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 control arm assembly includes a control arm body and a socket assembly for connecting the control arm body with a vehicle frame. The socket assembly includes a housing with an inner bore which extends along a vertical axis between opposite open ends. A stud extends past the open ends and has an axially extending through passage. The stud has a pair of end portions on opposite sides of a ball portion that has a curved outer surface which is in sliding contact with a bearing surface for allowing the control arm body to pivot relative to the stud and the vehicle frame. The through passage is eccentrically located in a radial direction on the stud for translating the control arm body relative to the vehicle frame in response to rotation of the stud relative to the housing to adjust a camber angle of the wheel assembly.

A dust cover in which an improvement in sealing performance is achieved. A dust cover 100 used in a ball joint includes a seal main body made of an elastic body and integrally having a body portion 110, a fixed portion 130 that is provided on one end side of the body portion 110, and a seal portion 120 that is provided on the other end side of the body portion 110, and an annular auxiliary seal 150 made of resin and provided in the seal portion 120. The seal portion 120 includes an inner peripheral seal portion and a dust lip 122, and the auxiliary seal 150 includes an auxiliary inner peripheral seal portion 151, an auxiliary dust seal portion, and a supported portion 153 that is supported by a collar fixed to a shaft portion on an opposite side to the auxiliary dust seal portion in an axial direction.

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 ball joint dust cover is provided. The ball joint dust cover is made of a rubbery elastic material and is provided with a small diameter opening part with which a hard ring is formed. The hard ring is sandwiched by a retainer having a three-sided box shape. The retainer includes a plurality of gaskets contacting the hard ring.

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.

The invention relates to an umbilical termination assembly for terminating a cable or umbilical. The termination assembly comprises a plurality of umbilical elements extending from an umbilical and which pass through a bulkhead plate. The seated ball element has a spherical body through which an umbilical element passes. The ball element is seated in a cup member which allows the ball element to rotate through a large range of angles allowing it to be aligned with the umbilical element without the umbilical element needing to be manipulated or forced into position. The umbilical element can then be attached to the ball element which is supported by the cup member on the bulkhead. This allows the axial tension in the umbilical element to be transferred to the bulkhead.

A central joint device for chassis components (2), particularly three-point link, is suggested. The central joint device comprises at least one housing unit (3), at least one joint pin unit (4) which is movably supported at least partially inside of the housing unit (3), and at least one sensor unit (5), particularly a magnetic sensor unit, which is provided for contactless detection of roll motions and pitch motions of the housing unit (3) and of the joint pin unit (4) relative to one another. The sensor unit (5) comprises at least one encoder element (6) and at least one sensor element (7). The encoder element (6) and the sensor element (7) are arranged to be spaced apart from one another and movable relative to one another.

A ball joint (20) for a vehicle, in particular for an off-road vehicle. The ball joint (20) has a housing (21) and a ball stud (22) which is rotatably and pivotably mounted in the housing (21) and which, with a shaft (23), extends out of an opening of the housing (21). The housing opening is protected against unwanted penetration of dirt and/or moisture by f a seal bellows (25). The seal bellows (25) is surrounded in some areas by a bellows protection (30) in order to prevent damage to the seal bellows (25) due to mechanical influence.

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.