Ball-and-socket joint

US6702502B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• ZF Lemförder Metallwaren AG · DE

Inventors

• Jürgen Gräber · Bohmte, DE
• Werner Stehr · Horb am Neckar, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 11, 2001
• Grant date: Mar 9, 2004
• Expiry date: Apr 19, 2021

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T403/32721
• WIPO field: Mechanical elements
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

A ball-and-socket joint, preferably for motor vehicles, in which a joint ball formed on a pivot pin is mounted movably in a bearing shell consisting of a plastic, is presented. The bearing shell has recesses accommodating lubricant on its inner jacket surface facing the joint ball and is itself inserted into a housing. According to the present invention, the recesses may be grooves as a structural system with groove sections or depressions of microscopic size extending obliquely in relation to the central longitudinal axis of the ball-and-socket joint. Due to this novel design, a pumping effect is achieved during movements of the joint ball over the groove sections, and this pumping effect draws the lubricant present in the groove sections into the gap between the joint ball and the bearing shell, so that improved lubrication of the ball-and-socket joint compared with the state of the art is guaranteed under all operating conditions.