Abstract: Provided are a method for determining the disposition position of a spherical joint for coupling exhaust pipes to each other in an exhaust system, and an exhaust system, which enable engine vibrations to be more effectively damped. In the present invention, strain gauges are attached at a plurality of locations in an exhaust system (1), simulated vibrations which simulate engine vibrations are imparted to the upstream-side end of the exhaust system (1), and bending strain is measured at each strain gauge. On the basis of the bending strain measured at each strain gauge, detected is a position at which generated is a bending moment that is equal to or greater than or equal to a torque amount which generates a maximum static friction force between a spherical inner-circumferential surface (26) and a spherical outer-circumferential surface (27) of a spherical joint (2) which come into contact with each other, and the detected position is determined to be the disposition position for the spherical joint (2).

Abstract: In a spherical annular seal member 38, a spherical annular base member 36 is constructed so as to be provided with structural integrity as a heat-resistant material 6 and a reinforcing member 5 are compressed to each other and intertwined with each other. In an outer layer 37, the heat-resistant material 6, a sintered solid lubricant constituted by a lubricating composition, and the reinforcing member 5 made from a metal wire net are compressed such that the sintered solid lubricant and the heat-resistant material 6 are filled in meshes of the metal wire net of the reinforcing member 5, and the solid lubricant, the heat-resistant material 6, and the reinforcing member 5 are integrated in mixed form, an outer surface 39 of that outer layer 37 being thus formed into a smooth surface 42 in which a surface 40 constituted by the reinforcing member 5 and a surface 41 constituted by the sintered solid lubricant are present in mixed form.

Abstract: A rack guide for a rack and pinion steering device, a rack and pinion steering device, and a manufacturing method for a rack guide for a rack and pinion steering device have a simple configuration with a close contact property being kept between a rack guide and a rack guide base member to ensure quietness. A rack guide for a rack and pinion steering device includes: a casing; a pinion to be slidably supported by the casing; a rack bar having a rack tooth meshed with the pinion; a rack guide including an abutment portion to which the rack bar is to be slidably abutted and a recessed portion, which is continued to the abutment portion, to be spaced from the rack bar; a rack guide base member for receiving the rack guide; and an urging unit to urge the rack guide against the rack bar through the rack guide base member.

Abstract: A rack guide for a rack and pinion steering device, a rack and pinion steering device and a manufacturing method for a rack guide for a rack and pinion steering device, has a simple configuration with a close contact property being kept between a rack guide and a rack guide base member to ensure quietness. A rack guide for a rack and pinion steering device includes: a casing; a pinion to be slidably supported by said casing; a rack bar having a rack tooth meshed with said pinion; a rack guide including an abutment portion to which said rack bar is to be slidably abutted and a recessed portion, which is continued to said abutment portion, to be spaced from said rack bar; a rack guide base member for receiving said rack guide; and urging means for urging said rack guide against said rack bar through said rack guide base member.

Abstract: A synthetic resin-made sliding bearing 1 include a synthetic resin-made upper casing 2, a synthetic resin-made lower casing 3, and a thrust sliding bearing piece 4 serving as a synthetic resin-made thrust sliding bearing interposed between the lower casing 3 and the upper casing 2 fitted over the lower casing 3.

Abstract: A rack guide for a rack and pinion steering device, a rack and pinion steering device and a manufacturing method for a rack guide for a rack and pinion steering device, has a simple configuration with a close contact property being kept between a rack guide and a rack guide base member to ensure quietness. A rack guide for a rack and pinion steering device includes: a casing; a pinion to be slidably supported by said casing; a rack bar having a rack tooth meshed with said pinion; a rack guide including an abutment portion to which said rack bar is to be slidably abutted and a recessed portion, which is continued to said abutment portion, to be spaced from said rack bar; a rack guide base member for receiving said rack guide; and urging means for urging said rack guide against said rack bar through said rack guide base member.

Abstract: A thrust sliding bearing reduces the number of components to thereby reduce the burden of assembly and components management and prevents unusual wear of a surface of an annular synthetic resin-made sliding bearing piece, which faces an annular metal plate. A thrust sliding bearing comprises an upper case which is integrally formed at least by an annular upper case base having an annular bottom surface and by an upper case cylindrical portion which is provided vertically from the annular bottom surface of the upper case base to be fitted in a lower case, wherein a synthetic resin-made sliding bearing piece is fixed to the inner side of the upper case cylindrical portion.

Abstract: Provided is a thrust sliding bearing which, while allowing a shaft member to smoothly rotate, can support for a long period of time a thrust load acting on the shaft member. A thrust sliding bearing comprises: an upper case (2) mounted to an upper support for mounting a strut-type suspension to a vehicle body; a lower case (3) mounted to an upper spring seat for supporting the upper end of the coil spring of the strut-type suspension, the lower case (3) being combined with the upper case (2) to form an annular space (5); and an annular center plate (4) disposed in the annular space (5) and enables the relative rotation between the upper case (2) and the lower case (3). The annular space (5) is filled with lubricating grease.

Abstract: A thrust sliding bearing 1 includes: a synthetic resin-made upper casing 3 which has a vehicle body-side seat surface 10 for a mounting member 8 on a vehicle body side and an annular lower surface 2; a synthetic resin-made lower casing 5 on which an annular upper surface 4 opposed to the annular lower surface 2 and a spring seat surface 25 for a suspension coil spring 7 are integrally formed, and which is superposed on the upper casing 3 so as to be rotatable about an axis O of the upper casing 3 in an R direction; and a synthetic resin-made thrust sliding bearing piece 6 which is disposed in an annular gap 9 between the annular lower surface 2 and the annular upper surface 4, and has an annular thrust sliding bearing surface 51 which slidably abuts against at least one of the annular lower surface 2 and the annular upper surface 4.

Abstract: A slide bearing which can be manufactured at low cost is provided. The slide bearing (1) is provided with a cylindrical bearing main body (2) into which a shaft member is inserted, and an elastic ring (3) for urging the bearing main body (2) diametrically inward, the elastic ring (3) being mounted to the bearing main body (2).

Abstract: A seismic base isolation support apparatus 1 comprising: a laminated body 4 having elastic layers 2 and rigid layers 3 which are alternately laminated; a lead plug 7 which is disposed in a hollow portion 6 of the laminated body 4; and a thermal conductor 9 which is disposed between an outer peripheral surface 8 of the lead plug 7 and an inner peripheral surface 5.

Abstract: A shaft coupling mechanism 1 for an electric power steering apparatus includes a coupling base body 3 coupled to a rotating shaft 2; a coupling base body 5 coupled to a rotating shaft 4; a rotation transmitting member 8 constituted by a pair of rigid rotation transmitting members 6 and 7 disposed between the rotating shaft 2 and the rotating shaft 4 through both coupling base bodies 3 and 5 and adapted to transmit the rotation of the rotating shaft 2 in an R direction about an axis O to the rotating shaft 4; an elastic member 9 interposed between the rotation transmitting members 6 and 7 and coupled to the rotation transmitting members 6 and 7 in such a manner as to be axially superposed on the rotation transmitting members 6 and 7; and a coupling means 10 for coupling the pair of rotation transmitting members 6 and 7 to each other.

Abstract: A bearing bush 1 for use in a toggle has a cylindrical metallic base material 2 and a solid lubricant 3 embedded in the metallic base material 2, and the metallic base material 2 has dead end grooves 5 formed in a cylindrical inner peripheral surface 4, an annular groove 6 formed in the cylindrical inner peripheral surface 4, and circular holes 7a and 7b as well as 7c and 7d formed in each of a pair of semicylindrical inner peripheral surfaces 4a and 4b adjacent to each other in an axial direction X and two pairs of semicylindrical inner peripheral surfaces 4c and 4d sandwiching the pair of semicylindrical inner peripheral surfaces 4a and 4b in a circumferential direction R and adjacent to each other in the axial direction X in each pair.

Abstract: A base isolation supporting device 1 includes a support 8 which is adapted to be affixed to an outer casing 4 of a fixture 3 to be supported on a floor 2, so as to receive the load, acting in a vertical direction V, of the fixture 3, and which has a cross-sectionally circular arc-shaped convex outer surface 7; and a rotating body 13 which, at a cross-sectionally circular arc-shaped outer surface 9 thereof, is adapted to be brought into contact with the cross-sectionally circular arc-shaped convex outer surface 7 of the support 8 slidably and rotatably in an R direction about a center O1, while, at a cross-sectionally circular arc-shaped convex outer surface 11 thereof, coming into contact with a flat surface 10 of the floor 2 rollably about the center O1, so as to receive together with the support 8 the load, acting in the vertical direction V, of the fixture 3 via the support 8.

Abstract: A synthetic resin-made sliding bearing 1 include a synthetic resin-made upper casing 2, a synthetic resin-made lower casing 3, and a thrust sliding bearing piece 4 serving as a synthetic resin-made thrust sliding bearing interposed between the lower casing 3 and the upper casing 2 fitted over the lower casing 3.

Abstract: A sliding bearing 4 includes a bearing base portion 9 having a notched portion 8, a bearing portion 12 having an outer peripheral surface 10 adapted to be brought into contact with an inner peripheral surface 3 of a gear case 2, a pair of bearing portions 14 sandwiching the bearing portion 12 through each of a pair of slits 13 in a direction R about an axis O, and a pair of circular arc portions 17 sandwiching the pair of bearing portions 14 through each of a pair of slits 15 in the direction R about the axis.

Abstract: A spherical annular seal member 38 is used in an exhaust pipe joint and includes a spherical annular base member 36 defined by a cylindrical inner surface 32, a partially convex spherical surface 33, large- and small-diameter side annular end faces 34 and 35 of the partially convex spherical surface 33, and an outer layer 37 formed integrally on the partially convex spherical surface 33 of the spherical annular base member 36. The spherical annular base member 36 includes a reinforcing member made from a metal wire net 5 and a heat-resistant material containing expanded graphite filling meshes of the metal wire net 5 of this reinforcing member and compressed in such a manner as to be formed integrally with this reinforcing member in mixed form. In the outer layer 37, the reinforcing member, the heat-resistant material, and the solid lubricant are integrated in mixed form.

Abstract: A bush bearing 7 includes a synthetic resin-made bush 17 having a circumferential groove 16 on an outer peripheral surface 15 thereof; an endless annular elastic member 18 fitted in the circumferential groove 16 of the bush 17; and a positioning means 19 for determining the position of the bush 17 in a B direction with respect to an inner peripheral surface 12 of a gear housing 6.

Abstract: Provided are: a solid lubricant having a low friction coefficient and excellent abrasion resistance; and a sliding member having this solid lubricant embedded therein. The solid lubricant (4) has a sea-island structure, comprising: a sea phase as a continuous phase, containing a hydrocarbon-based wax and a polyethylene resin; and an island phase as a dispersion phase, containing a low-molecular weight tetrafluoroethylene resin, a higher fatty acid salt, a phosphate of basic nitrogen-containing compound, and zinc stannate. A high-molecular weight tetrafluoroethylene resin is contained in this continuous-phase sea phase in a fibrous and mesh state. The hydrocarbon-based wax content is 30-60 vol %, the polyethylene resin content is 3-10 vol %, the low-molecular weight tetrafluoroethylene resin content is 10-30% vol %, the higher fatty acid salt content is 20-40% vol %, the basic nitrogen-containing compound phosphate content is 0.5-5 vol %, the zinc stannate content is 0.

Abstract: A laminated sliding member 1 includes a base body 4 having one flat surface 3 which is circular in a plan view and a solid lubricant layer 5 adhered to the flat surface 3 of the base body 4 and having a sliding surface 2 which is circular in a plan view.