A universal socket includes a barrel seat, a resilient member and a rotating component. The barrel seat has an inner wall surface having four receiving surface portions, and four linking surface portions each connected between two adjacent ones of the receiving surface portions and having two flat surface segments. The rotating portion is retained in the barrel seat, and has four corner surfaces corresponding in position to the receiving surface portions, respectively, and four contacting surfaces each connected between two adjacent ones of the corner surfaces and biased by the resilient member to abut against one of the flat surface segments.

An automotive component having an opening through which a ball joint extends, the ball joint comprising: a housing having an exterior substantially cylindrical surface, a seating surface radially extending from the exterior surface for abutting an adjacent first side of the automotive component, and a peripheral groove disposed in the exterior surface spaced axially from the seating surface a predetermined distance; a ball stud having a ball end mounted within the housing and a shank extending axially out of a crown of the housing; a flexible boot having an distal end sealingly engaged on the shank and an opposing proximal base end, the base end including a metal base ring with an inwardly extending flexible detent engaged in the peripheral groove in the housing and a base seal sealing engaged on the exterior surface, the base ring having a radially extending abutment surface for retaining an adjacent second side of the automotive component, and wherein the automotive component is selected from the group consisting of: a control arm; a stabilizer link; a stabilizer bar; and a steering linkage.

A stabilizer for a chassis of a vehicle, having a curved stabilizer body (2) that forms a torsion spring, with a pendulum support (5, 6) and with a connecting section (7, 8, 46, 48), the connecting section (7, 8, 46, 48) is made of a metal and connects the stabilizer body (2) to the pendulum support (5, 6). The connecting section (7, 8, 46, 48) and the stabilizer body (2) are connected to one another by a snap-in and/or latch joint. To reduce assembly effort and expense and, at the same time, to join the stabilizer body (2) to the pendulum support (5, 6) in a secure manner, the stabilizer (1) and the pendulum support (5, 6) are characterized in that the connecting section has an opening (22) in which a plastic bearing shell (11) is arranged for fitting of a joint ball (23) of the pendulum support (5, 6).

The present application discloses a ball joint that consists of a ball that may expand or contract, and a coupling that may expand or contract in order to lock the ball joint and prevent rotational movement. In the basic structure, the ball and the coupling may have an internal passageway that allows for a pressurized or depressurized member to pass through. The ball joint allows for a fixed condition that resists rotation under one pressure condition, and various degrees of rotation under a different pressure condition.

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 turbocharger for a combustion engine has an adjusting device for matching its operating behavior to the operating behavior of the combustion engine, an actuating actuator, and a transmission element. The transmission element is coupled between the actuating actuator and the adjusting device. The transmission element has a one-part component body, which in each case extends from a first coupling point to a second coupling point along a longitudinal axis and, in each of its end regions, has a coupling element for coupling to the actuating actuator and to the adjusting device. The respective coupling element is designed as an integral part of the component body in the form of a ball receptacle of a ball joint connection in the component body.

An apparatus and a method are provided for an offset tie rod joint for vehicle steering systems. The offset tie rod joint comprises a ball rotatably retained within a casing that is disposed in an opening of an offset housing. A threaded shank fixedly coupled with the offset housing is received by a steering rod. The opening is displaced from a longitudinal axis of the threaded shank by a distance that provides clearance between the offset housing and a spindle assembly during articulation of the spindle assembly during steering. A rear backstop and a front snap-ring in a groove retain the casing within the opening. A bore extending through the ball receives a bolt that fixates the ball between parallel prongs of the spindle assembly. A misalignment spacer on each side of the ball provides clearance for rotation of the ball within the offset housing.

A universal socket structure includes a female seat, a joint member, at least one engaging member, and an elastic member. A coupling end the female seat is recessed to form an accommodating trough. Two opposite sides of the accommodating trough are formed with grooves extending along an axial direction of the female seat. The female seat has at least one coupling portion. The joint member has one end formed with a spherical head. Two opposite sides of the spherical head has protrusions protruding from an outer periphery of the spherical head. The spherical head is accommodated in the accommodating trough. The protrusions are accommodated in the grooves. The engaging member is disposed in the coupling portion and movable from the coupling portion toward the accommodating trough. The elastic member is disposed in the accommodating trough for pushing and supporting the spherical head to engage with the engaging member.

A ball joint including a ball stud which has a spherical portion, two bearing shells that are arranged on the spherical portion such that there is a small gap between the two bearing shells, and a housing that is made from plastic in one piece and encloses the two bearing shells such that the two bearing shells are urged against the spherical portion by the housing.

A ball joint and a dust cover in which a stable sealing function can be provided even when a space for disposing the dust cover is small are provided. The dust cover includes a deformable body portion, a fixed portion which is provided on one end side of the body portion and is fixed to a socket, and a seal portion provided on the other end side of the body portion. The seal portion has a main seal part which is provided to be slidable relative to a spherical portion side flange and an opposite side flange while sandwiched therebetween. The maximum length of the main seal part in a central axis direction in a state in which no external force is applied thereto is longer than a distance between opposing surfaces of the spherical portion side flange and the opposite side flange, where the central axis direction is a direction in which a central axis of the dust cover extends in a state in which no external force is applied thereto.