Draftex Industries Limited

Trelleborg Ab

Joel Breheret

Bernard Renzo

Protective bellows

A clamping ring, for clamping an end collar of a protective bellows to one end of a universal joint in a vehicle transmission, is made of resilient material having two overlapping end portions. One end portion has a tongue extending through a slot defined in the other end portion. In its relaxed state, the material of the ring holds the tongue in an initial position in the slot. When the ring is placed over the end collar of the bellows, the ring expands slightly to permit this, the tongue moving towards a 'high' stop at one end of the slot. The ring then resiles slightly so as to hold itself on the bellows. When the bellows, with the ring in position, is placed over the end of the universal joint, the ring once more expands slightly to permit this. The ring is then tightened by moving the end portion until a hook engages a shoulder on the other end portion, the tongue moving towards a 'low' stop at the other end of the slot.

Clamping rings

A protective bellows protects a universal joint driven by a shaft, such as forming part of the front wheel drive mechanism of a motor vehicle. The bellows has a collar with an interior annular rib which, on completion of the fitting process, locates in an annular groove in the shaft. During the fitting process, a tube is forced between the interior peripheral surface of the collar and the outer surface of the shaft, via a channel in the rib and a channel in the material of the inner end of the collar which grips the surface of the shaft. Grease is pumped into the interior of the bellows through this tube. Further channels extend through the rib and the adjacent material of the collar, and allow excess air Pressure to be vented to atmosphere during and after the grease-filling operation.

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Treillieres, France

Joel Breheret