The socket assembly includes a housing with an inner bore that extends from a wall at a closed end to an open end. A ball stud is received in the inner bore, and a shank portion of the ball stud projects out through the open end. A backing bearing is movably disposed in the inner bore. The backing bearing presents a bearing surface which is in sliding contact with a ball portion of the ball stud. An exit bearing is locked into a fixed position within the inner bore and has another bearing surface which is in sliding contact with the ball portion. A spring is positioned between the wall and the backing bearing and imparts a preload force against the backing bearing. The wall is deformed to preload the spring against the backing bearing and reduce clearances between components in the socket assembly.

The socket assembly has a housing with an inner bore which extends from a first end to a second end. A ball portion of a ball stud is received in the inner bore. A backing bearing is disposed in the inner bore and presents a curved bearing surface in surface-to-surface contact with the ball portion. A first spring biases the backing bearing against the ball portion. The socket assembly also includes an exit bearing with a cylindrical portion that is in contact with an equator of the ball portion and a semi-spherical portion that is in surface-to-surface contact with an opposite hemisphere from the first bearing surface. A second spring biases the exit bearing into a predetermined location established by the housing. The exit bearing is movable from the predetermined location in a direction towards the second end of the housing against a biasing force of the second spring.

A ball joint for a chassis component in the form of a two-point linkage. The ball joint includes a housing and a ball stud fitted and able to be deflected in the housing, as well as a sealing element arranged between the housing and the ball stud, which surrounds the ball stud all round. Deflection movement of the ball stud, relative to the housing, is restricted at least in some areas by the sealing element. The sealing element is attached to the housing by an interlocked connection. The sealing element of the ball joint is attached to the housing by a snap-on connection. A two-point linkage having such a ball joint, and the two-point linkage is a steering rod or a track rod.

A sealing comprises a seal portion and a plate portion fixed to the seal portion. The seal portion can have an undulating configuration of at least one peak and at least one valley, and the plate portion can circumferentially surround the seal portion. The seal portion can be made of a first material and the plate portion can be made of a second material more rigid than the first material. The seal portion can have a radially inward facing contact surface that defines a central opening of the sealing.

This assembly includes a ball joint assembled in a casing, and receiving an axle capable of sliding and/or rotating therein. The ball joint is formed from the winding of a fabric of small thickness ranging between 20 μm and 150 μm and mixed with a resin comprising fillers. The fabric has the form of strips having a width ranging between 5 mm and 200 mm; the strips being crossed in several layers.

The movable joint assembly includes a housing which extends along an axis and has an outer surface and an open interior. A ball stud is partially disposed in the open interior and projects out of the housing. A flexible and elastic boot is sealed against the outer surface of the housing and against the ball stud. A metal insert is at least partially embedded within the boot adjacent an end of the boot for resisting pull out of the boot from the housing. The boot includes a lip which is at least partially spaced axially from the insert and extends radially inwardly and is in an interference fit engagement with the outer surface of the housing for establishing a fluid tight seal of the housing and for maintaining the fluid tight seal in response to injection of a lubricant into the open interior of the housing.

A ball joint has a bushing with a defined housing space sized to receive ball joint components. The ball joint further has a cage member having an exterior surface that fits within the housing recess and an interior surface with a pattern of raised and recessed portions, and a cup member over-molded on the cage member component. The cup member complements the interior surface pattern of the cage member and includes an interior surface having a circular configuration. The ball joint also has a stem having a ball portion dimensioned to fit within and complement the interior surface of the cup member.

The improved dust boot includes a dust boot body which is made as one integral piece of an elastomeric material and extends from a first end portion to a second end portion. The second end portion of the dust boot body includes a first sealing portion and a second sealing portion which is spaced from the first sealing portion. The first sealing portion includes a plurality of ribs that are spaced circumferentially from one another by a plurality of grooves and includes a plurality of relief valves that are located in the grooves and extend away from the first end portion for allowing a lubricant to pass the first sealing portion in one direction and for restricting the passage of contaminants past the sealing portion in an opposite direction.

The socket assembly includes a housing with an inner bore that extends from a closed end to an open end. A ball portion of a ball stud is received in the inner bore. A shank portion projects through the open end. A backing bearing is disposed in the inner bore and is movable in a radial direction relative to the housing. The backing bearing presents a first bearing surface which is in sliding contact with the ball portion. A radial ring with an annular shape is also disposed in the inner bore of the housing and presents a second bearing surface which is in sliding contact with an equator of the ball portion. An exit bearing is in the inner bore, and the exit bearing has a curved third bearing surface that is in sliding contact with an opposite hemisphere of the ball portion from the first bearing surface.

A damping bearing (20) including an inner ball portion (34) attached to an end of a support shaft (32), and an outer collar portion (30) attached to a housing (22) for rotation of the housing relative to the support shaft about a center point. A chamber (28) for a damping fluid such as grease is defined by clearance between the end of the shaft and the housing. The fluid chamber has opposed bounding surfaces (29, 37) that are non-spherical about the center of rotation so that the chamber changes shape upon rotation of the bearing, thus shifting damping fluid across the chamber. The chamber may be a flat cylindrical void normal to a centerline (33) of the shaft. It may provide only enough clearance for less than ±10 of relative rotation between the housing and shaft. A set-screw (26) may pressurize the fluid in the chamber.