Gulf & Western Manufacturing Company

O & S Manufacturing Company

V. W. Kaiser Engineering, Inc.

Other

Joseph E Smith, Jr

William H Trudeau

A motor vehicle steering assembly comprising a steering knuckle including a spindle and upper and lower yoke arms receiving a free end of an axle therebetween; upper and lower bushings positioned in upper and lower bores in the upper and lower yoke arms and each having notches in an outboard peripheral edge thereof for engagement by a spanner wrench; a kingpin having upper and lower portions journaled in the upper and lower bushings and an intermediate portion passing through a bore in the axle free end; first and second axially spaced external circumferential grooves in the intermediate portion; first and second lock pins adapted to pass through transverse bores in the axle free end for locking coaction with the circumferential grooves; numerical indicia on one end of the kingpin indicating the annular position of the kingpin relative to the axle; and a socket in one end of the kingpin for receipt of an Allen head wrench. When a measured amount of wear has occurred at the high wear locations on the interface between the kingpin and the bushings, the Allen head wrench is inserted in the socket in the kingpin to move the kingpin through 90.degree. to move relatively unworn portions of the kingpin into the high wear locations and the spanner wrench is engaged with the notches in the bushings to move the bushings through 90.degree. to bring relatively unworn portions of the bushings into the high wear locations. Alternatively, the first and second circumferential grooves may be replaced with first and second axially spaced pairs of flats on the intermediate portion of the kingpin with the flats of each pair of flats angularly spaced with respect to each other. These arrangements and methodology effectively double the life of the kingpin and bushings.

Motor vehicle steering assembly

A self aligning joint and linkages employing the self aligning joint. The joint includes a stem; a clevis mounted for rotation on one end of the stem and defining a pair of spaced arms; a stud having a circumferential groove proximate one end thereof; a body member positioned between the clevis arms and defining a socket mounting the one end of the stud for rotation about the axis of the stud; and an axle pin mounted at opposite ends in the clevis arm, passing through the body member to mount the body member for angulation about the pin axis, and including an intermediate portion positioned in the stud groove to preclude axial displacement of the stud out of the socket. Also disclosed are linkages including an elongated tubular member, an elongated rod member mounted for rotation in the tubular member and including a free end projecting out of one end of the tubular member, a self aligning joint according to the invention secured to the free end of the rod member, and a further self aligning joint secured to the end of the tubular member remote from the rod member. The self aligning joints in this case are ' zero angle' joints providing only two degrees of movement with the third movement being provided in each case by relative rotation between the tubular member and the rod member.

Self-aligning joint for linkages

A compound bearing consisting of an outer and an inner member movable relative to each other and between which are disposed load carrying annular members. The load carrying annular members comprise a pair of elastomeric rings held between the outer and inner members under compression, and a metallic ring insert disposed between and separating the two elastomeric rings. A narrow clearance is provided between the peripheral surface of the metallic ring insert and the inner surface of the bearing outer member, and between the metallic ring inner surface and the inner member peripheral surface. Normal loads are taken and absorbed by the elastomeric rings, while overloads and shock loads are taken by the metallic ring insert.

Compound bearing

A helical bearing bushing for use between a cylindrical shaft and an element containing a bore disposed around the shaft, such as a kingpin and steering knuckle assembly, includes a helically wound spring wire as the bearing bushing. The spring wire is helically wound to form a tubular member having interior and exterior surfaces which form the respective bearing surfaces. The tensile force of the helical spring holds arcuate surfaces of adjacent coils in elastic abutment, although lubricant under pressure can elastically separate the coils and pass from one surface to the other. Non abutting portions of the arcuate surfaces form helical lubrication grooves. Either the interior surface or the exterior surface, or both, may be machined flat to provide a better bearing surface.

Helically wound bushing

A steering kingpin and knuckle assembly provided with wear take-up by forming the kingpin end portions with a frusto-conical peripheral surface, and providing a bearing bushing having a corresponding frusto-conical internal bearing surface mounted in each steering knuckle yoke bore and pivotally supporting the knuckle relative to the kingpin. Alternatively, the kingpin end portions and the internal surface of the bushing, preferably split bushing, are cylindrical and the bushing external surface is frusto-conical and disposed in a frusto-conical bore in the knuckle yoke. The bushing is pre-loaded in a direction causing engagement of the kingpin end and bushing bearing surfaces, being spring-biased or, in the alternative, by an end cap closing the yoke bore and having an annular position projecting within the bore. Shims are added between the end cap annular projecting portion and the bushing end face, or shims are removed from under the end cap mounting flange, for displacing the tapered bushing in a direction causing engagement of the bearing surfaces, and thus compensating for wear tending to increase the clearance between the bearing surfaces.

Steering knuckle and kingpin assembly

A motor vehicle steering knuckle and kingpin assembly comprising a kingpin fixedly mounted through the motor vehicle front axle or beam with the end portions of the kingpin projecting above and below the front axle or beam. A wheel spindle knuckle is pivotally mounted relative to the kingpin, the spindle knuckle having an upper yoke having a bore disposed around the kingpin upper end portion and a lower yoke having a bore disposed around the kingpin lower end portion, a bushing being installed in each of the yoke bores. The kingpin end portions have a frusto-conical peripheral surface and the yoke bushings have a cylindrical internal surface such that, under load, the bearing surfaces in engagement and capable of transmitting the load are along the whole length of the bearing surfaces. Alternatively, the kingpin end portions are provided with a peripheral cylindrical surface co-operating with an appropriate frusto-conical internal surface for the bushings. The invention also contemplates providing the kingpin end portions with a slightly spherical peripheral surface co-operating with yoke bushings having a cylindrical internal surface, or providing the kingpin end portions with a cylindrical peripheral surface co-operating with yoke bushings having an inversely spherical internal surface. Preferably, the kingpin end edges have a curved surface progressively blending with the peripheral surface of the kingpin end portions or, in structures where the kingpin end edges project beyond the bushing end edges, the bushing end edges are provided with a curved surface progressively blending with the internal surface of the bushings.

A bearing assembly having bearing surfaces pre-loaded towards each other, the bearing surfaces being originally made in slightly non-conforming geometry and dimensions over the majority of their surface areas in sliding engagement, the areas of the bearing surfaces in engagement being thus less than the total available areas. During use, and through progressive wear-in of the bearing surfaces in engagement, the bearing surface areas in engagement are progressively enlarged with progressive conformity in geometry and dimension, the conforming surface areas being constantly kept in engagement by the elements in the assembly adapted to provide bearing pre-load.

Method of manufacturing spherical and cylindrical bearings

A wear indicator for knuckle or swivel joints of the ball and socket type wherein the spherical surfaces in swivelling engagement are urged in bearing engagement by a retainer member accomplishing the double function of holding the ball and the socket in assembly and of applying a pre-load force to the ball to prevent vibration and rattle and to compensate for wear of the bearing surfaces. The wear indicator is in the form of an elongate member attached to the pre-load retainer member at a portion thereof which is progressively movable in the direction of wear of the bearing surfaces of the joint for maintaining the pre-load pressure upon the bearing surfaces. The elongate member which, preferably, takes the form of a grease fitting in lubricated joints or the form of a rod in dry or in lubricated-for-life, projects a predetermined distance from an end of the socket when the joint is new, and retracts at least flush or even with a reference plane, such as the plane of the socket end, when the joint has worn to a degree requiring replacement. Alternatively, the tip of the elongate member projects through an aperture in a closure plate mounted at the end of the socket when the joint is new, and retracts with its tip at least flush with the outer surface of the plate when the wear of the joint is such as to require replacement, thus forming a visual and tactile wear indicator.

Ball and socket joints with wear indicator

Sealed ball and socket joints having a spherical member capable of swiveling relative to a socket member. A bearing ring disposed with or without clearance in a housing has a concave spherical surface portion in swiveling engagement with the ball member, and a pair of symmetrically disposed resilient rings installed between the bearing ring and the inner surface of the housing constantly urge the bearing surface of the bearing ring in engagement with the spherical member surface to prevent rattle and to compensate for wear. A bellows seal, formed integrally with one of the resilient rings or, alternatively, formed separate, is fastened at one end in the shell. The bellows seal is held elastically at its other end around a portion of the spherical member. A second seal, disposed in the same manner, seals the gap between the shell and the spherical member in some structures, or the other end of the housing is closed by a separate end cap in other structures wherein the spherical member is a ball formed on the end of a stud. The bearings are prepacked with a lubricant, and the elements, including the resilient rings, are held in assembly by at least one spring snap ring retainer permitting disassembly for repacking with lubricant or for repairing the joints.

Sealed ball and socket joints capable of disassembly

Spherical and cylindrical bearings and method of manufacturing

A knuckle or swivel joint of the half-ball and socket type comprising a stud terminating in an enlarged diameter half-ball member disposed in the socket member and having an end flat surface engaged by a resilient retainer cap disposed in the socket member. The retainer cap is elastically pre-loaded in an appropriate direction which causes firm engagement of the spherical bearing surfaces of the socket and ball in mutual swivelling engagement, thus, among others, compensating for wear.

Hemispherical ball and socket joint

A knuckle or swivel joint of the half-ball and socket type comprising a stud terminating in an enlarged diameter half-ball member disposed in the socket member and having a recess in which is engaged a biasing insert member made of resilient or elastomeric material placed under compression during assembly of the joint. The joint bearing surfaces are elastically pre-loaded in an appropriate direction which causes firm engagement of the bearing surfaces in mutual engagement and thus preventing play and rattling of the joint and compensating for wear.

A ball and socket joint having a ball provided with an integral stud projecting outwardly through an end of the socket, a portion of the peripheral spherical surface of the ball being in swivelling sliding engagement with a corresponding partial spherical bore in the socket, and a generally disk-shaped retainer member holding the ball in assembly in the socket and applying a pre-load bias to the ball urging the bearing spherical surfaces in mutual engagement, the retainer member having an integral or separate spherical recess in swivelling sliding engagement with a portion of the peripheral surface of the ball opposite to the stud. The ball is a full ball or alternatively a partial ball having a substantially hemispherical protuberance of smaller diameter in engagement with the spherical recess in the retainer member. The pre-load bias is applied either directly by the retainer member as a result of being elastically stressed during assembly of the elements by swaging of the rim of the socket, or is provided by a frusto-conical spring member engaged against the periphery of the retainer member and flattened during assembly or by a dished spring member in direct engagement with the peripheral spherical surface of the ball and elastically deformed through engagement with the retainer member during assembly of the joint.

Ball and socket joints

Integrally sealed vibration dampening ball and socket joints having a spherical member capable of swivelling relative to a socket member. A split metallic or high strength plastic bearing ring disposed with clearance in a shell has a concave spherical surface portion in swivelling engagement with the ball member, and a pair of symmetrically disposed resilient rings installed between the bearing ring and the inner surface of the shell constantly urge the bearing surface of the bearing ring in engagement with the spherical member surface to prevent rattle and to compensate for wear. Normal loads are taken by the resilient rings, and overload and shock load are taken by the bearing ring. A bellows seal, formed integrally with one of the resilient rings or, alternatively, formed separate is fastened at one end in the shell. The bellows seal is held elastically at its other end around a portion of the spherical member. A second seal, disposed in the same manner, seals the gap between the shell and the spherical member in structure where the spherical member is a hollow ball. Alternatively, the other end of the shell is closed by an integral or separate end cap in structures wherein the spherical member is a ball formed on the end of a stud. The bearings are prepacked with a lubricant.

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Birmingham, MI, United States of America

Joseph E Smith, Jr