An articulated adjusting foot including a base plate having a receiving space on the side of the plate remote of the floor and which has the geometry of a partial ball, preferably with dimensions slightly exceeding a hemisphere, further having a threaded rod which has at its one end a partial ball that can be inserted into the receiving space. The partial ball of the threaded rod can be fittingly received in the receiving space. The threaded rod is a conventional screw bolt with hexagon head. The ball, which can be inserted into the receiving space, is formed of two parts, e.g., halves (half-shells), which can be inserted one into the other and which enclose the hexagon head in a torsionally rigid manner. The geometry of the partial balls of the threaded rod exceeds that of the receiving space axially in direction of the threaded shaft.

A ball joint is manufactured by molding a holder through casting by using a ball as a core and joining a shaft member to the ball after the casting through electric resistance welding. The ball joint includes: the ball; a resin sliding contact member including a first opening portion and a second opening portion that expose a spherical surface of the ball in opposite directions; the holder molded through the casting by using the ball and the resin sliding contact member as a core, the holder being obtained by integrally molding a closing portion that is held in contact with a part of the ball, which projects from the second opening portion of the resin sliding contact member; and the shaft member joined to another part of the ball, which is exposed from the first opening portion of the resin sliding contact member, through the electric resistance welding.

A rotatable ball joint is provided. The rotatable ball joint is adapted to enable an object to be rotatably assembled on a foot stand, where the foot stand includes a fixed hole. The rotatable ball joint includes a friction part, a shapeshifting sphere, and an assembly part. The shapeshifting sphere is adapted to be compressed from a first state to a second state. A size of the shapeshifting sphere in the first state is greater than a size of the fixed hole, and a size of the shapeshifting sphere in the second state is less than the size of the fixed hole. The shapeshifting sphere is adapted to be disposed in the fixed hole. The shapeshifting sphere is connected to the assembly part. The object is adapted to be assembled on the assembly part. The friction part is configured on an outer surface of the shapeshifting sphere. When the shapeshifting sphere is disposed in the fixed hole, the friction part is in contact with an inner wall surface of the fixed hole to temporarily maintain the rotatable ball joint at a specific angle relative to the foot stand. A universal ball joint assembly is further provided.

The ball socket assembly includes a housing with an open interior which extends along an axis. A bearing is disposed in the open interior of the housing and has a curved primary contact surface which surrounds the axis and surrounds a stud ball opening. A stud ball is disposed in the opening and is in sliding contact with the primary contact surface for allowing rotation of the stud ball relative to the bearing. The stud ball has an equator and is in sliding contact with the bearing on both sides of the equator. A stud is operably connected with the stud ball. A shoe is further provided and has a pair of supplemental contact surfaces that are biased against the stud ball. The shoe provides the stud with a predetermined rotational torque and also adjusts for wear in the assembly to maintain the performance of the socket assembly.

An inner half-ring of a spherical plain bearing has a spherical outer surface, a cylindrical inner surface, and a first flat front face and a second flat front face delimiting the half-ring in a circumferential direction. The first and second flat front faces extend between the outer surface and the inner surface, and a first central groove is formed in the first front face and extends between the outer surface and the inner surface.

A method for producing a ball joint (18) and/or a chassis component (19), in which a joint ball (1) is made, in which the joint ball (1) is placed in an injection-molding die, in which the joint ball (1) is partially overmolded with a plastic material, and in which the plastic material is hardened to form an injection-molded joint housing (2) for the joint ball (1). A joint housing (2) is formed using the joint ball without a joint pin (10), and the joint ball (1) has respective pole surfaces (3, 4) on two sides remote from one another.

A three-point suspension link has a housing supported by a ball joint so as to be rotatably and swivelably movable relative to an axle connection of the link. The link further has a captive securing arrangement functioning as a stop and extending perpendicular to the central axis of the axle connection so as to prevent a separation of the housing and axle connection in the event of failure of the ball joint. The captive securing arrangement extends perpendicular to the central axis of the axle connection operatively in two spatial directions. The three-point suspension link is formed as an axle guide link for guiding a rigid axle.

A joint assembly of an adapter defines a first longitudinal axis and includes first and second hinges, first and second rings, a joint cover, and a biasing mechanism. The joint cover has first and second cover portions. The first ring is pivotally coupled to the first hinge and the first cover portion is pivotally coupled to the first hinge to define a first joint center. The second ring is pivotally coupled to the second cover portion and the second hinge is pivotally coupled to the second ring to define a second joint center that is spaced from the first joint center. The first and second joint centers define a cover axis of the joint cover. The biasing mechanism is engaged with the first ring and the joint cover to bias the joint cover towards an aligned configuration in which the cover axis is aligned with the first longitudinal axis.

A joint assembly for use in transmitting torque comprises a ball and socket arrangement. The socket is comprised in a housing, and further comprises a key chamber with a substantially regular polygonal profile defining interior faces. The ball is provided on a ball stud component, and has a plurality of convexly curved facets. The ball is inserted in the socket with a plurality of keys, such that the keys are disposed between the ball facets and a corresponding interior face. Each key provides a bearing surface that mates with a corresponding facet, and a surface opposite the bearing surface to mate with the interior face. The sides of the key define a biconvex profile.

A rotary joint includes an inner joint element which has a spherically shaped inner convex joint face and an inner joint connection head protruding from the inner convex joint face; an outer joint element which has a spherically shaped inner concave joint face, a spherically shaped outer convex joint face and an outer joint connection head protruding from the outer convex joint face, wherein the inner joint element is held within the outer joint element such that the two joint elements can be rotated with respect to one another along the inner joint faces; and a joint bearing which has a spherically shaped outer concave joint face, wherein the outer joint element is held within the joint bearing such that the outer joint element can be rotated in the joint bearing along the outer joint faces.