The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 22, 2008
Filed:
Jul. 19, 2004
Frank Budde, Damme, DE;
Frank Budde, Damme, DE;
ZF Lemförder Metallwaren AG, Stemwede-Dielingen, DE;
Abstract
A bearing shell with a spherical bearing surface for a ball and socket joint preferably for use in chassis suspensions or steering mechanisms of motor vehicles, which has essentially a joint housing and a bearing journal, which comprises a spherical surface and a pivot part and which is mounted with the spherical surface rotatably and deflectably in the spherical bearing surface of the bearing shell fixed in the joint housing, is presented, in which a filament fabric is embedded according to the present invention in the thermoplastic of the bearing shell () at least in a partial area. In addition, the present invention pertains to a process for manufacturing an above-described bearing shell from thermoplastic, in which a bearing shell blank () provided with an essentially circular outer contour is fashioned out of a sheet-shaped thermoplastic semifinished product, in which a filament fabric had been embedded, and in which the final shape of the bearing shell () with spherical bearing surface is brought about in a subsequent processing operation by heating the thermoplastic material above its melting point and subsequent mechanical deformation of the bearing shell blank ().