A ball joint (100) to be fitted to a knuckle (200) is provided wherein, a shaft section (11) has an annular projection (11a), a dust cover (30) has a seal main body which is made of an elastic body and which integrally includes: a body section (31); a fixed section (32) which is provided in the body section (31) on one end side; and an inner circumferential seal section (33) and a dust seal section (34) which are provided in the body section (31) on another end side, and the ball joint (100) is provided with a positioning member (40) which is mounted to the shaft section (11) in advance before the ball joint (100) is fitted to the knuckle (200) and which positions an end of the dust cover (30) on the other end side with respect to the shaft section (11) so that the inner circumferential seal section (33) is positioned at an opposite side of the spherical section (12) across the annular projection (11a).

A constant volume flexible joint system includes a flexible membrane for coupling across a joint and spaced radial support ribs fitted to the membrane. Axial support structures are coupled to the spaced radial support ribs preventing axial deformation of the joint due to a differential pressure. The axial support structure preferably include pivoting sockets and blocks enabling the joint to flex and the flexible membrane to contract on the inside of a bend and expand by an equal or near equal amount on the outside of the bend resulting in a constant volume joint that requires low or no torque throughout the bending motion.

A bellows system includes a first bellows segment having a first end and a second end, the first bellows segment configured to elastically compress and expand. A first plate is coupled to the second end of the first bellows segment and a first sleeve is concentric with the first bellows segment, the first bellows segment disposed within the first sleeve. A second bellows segment has a third end and a fourth end. The second bellows segment is configured to elastically compress and expand, and the third end of the second bellows segment is coupled to the first plate. A second sleeve is coupled to the first plate. The second sleeve is concentric with the second bellows segment and the first sleeve, and the second bellows segment is disposed within the second sleeve. The second sleeve is configured to travel within the first sleeve.

An accumulator includes a bellows having a plurality of outer ridge portions and a plurality of inner annular ridge portions and configured to be capable of expanding and contracting, and a housing having a fluid supply port and fixed to one end of the bellows serving as a fixed end. An interior of the housing is partitioned in a sealed state into an inside and an outside of the bellows. The outer annular ridge portions are divided into at least a first sector and a second sector which are distributed in an expansion and contraction direction of the bellows such that the second sector is positioned between the first sector and the fixed end. The outer annular ridge portions included in the first sector have an outer diameter smaller than an outer diameter of the outer annular ridge portions included in the second sector.

A gimbal assembly for a flexible conduit configured to convey a medium is disclosed herein. The gimbal assembly includes a first component including a first plurality of struts that terminate in a first socket defining a first cavity of a first geometric configuration. The gimbal assembly also includes a second component including a second plurality of struts that terminate in a second socket defining a second cavity of a second geometric configuration. A joint fastener is configured to couple the first socket to the second socket. The joint fastener includes a first portion that geometrically corresponds to the first cavity and a second portion that geometrically corresponds to the second cavity. The first portion is configured to be immovably seated within the first cavity, and the second portion is configured to be movably retained by the second socket such that the first component can rotate relative to the second component.

A reciprocating pump includes a housing, a rod, and a bellows. The housing surrounds a bellows chamber and a displacement chamber. A portion of the rod extends through the opening in the endcap and into the bellows chamber of the housing. A cross-section of the rod includes a lobed shape. The bellows is connected to the housing and to the rod such that the bellows surrounds a portion of the rod.

A bushing assembly for a variable stiffness joint assembly includes a bushing body. The bushing body is disposed about a shaft assembly. The bushing body has an inner bushing surface, an outer bushing surface that is spaced apart from the inner bushing surface, a first bushing face that extends between a first end of the inner bushing surface and a first end of the outer bushing surface, and a second bushing face that extends between a second end of the inner bushing surface and a second end the outer bushing surface.

A support structure for a bellows attached to a slide table, and which is capable of expanding and contracting in a movement direction of the slide table, includes support members that support the bellows, shafts disposed substantially in parallel with the movement direction of the slide table, and bushes that support the support member so as to be capable of moving in the movement direction of the slide table with respect to the shafts. Fluid bearings are formed by supplying a fluid between the bushes and the shafts.

A gas seal structure includes: a first member with a first flow path where seal gas flows; a second member that is disposed to face the first member and includes a second flow path where the seal gas flowing from the first flow path flows toward a predetermined seal surface; and a communicating pipe disposed across the first and second flow paths. The communicating pipe includes: a first pipe end and a first seal member that are held within the first flow path, a second pipe end and a second seal member that are held within the second flow path, and a flexible pipe that connects the first pipe end and the second pipe end. A rigidity of the flexible pipe end is lower than a rigidity of each of the first pipe end and the second pipe end.

A pneumatic spring for a running gear of a motor vehicle, including a pneumatic spring cover and a pneumatic spring piston, wherein a pneumatic spring bellows composed of elastomer material is braced in air-tight fashion between the pneumatic spring cover and the pneumatic spring piston, wherein the pneumatic spring bellows is at least partially surrounded by a sleeve-like outer guide, wherein a corrugated bellows surrounds the pneumatic spring bellows and the outer guide, and wherein, between the outer guide and the corrugated bellows, there is provided a separately formed, air-permeable fastener by which the corrugated bellows is fixed to the outer guide.