Zf Friedrichshafen Ag

Zf Lemforder Metallwaren Ag

Zf Lemf&ouml;rder Metallwaren Ag

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Zf Lemförder Mettallwaren Ag

Martin Rechtien

Volker Grube

Olaf Abels

Wolfgang Kleiner

Bernd Grannemann

Reinhard Buhl

Frank Budde

Jinghong Yu

Manfred Heidemann

Martin Wellerding

Klaus Br&ouml;ker

Rainer Ungruh

Metin Ersoy

James W Post, Ii

Hans-Gerd Brunneke

Frank Nachbar

Jochen Kruse

Todd Andrew Fitz

Jürgen Gräber

Eric Walker

Dirk Adamczyk

Matthias Gercke

Wolfgang Eulerich

Lutz Pydde

Klaus Pape

Helmut Noe

Peter G Langseth, Iii

Frank Berstermann

Guido Schulte

Andreas Mönninghoff

Ulrich Schefzyk

Michael Rossol

Rainer Jasper

Johannes Tabor

Thomas Wiegmann

Todd Fitz

Peter G Iii Langseth

James W Ii Post

Eric J Walker

Jürgen GRÄBER

Marc Zeidler

A ball joint with variable friction resistance for a vehicle, the joint having a stud with a joint ball which is held in a housing so as to articulate relative thereto. The housing comprises movable and static housing parts that are movable relative to one another and engage on opposite sides of the ball. A transmission is moved by one housing part so as to exert a variable pressure on the ball. The transmission has axially aligned transmission elements, each of which has a helical ball track. The transmission elements axially rest against one another via balls that are guided between the ball tracks of the transmission elements. A first transmission element can move axially and contact the movable housing part. A second transmission element can rotate about the rotational axis which causes the first transmission element to move axially and exert an axial force on the movable housing part.

Ball joint

A ball joint assembly includes a housing at least partially defining a cavity. A ball stud includes a head portion positioned within the cavity and a shaft extending from the head portion. A ball race having an inner surface is positioned within the cavity to define an interface between the inner surface of the ball race and an outer surface of the head portion. A solid friction coating is positioned within the interface. The solid friction coating is coupled to the inner surface of the ball race and/or the outer surface of the head portion of the ball stud. A piston can also be positioned within the cavity, wherein at least one gap is defined between the ball race and the piston and/or between the ball race and the housing. Methods of assembling a ball joint assembly are also disclosed.

Ball joint assembly having friction coated components and methods of assembling a ball joint assembly having defined gaps

A ball joint, in particular for a wheel suspension of a motor vehicle, with a housing. A joint ball is arranged inside the housing and a ball shell is arranged therebetween. The outer surface of the joint ball contacts the inner surface of the housing and on its inner surface against the surface of the ball, such that the ball shell holds the joint ball so that it can move by sliding. The shell is elastic such that when a force acts upon the ball joint, the joint ball can move relative to the housing. As viewed in at least one cross-section plane passing through the mid-point of the ball, the ball shell has a radial thickness that varies, in the circumferential direction, in such manner that the force acting on the ball shell in the circumferential direction is distributed uniformly, particularly over enlarged areas thereof.

Ball joint with a loading-optimized ball shell

A ball joint for a vehicle, with a ball pin that has a joint ball, a joint housing that encloses the joint ball and is provided with a pin opening, in which the joint ball of the ball pin is fitted and able to move. The ball pin extends out of the joint housing through the pin opening. An actuator can press a pressure element, in an axial direction, against the joint housing in such a manner that pressure can be exerted by the joint housing and the pressure element onto the joint ball. The actuator acts upon a spring which acts upon the pressure element. The length of the spring can be measured by a displacement sensor.

Ball and socket joint for a vehicle

A method of producing a spherical joint () with a spherical sleeve () having a spherical bearing area () and provided with a through-going assembly opening that extends, in an axial direction (), which by virtue of the bearing area () is mounted and able to move by sliding in a spherical shell (). The spherical sleeve () is arranged in an outer sleeve () in such a manner that the spherical sleeve () extends outwardly, in an axial direction (), from both sides of the outer sleeve (). A material, which hardens, is injected into an intermediate space (), located between the spherical shell () and the outer sleeve (), such that when the material hardens, the assembly of the spherical sleeve () and the spherical shell () is joined to the outer sleeve ().

Method for producing a spherical sleeve joint

A ball joint with a ball pin and a steel ball pin with a joint ball. The ball joint and ball pin are suitable for use when, for example, solid-on-solid friction predominates under high static pre-loading or high operational loads and with small joint movements. A portion of the surface of the ball pin has surface layer hardening in order to increase a fatigue strength of the ball pin. The ball pin and the ball joint, on portion of the ball pin without the any surface layer hardened, includes a nitrided layer as wear protection. The ball pin and the ball joint provide an advantageous combination of high fatigue strength, good corrosion protection and high wear-resistance. The nitrided layer of ball joints, previously only regarded as improving corrosion protection, also functions as a wear protection. Thus, these ball pins overcome the mutual exclusion between surface layer hardening and nitriding.

Ball pin and ball joint

A connecting arrangement for a motor vehicle wheel suspension, with a spring plate for receiving a vehicle spring, a joint and a connecting strut, which is articulated to the spring plate by way of the joint. The joint includes a fastening section that extends in an axial direction and engages in a fastening hole formed in the spring plate. The fastening section passes through the fastening hole and is shaped outside the hole, on a side of the spring plate facing away from the joint, to form a contact surface that is supported axially against the spring plate.

Connection arrangement for a motor vehicle wheel suspension

A bearing shell made of plastic material is provided for a ball and socket joint for mounting a ball and socket joint pivot mounted rotatably and pivotably in the bearing shell with at least two shell parts () forming a bearing surface with an inner, hollow spherical shape is presented, wherein the shell parts form in their entirety the shape of a bearing ring () with an opening () each arranged on the front sides of the bearing ring, which front sides are located opposite each other, at least one web () connecting the shell parts () being arranged crosswise above one of the opening cross sections.

Bearing shell

A ball sleeve joint is provided, especially for chassis assembly units and steering assembly units of motor vehicles. The ball sleeve joint includes a joint housing with two housing halves and a ball sleeve provided with a rounded bearing surface. The bearing surface is accommodated in a joint housing, which is manufactured from an elastic plastic and is fixed in a recess of the joint housing, as well as a process for manufacturing such a ball sleeve joint. The two housing halves () are pressed together with defined pressing forces during the mounting of the ball sleeve joint () in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the ball sleeve joint (). The two housing parts are held in the installed position predetermined by the pressing forces by means of at least one connection () in substance between the housing parts ().

Ball sleeve joint and process for manufacturing same

The present invention pertains to a bearing shell for a ball-and-socket joint, wherein the bearing shell has a core component consisting of a first material, which is completely enclosed by a jacket component consisting of a second material.

Two-component bearing shell for an injection-molded ball-and-socket joint

A process for controlling the shrinkage behavior during the original shaping of plastics during the manufacture of a plastic shell, especially a bearing shell for a ball-and-socket joint, wherein liquefied plastic is introduced between an inner mold () and an outer mold () in order to be cured therein, wherein the plastic is partially fixed on the outer mold () during the curing. This process can be preferably used in a device for controlling the shrinkage behavior during the original shaping of plastics, which has a casting mold, which accommodates at least one outer mold () and an inner mold () inserted into same, wherein the liquefied plastic () to be molded can be introduced between the mold parts (), wherein means for fixing the liquid plastic () are formed on the outer mold ().

Method and device for controlling the shrink behavior of plastic materials during primary shaping

A ball-and-socket joint, especially a wheel guide joint for motor vehicles is provided with a housing (), in the cavity () of which, which is open on at least one side, a bearing shell () is inserted with a joint ball () mounted therein. The bearing shell () forms a assembly unit () together with the joint ball () accommodated therein. The assembly unit is displaceable in the cavity () along a axis (). A first collar () and a second collar (), between which a limited free path () of the displaceable assembly unit () is defined, form end stops in the cavity () of the housing (). The bearing shell () is a accomodated in the cavity () under a slight radial pretension and at least one compensating element () is arranged between the bearing shell () and the inner surface of the cavity ().

A vibration-damped rubber mount is provided to ensure good sliding friction properties over a broad spectrum of spring rigidities with a simple design in a vibration-damped rubber mount with an inner part, which is surrounded by an outer sleeve, where an elastomer ring body is provided between the inner part and the outer sleeve for vibration damping, it is proposed that the elastomer ring body () is arranged radially on the outside at the inner wall of the outer sleeve () and radially on the inside at a sleeve-like bearing shell (), which slidingly cooperates with the inner part (), forming a ball-and-socket joint.

Rubber bearing with anti-vibration system

A ceramic ball-and-socket joint for a motor vehicle, especially for the chassis of the motor vehicle, is provided, in which the ball-and-socket joint has a ball-and-socket joint housing () provided with a joint opening () and a ball pivot provided with a joint ball () and with a pivot (), which said ball pivot is mounted rotatably and pivotably with its joint ball () in a bearing shell () arranged in the ball-and-socket joint housing (), wherein the ball pivot protrudes with its pivot () from the ball-and-socket joint housing () through the joint opening (). The bearing shell () is divided into at least two separate bearing shell parts (), wherein the joint ball () and the bearing shell () are made of a ceramic material.

Ceramic ball-and-socket joint

A joint housing ( ) has a housing recess ( ), a pivot pin ( ), mounted in the housing recess. The pivot pin has a joint ball ( ) provided with a surface protection. A pin section protrudes from a housing opening ( ), with a bearing shell ( ) arranged between the joint housing and the joint ball, and with a closing ring ( ), which closes the housing recess of the joint housing and tensions the bearing shell arranged therein in the joint housing. The closing ring follows essentially with its inner contour the outer contour of the bearing shell due to a bevel or a radius formed. The closing ring ( ) to be inserted into the joint housing is fixed in its position in the joint housing ( ) and has a sealing lip ( ) which is in contact with the joint ball ( ) under elastic pretension on the side of the housing opening ( ) through which the pin section of the pivot pin ( ) protrudes from the joint housing ( ).

Growing community of inventors

Neuenkirchen-Vörden, Germany

Martin Rechtien