The present invention relates generally to joints and more particularly to a ball and socket joint assembly with a bellows or sealing boot and to the sealing boot.
Ball and socket joins are known that have a sealing boot connected at one end to a housing of the ball joint and connected at another end to a knuckle (the connected piece or mating part—connected to the ball pin) and/or to the ball stud (ball pin). The end of the sealing boot is either directly applied to the ball stud or knuckle or is applied by the use of a sealing ring.
Sealing boots that are lubricated on the axial side to improve sliding behavior are known.
It is an object of the invention to provide a sealing bellows (sealing boot) for a joint that has an axial end (facing the knuckle) that is lubricated at the knuckle contact surface without getting on other joint parts (such as the ball stud).
It is an object of the invention to provide a sealing boot (bellows seal) to ball and socket joint part assembly and method of assembling that presents a good seal, particularly in an axial direction of the sealing boot and knuckle and in which the lubricant is protected in position on the sealing boot during shipment and is released in a simple manner on final assembly.
According to the invention, a ball and socket joint with bellows seal is provided including a ball pivot pin with a connection piece. A sealing bellows is provided with an annular engagement surface with a cavity. A connection piece with a sealing face is connected to the ball pivot pin. Lubricant is disposed in the cavity prior to assembly of the ball and socket joint. The annular engagement surface is provided in contact with the sealing face upon assembly to cause an amount of lubricant to be squeezed out of the cavity.
The cavity may be a groove with an annular opening with a flap portion at each side of said opening to restrict movement of the lubricant from the cavity until assembly. The cavity may also be a groove with an annular opening to the cavity in the form of a narrowed entrance gap with the annular engagement surface at each side of the narrowed entrance gap, the narrowed entrance gap restricting movement of the lubricant from the cavity until assembly.
The cavity may have an annular engagement surface side closed by one of a material of the sealing bellows and a membrane applied to the sealing bellows. The annular engagement surface side opening may allow a release of lubricant upon assembly.
The sealing bellows at the cavity may have a lubricant retaining portion defined by one of a narrowed gap and a material barrier at an entrance of the cavity. The lubricant retaining portion acts to retain at least a portion of the lubricant in the groove in a pre-assembly state prior to the annular engagement surface contacting the sealing face.
The bellows seal element may also have a pivot pin sealing surface engaged with the pivot pin. A clamping ring may be applied acting on an outside of the bellows to apply force to the bellows such that the pivot pin sealing surface statically engages with the pivot pin.
According to a further aspect of the invention, a process is provided for forming a ball and socket joint. The process includes providing a ball pivot pin seated in a ball joint housing via a bearing insert and providing a connection part with a radially extending surface having an opening for receiving the ball pivot pin as well as a bellows with a first connection end with an annular housing connection surface and another end with an annular engagement surface having a cavity at least partially filled with a lubricant. The bellows is connected to the housing. The ball pivot pin is moved into the opening of the connection part with the bellows contacting the annular engagement surface to the radially extending surface of the connection part to release lubricant from the cavity to a location between the annular engagement surface and the radially extending surface of the connection part.
According to a further aspect of the invention, a sealing boot is provided comprising a bellow element with an end having annular engagement surface and a cavity formed in the bellows element and opening to the annular engagement surface. A lubricant is disposed in the cavity.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated.
Referring to the drawings in particular, the invention comprises a sealing bellows or sealing boot generally designated 10. The sealing boot 10 has a housing end 15 (see
The pore, pocket or groove 20 provided with a lubricant 22 is shown in
Although the examples show the cavity 20 as a groove or continuous annular pocket 20, the cavity 20 may also be provided as one of several discrete pockets or pores that each have lubricant and retain the lubricant in any manner as described above. The material 70 may either be molded with the material of sealing boot 10 or the material to restrict passage of the lubricant may be applied to the already molded sealing boot 10.
The sealing boot 10 is advantageously used with a ball and socket joint including a ball 36 with a pin 38 as shown in
While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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2692783 | Foss | Oct 1954 | A |
4209179 | Tolliver | Jun 1980 | A |
4410185 | Sporre | Oct 1983 | A |
5143381 | Temple | Sep 1992 | A |
5626349 | Sutherland et al. | May 1997 | A |
6203024 | Liebich et al. | Mar 2001 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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05332351 | Dec 1993 | JP |