JPS63297809A - Manufacture of ball joint - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the deformation of a closing plate due to its caulking and its functional deterioration by, in a ball joint for an automobile suspension device or the like, forming annular caulking lips in an inside and outside double shape, and caulking an outside lip toward an outer diametral side and an inside lip toward an inner diametral side. CONSTITUTION:The axial end surface of a socket 7 is adjacently formed with an annular inner peripheral lip 13 for fixing a closing plate 20 protruding in an axial direction and an outer peripheral lip 12 for fixing an arm 18 through an annular groove 14. The lips 12, 13 are caulked centering around a center line X. Thus the inner peripheral lip 3 is caulkedly deformed onto the closing plate 20 on an inner diametral side, and the outer peripheral lip 12 onto the arm 18 on an outer diametral side to fix the socket 7 to the arm 18.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a ball joint used in an automobile suspension system, etc., and relates to an improvement in a method of joining a suspension arm and a ball joint socket by caulking.

Conventional technology French Patent No. 2,487,457 is known as a device for crimping and connecting a ball joint socket and an arm such as a suspension. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the annular lip portion 12a at the axial end of the socket 7 is connected to the closing plate 20 and the arm
It is known that the ball joint body is assembled and the ball joint socket 7 and the arm 18 are connected by caulking and deforming the ball joint.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention In recent years, there has been a strong demand for the elimination of welded parts in automobile suspension systems in order to suppress the occurrence of rust.

However, according to the above-mentioned conventional method, an excessive crimping load is likely to be applied to the closing plate 20, and if a particularly thin closing plate 20 is used, the upper closing plate will curve due to crimping, thereby causing an excessive load on the bearing. There are problems such as compressive loads acting and unduly increasing the ball stud swinging torque.

Furthermore, the caulking of either the closing plate 7 or the arm 18 tends to be incomplete, and the adjustment thereof is quite difficult.

Therefore, the purpose of the present invention is to manufacture a ball joint that solves the problem of deterioration of the function of the ball joint without impairing the benefits of process integration in the assembly of the ball joint and the crimping connection of the ball joint and the arm. The purpose is to provide a method.

A further means for solving the problem is to form an annular inner circumferential lip for fixing the closing plate and an annular outer circumferential lip for arm fixing adjacent to each other via an annular groove on the axial end face of the socket, so that the inner circumferential A closing plate is fixed to the socket by caulking the lip toward the inner diameter side and the outer lip toward the outer diameter side, and the socket is fixed to the arm.

Since the annular lips for crimping are divided into two parts adjacent to each other through the annular groove, the shape, volume, and crimping load of the crimping deformation are set for each of the inner and outer double annular lips. The fixing of the closing plate and the coupling with the arm can be carried out in one process or in the same processing stage with a unidirectional load while providing appropriate optimum conditions.

Example Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 shows the process of assembling the ball joint 6 and crimping the socket 7 and the arm 18. In the figure, 1 is a setting jig, and 2 and 3 are crimping rollers with semicircular concave shapes on the outer periphery. It has pressure molded surfaces 4 and 5.

The caulking rollers 2 and 8 are rotatable about their respective axes 0, and are supported by a holder (not shown) so as to be rotatable about a center line X.

Note that, if necessary, the holders for the crimping roller 2 and the crimping roller 3 may be formed integrally or separately.

In the figure, 7 is a socket. 17 is the bearing. 1
5 is a ball stand. 2o is a closing plate. and 18 are suspension arms.

The socket 7 is obtained by forging a steel material to obtain a general shape, and then finishing the details by cutting.

An annular inner circumferential lip 13 for fixing the closing plate and an annular outer circumferential lip 12 for fixing the arm protruding in the axial direction are formed adjacent to each other via an annular groove 14 on the axial end surface of the socket 7. has been done.

The ball stud 15 is disposed within the socket with the ball head 16 pivotally supported by a resin bearing 17, and the stud handle protrudes from the socket opening so as to be swingable.

The closing plate 20 is placed on a stepped portion 11 provided on the inner periphery of the opening at one end of the socket 7 .

The arm 18 is formed by pressing a steel plate of a predetermined thickness, and in particular, the cylindrical boss portion 19 press-fitted into the outer periphery of the socket 7 is formed by burring.

One axial end of this boss portion 19 abuts against the axial end surface of a seven-flange portion 9 that is formed to protrude annularly from the outer periphery of the socket.

Next, the assembly of the ball joint 6 and the crimping connection between the ball joint and the arm will be explained.

As shown in FIG. 1, the crimping roller 2 and the crimping roller 8 are rotated simultaneously or alternately around the center line X, and the crimping roller is brought into contact with the inner lip 13 and the outer lip 12.

As a result, each lip 18.12 is crimped and deformed to follow the shape of the pressing surfaces 4, 5 of the roller 2.3.

That is, the inner circumferential lip 13 is crimped and deformed onto the closing plate 20 on the inner diameter side as shown by the two-dot fa line, thereby closing one end of the socket and making it airtight. The other outer peripheral lip 12 is crimped and deformed onto the arm 18 on the outer diameter side, as shown by the two-dot chain line, to fix the socket 7 to the arm 18.

The ball joint 6 assembled in this way is as shown in FIG. 2, but the inner and outer peripheral lips formed on the axial end faces of the socket 7 are not limited to those in the above embodiment, but are as shown in FIG. 3, for example. As such, the heights of the lips formed through the annular groove 14 may be different.

In addition, depending on the required crimping strength, the volume of the lips 12 and 13, the pressure forming surfaces 4 and 5 of the rollers, and the crimping load applied to the crimping rollers can be arbitrarily adjusted for each crimping part. It can be done by

Effects As described above, according to the present invention, the annular lips for caulking are divided into sections while remaining adjacent to each other via the annular groove, so that the shape of caulking deformation, volume, and caulking load can be adjusted for each of the inner and outer double annular lips. It is possible to fix the closing plate and connect the arm with a unidirectional load in one process or the same processing stage, while setting the optimum conditions suitable for each caulking, making it possible to assemble the ball joint. Also, the problem of functional deterioration of the ball joint in the crimping connection between the ball joint and the arm can be solved, and the benefits of process consolidation can be enjoyed.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, and is a sectional plan view of a ball joint assembly process. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view of the ball joint assembled in the process shown in FIG. FIG. 3 shows another embodiment, and is a sectional view of the main part of the ball joint. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view of a conventional ball joint. (Explanation of symbols) 6...Ball joint. 7...
・Soke soto. 12...--Outer lip. 13...
... Inner circumference resopu. 18...A-m. 20...
...Closing plate.

Claims (1)

[Claims] An annular inner circumferential lip 13 for fixing the closing plate 20 and an annular outer circumferential lip 12 for fixing the arm 18 are formed adjacent to each other via an annular groove 14 on the axial end surface of the socket 7. A method for manufacturing a ball joint, characterized in that a closing plate 20 is fixed to the socket 7 by caulking and deforming the outer lip 12 to the inner diameter side and the outer lip 12 to the outer diameter side, and the socket 7 is fixed to the arm 18. .