fitted over the screw head 11 and therefore the torque control load on the ball 1 7 is not governed by assembly process parameters.
1. A ball and socket joint having a cup shaped socket formed from a tubular member, a bearing cup located in the socket and a ball pin, the ball of which is mounted for rotation in the bearing cup and the shank of which extends through the mouth of the socket, and the base of the socket is formed by a screw head, wherein the wall of the tubular member has an internal shoulder for abutment with the screw head and an end portion which is deformed around the screw head to lock the screw head between the shoulder and said end portion.
2. A joint as claimed in Claim 1, wherein
**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (3)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Ball and socket joints This invention relates to ball and socket joints, e.g. for motor vehicle steering linkages. A known ball and socket joint comprises a cup-shaped socket formed from a tubular member, a bearing cup located in the socket and a ball pin, the ball of which is mounted for rotation in the bearing cup and the shank of which extends through the mouth of the socket, and the base of the socket is formed by a screw head. Such a joint will hereinafter be called a joint of the kind referred to and an example is shown in GB 1 344 878. In the above patent specification the tubular socket is pressed onto the screw head to compressively load the bearing cup therebetween to a predetermined degree, and the tubular socket is then swaged over the screw head to lock the socket in position on the screw head. The preload bearing establishes a desired torque resistance for movement of the ball in the bearing cup. In this illustrated joint the torque load is applied to the joint during assembly of the socket onto the screw head and the only control to the amount of preload on the ball is that applied by assembly apparatus, i.e. the assembly machines are set to exert a controlled load on the bearing during assembly of the joint. The present invention provides a joint of the kind referred in which the bearing cup exerts a a preload on the ball and in which any preload is not directly applied by loading the bearing cup between the socket housing and the screw head. Accordingly there is provided a ball and socket joint of the kind referred characterised in that the tubular socket member has an internal shoulder for abutment with the screw head, and an bond portion which is deformed around the screw head to lock the screw head between the shoulder and said end portion. An advantage of this type of construction is that the ball of the ball pin can be matched with a given cavity size in the bearing cup to achieve the desired torque load on the ball. The internal shoulder on the tubular member then prevents any assembly load being exerted on the bearing cup when the end portion of the tubular member is deformed around the screw head. This ensures that the torque loads exerted by the selected bearing cup on the ball are more predictable. The invention will be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings which is a longitudinal section through a motor vehicle steering rack end joint. The joint has a screw head 11 having a threaded stud 1 2 thereon for attachment to a vehicle steering rack (not shown). An alternative connection with the steering rack would be a screw threaded cavity. The external surface of the screw head 11 has flats 1 3 thereon for the application of a spanner when screwing the joint onto a rack. The screw head 11 has an end face 1 4 thereon which provides a seat for a bearing cup 1 5. The ball pin 1 6 has a ball 1 7 and a shank 1 8. The ball 1 7 is mounted for rotation in the bearing cup 1 5 which supports the ball on both sides of its equator E-E, and the shank 1 8 extends through the mouth of the cup. The bearing cup 1 5 is illustrated as a one piece snap over bearing moulded from Nylon 6, 66, or acetal resin, or alternatively could possibly be made from a two part cup. The bearing cup 1 5 is located in a cup shaped socket 10 formed from a screw head 11 and a tubular housing 21 having a spherically shaped mouth 23 which co-operates with a like surface on the exterior of the bearing cup to retain it in the surround. The shank 18 projects through the mouth 23 of the surround and the other end portion 22 of the housing 21 has an internal shoulder which is level with the bottom face 20 on the base of the bearing cup 1 8. The shoulder 1 9 and bottom face 20 present a continuous face when the ball pin and cup 1 5 are assembled in the tubular housing 21.The end face 14 of the screw head 11 abuts the so formed continuous face to hold the bearing cup in place and the end portion 22 is deformed around the screw head to clinch the shoulder 1 9 hard against the end face 14. The torque control load exerted on the ball 1 7 of the ball pin is due to the match between the size of the bearing cup 15, the ball 17, and the tubular housing 21. The bearing cup 1 5 is made slightly oversize for the defined space between the housing and ball in which it is to be located so as to exert the desired control load on the ball. The shoulder 1 9 prevents any compressive loads from being applied to the bearing cup 1 5 when the housing 21 is fitted over the screw head 11 and therefore the torque control load on the ball 1 7 is not governed by assembly process parameters. CLAIMS
1. A ball and socket joint having a cup shaped socket formed from a tubular member, a bearing cup located in the socket and a ball pin, the ball of which is mounted for rotation in the bearing cup and the shank of which extends through the mouth of the socket, and the base of the socket is formed by a screw head, wherein the wall of the tubular member has an internal shoulder for abutment with the screw head and an end portion which is deformed around the screw head to lock the screw head between the shoulder and said end portion.
2. A joint as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the bearing cup is a one piece cup supporting the ball on both sides of an equator E-E thereof.
3. A ball and socket joint substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawing.
GB08229245A 1981-10-21 1982-10-13 Ball and socket joints Withdrawn GB2108196A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB08229245A GB2108196A (en) 1981-10-21 1982-10-13 Ball and socket joints

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8131731 1981-10-21
GB08229245A GB2108196A (en) 1981-10-21 1982-10-13 Ball and socket joints

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB2108196A true GB2108196A (en) 1983-05-11

Family

ID=26281029

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB08229245A Withdrawn GB2108196A (en) 1981-10-21 1982-10-13 Ball and socket joints

Country Status (1)

Country Link
GB (1) GB2108196A (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2308617A (en) * 1995-12-28 1997-07-02 Musashi Seimitsu Kogyo Kk Ball and socket joint

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2308617A (en) * 1995-12-28 1997-07-02 Musashi Seimitsu Kogyo Kk Ball and socket joint
US5704726A (en) * 1995-12-28 1998-01-06 Musashi Seimitsu Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Ball-and-socket joint
GB2308617B (en) * 1995-12-28 1999-07-28 Musashi Seimitsu Kogyo Kk Ball and socket joint

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
WAP Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1)