A joint assembly for a motor vehicle. The joint includes an inner race, an outer race, a plurality of balls and a cage. The inner race is drivingly connected to a sleeve having an axially inboard portion, an intermediate portion and an axially outboard portion. Circumferentially extending from the intermediate portion of the sleeve is an abutment portion. At least a portion of the abutment portion is in direct contact with an end of the inner race. Axially outboard from the abutment portion is a stepped portion. A shaft is drivingly connected to an inner surface of a hollow interior portion of the axially outboard portion of the sleeve. A first end portion of a boot is connected to an outer surface of the outer race and a second end portion of the boot is connected to an outer surface of the axially outboard portion of the sleeve.

A forged composite inner race for a constant velocity joint is forged from a composite preform compact including a first powder metal material and a second powder metal material. The forged composite inner race includes a plurality of ball tracks formed on an outer section of the forged composite inner race with corresponding lands between adjacent ball tracks and an axially-extending splined opening formed in an inner section of the forged composite inner race. The outer section comprises the first powder metal material in a higher concentration than the second powder metal material and the inner section comprises the second powder metal material in a higher concentration than the first powder metal material.

A fixed type constant velocity universal joint includes an outer joint member having a cup shape, an inner joint member, which is received in the outer joint member, and transmits torque between the inner and outer joint members through intermediation of balls while allowing angular displacement, and a hollow shaft, which is coupled to the inner joint member so as to allow torque transmission. A threaded hole is formed in a bottom portion of the outer joint member along an axial direction. A recessed hole is formed to be open in a shaft end portion of the hollow shaft opposed to the threaded hole. An embedded stopper that enters the threaded hole is press-fitted into the recessed hole. The embedded stopper is retractable into the hollow shaft in a press-fitting direction.

A constant velocity universal joint has an outer joint member and an inner joint member that transmits torque while permitting angular displacement due to balls between the inner and outer joint members. An attaching and detaching mechanism for attaching and detaching a power transmission shaft to and from the inner joint member is provided between the inner joint member and the power transmission shaft such that torque can be transmitted between the two. The attaching and detaching mechanism has a cylindrical member that fits over the power transmission shaft, a retaining ring that is radially movable, and an annular member that is axially movable. By using a boot band to fixedly tighten, to the power transmission shaft, a small diameter end portion of a boot closing an opening portion of the outer joint member, the axial position of the annular member is restricted by the small diameter end portion.

Provided is a plunging type constant velocity universal joint (2) comprising an outer joint member (21), an inner joint member (22), eight balls (23), and a cage (24). A curvature center (O.sub.24b) of a spherical portion (24b) of an outer peripheral surface of the cage (24) and a curvature center (O.sub.24d) of a spherical portion (24d) of an inner peripheral surface of the cage (24) are offset to opposite sides in the axial direction with respect to a joint center (O(s)) by an equal distance. A ratio PCD.sub.BALL/D.sub.BALL of a pitch circle diameter PCD.sub.BALL of the balls (23) to a diameter D.sub.BALL of each of the balls (23) is set from 3.3 to 3.6. A ratio T.sub.I/D.sub.BALL of a radial thickness T.sub.I of the inner joint member (22) to the diameter D.sub.BALL of each of the balls (23) is set from 0.30 to 0.45.

A power transmission shaft includes: a bearing including a cylindrical portion, an internal spline portion, and an internal spline side annular groove including a bottom surface, and a first side wall and a second side wall, the first side wall which includes a first inclination surface inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the shaft portion, and on which the circlip is abutted in a state where a radius of the circlip is decreased within the internal spline side annular groove, and the second side wall on which the circlip is abutted in the state where the radius of the circlip is decreased within the internal spline side annular groove.

A constant velocity joint includes spherical rollers. At least parts of first inner bottom wall portions provided on an inner bottom wall surface of a cylindrical portion of the constant velocity joint are located in closer proximity to the side of an opening of the cylindrical portion than second inner bottom wall portions. When the spherical rollers are disposed at an innermost location inside the cylindrical portion and the axial directions of the spherical rollers are perpendicular to the axial direction of the cylindrical portion, at least parts of the first inner bottom wall portions abut against inner side outer circumferential surface portions of the spherical rollers, and the second inner bottom wall portions are separated away from outer side outer circumferential surface portions of the spherical rollers.

A universal joint (U-joint) assembly transmits torque from a drive component to a driven component across an articulating joint. The U-joint assembly includes male and female U-joint members, a central ball joint, and a retaining device configured to secure the assembly in an assembled configuration. The female U-joint member includes a cavity extending into a receptacle end thereof. The cavity terminates in a circular receptacle and includes four flat surfaces extending longitudinally therefrom at 90-degree intervals. The male U-joint member has a drive end with four multi-angled surfaces extending longitudinally from the drive end at 90-degree intervals about a periphery of the drive end. When in an assembled configuration, each of the multi-angled surfaces of the drive end of the male U-joint member opposes a corresponding one of the four flat surfaces of cavity of the female U-joint member. Other embodiments are also disclosed.

Constant-velocity slip ball joint at least having an outer joint part with an axis of rotation and with outer ball tracks, having an inner joint part with inner ball tracks, having a plurality of torque-transmitting balls, each guided in associated outer and inner ball tracks, and having a cage, which is provided with a plurality of cage windows, which accommodate in each case one or more of the balls; wherein the inner joint part can be displaced in relation to the outer joint part by a displacement distance along the axis of rotation; wherein at least a part of the outer ball tracks and at least a part of the inner ball tracks are at a track-helix angle in relation to the axis of rotation; wherein a floor of each ball track, along the displacement path is spaced apart from the axis of rotation by a respectively constant spacing along a radial direction; wherein a maximum angle of deflection of the inner joint part in relation to the outer joint part is predetermined by an outer contact surface of the cage establishing contact with a first contact surface of the outer joint part and/or by an inner contact surface of the cage establishing contact with a second contact surface of the inner joint part; wherein the cage has a center axis and the inner contact surface is conical; wherein the inner contact surface is at an opening angle of more than 0 degrees in relation to the center axis of the cage.

Machining ball tracks and guiding webs of an inner part for a constant velocity joint in a clamping arrangement includes mechanical machining of at least one first ball track in a first rotational position; rotating the articulated inner part into a second rotational position for machining at least one further ball track; wherein at least one guiding web is mechanically machined during the rotating of the inner joint part from the first rotational position into the second rotational position. A corresponding device is used for machining ball tracks and guiding webs of an inner joint part.