US 11,739,790 B2
Ball joint for a vehicle, in particular for an off-road vehicle
Hans-Gerd Brunneke, Georgsmarienhuette (DE); Ulrich Kalmey, Stemwede (DE); and Heinfried Helms, Bad Essen (DE)
Assigned to ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG, Friedrichshafen (DE)
Appl. No. 16/72,197
Filed by ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Friedrichshafen (DE)
PCT Filed Dec. 19, 2016, PCT No. PCT/EP2016/081666
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 24, 2018,
PCT Pub. No. WO2017/129321, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 3, 2017.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2016 201 046.8 (DE), filed on Jan. 26, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2019/0032703 A1, Jan. 31, 2019
Int. Cl. F16C 11/06 (2006.01); F16J 3/04 (2006.01)
CPC F16C 11/0671 (2013.01) [F16J 3/043 (2013.01); F16C 2326/05 (2013.01); Y10T 403/315 (2015.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A ball joint for a vehicle comprising:
a housing having an opening;
a ball stud rotatably and pivotably mounted in the housing and including a shaft extending out of the opening of the housing;
a seal bellows for protecting the housing opening against unwanted penetration of dirt and/or moisture, the seal bellows comprising a shaft contact region and a housing contact region, wherein the seal bellows sealingly contacts the shaft with the shaft contact region on one end and sealingly contacts the housing with the housing contact region on another end, the seal bellows having an outer circumferential surface; and
a bellows protection having an inner circumferential surface, wherein the inner circumferential surface comprises a seal bellows contact region and an axial end portion;
wherein the seal bellows is surrounded in some areas by the bellows protection to prevent damage to the seal bellows due to mechanical influence, and
wherein the seal bellows contact region of the inner circumferential surface of the bellows protection bears against the outer circumferential surface of the seal bellows adjacent the housing contact region, and the axial end portion of the inner circumferential surface of the bellows protection bears against the outer circumferential surface of the seal bellows intermediate the housing contact region and the shaft contact region, so as to form a sealed gap between the seal bellows and the bellows protection at a location between the seal bellows contact region and the axial end portion in an unflexed condition of the seal bellows, and
the inner circumferential surface of the bellows protection being smaller than the outer circumferential surface of the seal bellows.