Abstract: A ball joint (10) for interconnecting first and second vehicle portions (12, 14) for relative movement comprises a socket (30) for connection with the first vehicle portion and a ball stud (40) for connection with the second vehicle portion. The ball stud (40) has a ball end portion (42) received in the socket (30) to support the ball stud for movement relative to the socket. The ball stud (40) also has a shank portion (50) centered on an axis (56) and projecting from the socket (30). The ball joint (10) includes an annular seal (70) having a first end portion (72) connected with the socket (30) and a second end portion (74) connected with the shank portion (50) of the ball stud (40) to seal between the socket and the ball stud. The seal (70) includes a first seal member (80) and a second seal member (90). The first seal member (80) extends between and interconnects the first and second end portions (72, 74) and is made from a first elastomeric material.

Abstract: A joint for a shaft assembly includes a housing fitted with a boot seal that encircles and seals about a stub end of a shaft extending into the housing. The boot seal has a collar-like neck portion whose inner surface is formed with an annular wiper rib. Prior to assembly with the shaft, a shipping plus is disposed in the neck of the seal to guard against the escape of grease and the ingress of contaminants. The wiper rib of the seal is operative to engage and wipe grease from the inserted shank of the shipping plug upon its removal to prevent the grease from accumulating in the neck region and impairing the performance of the seal.

Abstract: The present invention resides in a boot seal for use in sealing a joint. The joint comprises first and second relatively movable parts. The boot seal is configured in the form of a sleeve to extend between and around the vehicle relatively movable parts. The sleeve has a laminate wall which comprises at least two layers of thermoplastic elastomeric material which are bonded together. At least one of the layers is a stretch-toughenable polyester thermoplastic elastomer which has been diametrically stretched in an amount effective to increase the toughness of said one layer. The laminate wall has a percent elongation to rupture of at least 100, and a flexural modulus which is less than 100,000 psi. The laminate wall preferably has a puncture resistance of at least 50 Newtons/mm wall thickness.

Abstract: A constant velocity type of universal joint includes a sealing structure that avoids the use of a flexible boot. The constant velocity joint includes a hollow outer joint member, an inner joint member disposed within the outer joint member, and a plurality of ball bearings extending into associated grooves formed in the inner and outer joint members to provide a rotational driving connection therebetween. A sealing assembly is provided for protectively enclosing the components of the joint. The sealing assembly includes an outer sealing member that is sealingly connected to the outer joint member. An outer surface of an inner sealing member is slidably and sealingly engaged with an inner surface of the outer sealing member. An annular flange provided on the inner sealing member slidably and sealingly engages an outer surface of an annular element. An inner surface of the annular element slidably and sealingly engages a shaft connected to the inner joint member.

Abstract: A pivotal ball joint assembly includes a ball joint, an input/output member, and a sealing element to provide a sealing surface abutting the boot seal and to prevent contamination of the boot seal during movement and articulation of the input/output member relative to the ball joint. The ball joint has a socket body and a ball stud pivotally mounted to the socket body. The ball stud has a shank portion that extends therefrom and is aligned along a shank axis. An elastic boot seal that extends between the ball stud and socket body is also included. The pivotal ball joint assembly also includes an input/output member affixed to the ball stud shank portion so that the socket body is able to freely rotate relative to the input/output shaft about the shank axis. The pivotal ball joint assembly is further rotatable through a limited range about a transverse axis perpendicular to the shank axis.

Abstract: A bellows seal (1) on a ball-and-socket joint provided with joint ball and ball pivot (2), especially on a ball-and-socket joint of a chassis bearing, with an elastic bellows has a pivot-side opening and a joint-side opening and axially surrounds the ball pivot (2) of the ball-and-socket joint. A circumferential, elastic and outwardly pointing sealing lip (6), which can be in contact with a sealing surface (7), is provided at the pivot-side opening of the sealing bellows (1). An L-ring, whose first leg (9) points essentially in the axial direction (axial leg) and whose second leg (10) points radially to the outside (radial leg), is provided at the pivot-side opening. The radial leg (10) engages a groove extending on the inside of the sealing bellows (1) or is anchored in it, and the inside of the axial leg (9) is sealingly in contact with an opposite running surface.

Abstract: The invention relates to a bellows seal for pivot joints, wherein a first end of the bellows is tightly and rigidly connected to the joint housing. The second end of the bellow tightly and annularly surrounds a tappet and has a radial and sealing surface. Said surface is a front face divided into an inner concave ring surface and an outer concave ring surface. In relation to the axis of the bellow, the angle of inclination of the ring surfaces is approximately &agr;=70° for the external ring surface and approximately &bgr;=80° for the inner ring surface. The radial extension of the outer ring surface is approximately 12% in relation to the radius of the outer ring surface of the ring flange of the second end of the bellow.

Abstract: A sealing arrangement for a rotatable shaft guided through an opening and having a profiled surface section includes an elastic cuff mounted at the opening and surrounding the shaft. The cuff abuts the shaft through a supporting ring. An elastic sealing jacket is connected internally with the supporting ring, thereby mounting the elastic sealing jacket non-rotatably on the shaft. The supporting ring has an external cylindrical sliding surface on which the elastic cuff is mounted.

Abstract: An apparatus (10) includes a bearing (24) linking first and second vehicle parts (12, 14) for movement relative to each other, and a boot seal (30) protecting the bearing (24). The boot seal (30) is a tube of heat shrinkable thermoplastic material. The tube (30) has a first end portion (34) shrunken against the first vehicle part (12), a second end portion (42) shrunken against the second vehicle part (14), and a flexible intermediate portion (44) which is deflectable between the opposite end portions (34, 40) upon movement of the vehicle parts (12, 14) relative to each other.

Abstract: A ball-and-socket joint for motor vehicles is described which includes a housing (3), a bearing shell (4), which is inserted into the housing and accommodates a joint ball (1.3) of a ball pivot (1) exiting from the housing on at least one side movably in all directions. The ball pivot is provided with a connection contour (1.4) on the side opposite the joint ball. The ball-and-socket joint also includes a sealing element (2) in the form of bellows, which is sealingly in contact with the housing, on the one hand, and with a shoulder (1.5) of the ball pivot, on the other hand. A circular ring collar (1.1) provided with an undercut contour is made in one piece with the ball pivot (1). The sealing element (2) is inserted with its area (2.1) that is sealingly in contact with the ball pivot (1) into the annular space (1.2) formed by the undercut under elastic pretension.

Abstract: A grommet which is formed from a self-lubricating rubber, and can be fixed by means of a wire such as electric wires and an adhesive tape. The rubber grommet (10) is fixed to the electric wire (14) with the adhesive tapes (12, 12) and inserted into a through hole (22) penetrating through a partition (20) to provide sealing between the electric wire (14) and an inner wall of the through hole (22). Rubber forming the grommet (10) is a self-lubricating rubber containing an oily polyalkyl carbonate, which is represented by the following chemical formula: Ri—O—CO—O—[CH2CH2C(CH3)HCH2CH2—O—CO —O]n—Ri wherein n is an integer of 1 to 8, and Ri represents (i—C7H15).

Abstract: A boot arrangement is provided for use with a constant velocity joint and shaft assembly including a shaft, a first joint part slidably engageable with the shaft, and a second joint part cooperable with the first joint part to transmit torque therebetween. The boot arrangement includes a sleeve adapted to slidably engage the shaft and having first and second ends. The second end of the sleeve is adapted to be connected to the first joint part. The arrangement further includes a boot having a first end adapted to be connected to the sleeve proximate the first end of the sleeve, and a second end adapted to be operatively connected to the second joint part.

Abstract: An apparatus (10) includes a bearing (24) linking first and second vehicle parts (12, 14) for movement relative to each other, and a boot seal (30) protecting the bearing (24). The boot seal (30) is a tube of heat shrinkable thermoplastic material. The tube (30) has a first end portion (34) shrunken against the first vehicle part (12), a second end portion (42) shrunken against the second vehicle part (14), and a flexible intermediate portion (44) which is deflectable between the opposite end portions (34, 40) upon movement of the vehicle parts (12, 14) relative to each other.

Abstract: A bellows for encasing the connecting region of a tie bar of a motor vehicle is provided. The inner surface of the mounting collar is provided with projections that extend at an oblique angle to the axis of the mounting collar. Free spaces that remain next to and between the projections can be filled with a lubricant.

Abstract: A male coupling portion of a first split portion on one side of a split boot is coupled to a female coupling portion of a second split portion using a plurality of spaced male and female coupling portions. A worker can simply couple the split portions of split boot without using any machine while enhancing the coupling force of split faces.

Abstract: An interface seal between a gas flow line within a support surface for a pod and a flow valve mounted within the pod. The kinematic coupling between a pod and support surface aligns a pair of inlet and outlet valves on a bottom surface of the pod with a corresponding pair of inlet and outlet holes in the support surface, through which gas may be injected into and removed from the pod, respectively. The interface according to the various embodiments of the invention provides a durable seal substantially preventing leakage between the pod and support surface while at the same time being compatible with kinematic couplings. In embodiments of the invention, the seal is thin and flexible, and expands into engagement with the pod to establish the seal. This type of interface seal will not interfere with the proper seating of the pod on the kinematic pins.

Abstract: A ball joint (1) having a ball joint housing (2), a ball pivot (7) with a shaft (6) and a ball (5) connected to the shaft, the ball being pivotally mounted in a recess (3) of the ball joint housing, and an elastic seal between the shaft and the ball joint housing. The seal is a molded-on jacket (21) of an elastomer material which has been formed in situ on the shaft.

Abstract: A ball joint, which is composed of a ball pin, a retainer connected with the ball pin and an elastic joint seal having first and second apertures for covering the ball pin and the retainer. The ball joint is assembled very easily by pressing the ball pin against the second aperture of the joint seal which has been previously set on the retainer, at a predetermined relative speed higher than 20 cm/s after applying lubricant on the inner peripheral face of the second aperture of the joint seal.

Abstract: An automotive boot for use with a connection such as a constant velocity joint includes a separate boot and a separate bushing. The bushing has an internal configuration which is tri-lobed to contact the surface of one of the mechanical components encapsulated by the boot. The internal surface of the skirt of the boot and the corresponding external surface of the bushing each contain interlocking components, preferentially these are ribs and corresponding grooves. The bushing is slightly larger than the boot to produce an interference fit and the ribs are slightly radially longer than the grooves are deep to deform the ribs when received in the grooves, thereby retaining the bushing without tightening the typical hose clamp and providing an effective seal between the bushing and boot to retain lubricants within the boot in use.

Abstract: A housing member for an actuator assembly for adjusting the orientation of a mirror element in a mirror assembly provides integral weather seals and noise dampeners. The weather seals and noise dampeners are injection molded with or onto a base wall of the housing member to thereby form seals and dampeners that have superior adhesion or mechanical retention to the housing member and, therefore, are not subject to degradation from noise. In addition, the integral seals and dampeners reduce the time and cost of assembling and servicing the actuator assembly. The housing member includes a base wall, and a sidewall which connects to the base wall and extends around the perimeter of the base wall. The side wall includes connectors for securing the first housing to the second housing.

Abstract: A constant velocity universal joint has an outer part (1) with outer tracks (3), and an inner part (6) with inner tracks (10) which, together, each receive one of a plurality of balls (13). The ball is guided by a cage (14). The cage is guided on a guiding face (9) of the inner part (6) by a spherical guiding face (16). The outer part (1) is closed towards one side by a first attaching part (5). The other side is closed by a sealing boot (20) which is secured to the outer part (1) on the one hand and to a second attaching element (12) on the other hand. The second attaching element (12) is connected to the inner part (6) so as to be rotationally fixed. The inner part (6) is held and centered relative to the outer part (1) by the balls (13) and the cage (14) on the one hand and by a control element (18) arranged between the outer part (1) and the inner part (6) on the other hand.