JPS6321778Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] This invention uses caulking to secure an end cover to the open end of a ball joint socket that slidably accommodates the ball part of a ball stud, thereby sealing the grease injected into the socket. Regarding the seal structure of ball joints.

Conventionally, the sealing structure for closing the open end of a ball joint socket was to incorporate the ball of a ball stud with a spherical piece into the ball joint socket, and then attach an end cover to the open end of the socket. The socket edges are bent inward by roller caulking, etc., and the peripheral edge of the end cover is crimped and fixed.

However, when deforming and crimping the socket edge inward by roller caulking, etc., the diameter is narrowed, so it is difficult to achieve uniform crimping around the entire circumference of the end cover, and there are gaps in areas where the crimping force is low. There was a problem in that the grease in the socket oozed out through the gap between the end cover and the socket during use, making it impossible to obtain sufficient sealing performance.

The present invention was developed by focusing on these conventional problems.In order to improve the sealing performance of the end cover, the end cover mounting opening of the ball joint socket is provided with a tapered inner peripheral surface that opens outward. The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems by press-fitting an end cover having a tapered outer circumferential surface facing the tapered inner circumferential surface and fixing it by caulking.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a ball joint showing an embodiment of the present invention. First, let me explain the configuration.
Reference numeral 1 designates a ball joint socket, which swingably supports a ball stud 3 which is shaft-inserted into a hemispherical spherical piece 2.
The end cover 4 is fixed by caulking the open end of the ball joint socket 1 in contact with the ball portion 3a of the ball joint socket 1, and the end cover 4 is provided with a grease filling hole 6 in the center that is closed with a bolt 5. .

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the ball joint socket 1 before caulking in the embodiment shown in FIG.
A tapered inner peripheral surface 8 that opens outward is formed on the inner surface of the lower end cover mounting opening 7. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, the end cover 4 is provided with a tapered outer circumferential surface 9 that faces the tapered inner circumferential surface 8 of the ball joint socket 1, and when the end cover 4 is press-fitted into the ball joint socket 1. Then, the tapered outer circumferential surface 9 of the end cover 4 comes into contact with the tapered inner circumferential surface 8 of the ball joint socket 1.

Next, the action will be explained.

To assemble the end cover 4 to the ball joint socket 1, press fit the end cover 4 shown in FIG. 3 onto the tapered inner peripheral surface 8 of the ball joint socket 1 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the end cover 4 is bent and deformed inward by roller caulking or the like to press the end cover 4.

With this kind of caulking process, the end cover 4
The tapered outer peripheral surface 9 of the ball joint socket 1
The end cover 4 is crimped while being fitted into the tapered inner circumferential surface 8 of the ball joint socket 1, and the gap in the end cover 4 is sealed by both the tapered crimping surface and the caulking part, and the grease filled inside the ball joint socket 1 is sealed. It is reliably prevented from leaking outside through the gap in the end cover 4, and extremely high sealing performance is obtained.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a ball joint showing another embodiment of the present invention, and this embodiment is characterized in that the outer circumference of the end cover is bent upward to form a tapered outer circumferential surface.

That is, the end cover 4' has a bolt 5 in the center.
It has a grease injection hole 6 into which the ball stud 3 is screwed, and has a bent surface that comes into contact with the spherical portion 3a of the ball stud 3, and the outer periphery is bent obliquely upward to form a tapered outer peripheral surface 9'. The other structure is the same as the embodiment shown in FIG.

In this embodiment as well, by fixing the end cover 4' by caulking, the end cover 4' is pressed against the ball joint socket 1 at two places, the tapered surface and the caulked portion, and sufficient sealing performance can be obtained.

In addition, although the above-mentioned embodiment took as an example a ball joint having a structure using a spherical piece, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be applied to an appropriate ball joint that fixes the end cover by caulking. It can be applied directly to the point.

As explained above, according to the present invention, the configuration is such that a tapered inner circumferential surface that opens outward is formed in the end cover mounting opening of the ball joint socket, and a tapered outer circumferential surface that faces the tapered inner circumferential surface is formed. Since the end cover with a flat surface is press-fitted and fixed by crimping, the ball joint socket is sealed by the end cover by crimping on the tapered surface and crimping at the crimped part, resulting in high sealing performance. This results in the effect of reliably preventing grease from seeping out from the gaps in the end cover during use.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a ball joint showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a ball joint socket before caulking in the embodiment of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an end cover. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a caulked state, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a ball joint showing another embodiment of the present invention. 1... Ball joint socket, 2... Square piece, 3... Ball stud, 3a...
Ball part, 4, 4'... End cover, 5... Bolt,
6...Grease injection hole, 7...End cover mounting opening end, 8...Tapered inner peripheral surface, 9...Tapered outer peripheral surface.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] In a ball joint in which the ball of the ball stud is slidably wrapped by a ball seat inside the ball joint socket, the end cover mounting opening of the ball joint socket is An open tapered inner circumferential surface is formed, and an end cover having an opposing tapered outer circumferential surface is press-fitted into the end cover mounting opening, and the end of the socket side taper inner circumferential surface is caulked. A seal structure for a ball joint, characterized in that the end cover is fixed by crimping through processing.