A universal joint for vehicle drivetrains and the like that eliminates the spinning of bearing caps relative to yoke years and trunnions and inhibits inadvertent spreading of opposing ears of a yoke away from each other under increasing torsional loads to reduce wear and failure of the joint. Broadly, the disclosed universal joint includes a central body having a plurality of pairs of opposite apertures, first and second yokes that are disposed about the central body over respective ones of the pairs of apertures, and a plurality of trunnions inserted through the yoke ears and into the apertures of the body to pivotally secure the yokes to the body. Each trunnion is non-rotatable relative to its respective yoke and a locking assembly inhibits movement of each opposite pair of trunnions away from each other thereby inhibiting movement of the opposite ears of each respective yoke away from each other.

An assembly apparatus includes backup jigs, a press-fitting and caulking part, and an expansion part. The backup jigs is configured to back up arms of a yoke of the cross shaft universal joint from inside in an axial direction. The press-fitting and caulking part is configured to press-fit cup bearings from outside in the axial direction between bearing holes of the arms and a shaft portion of a cross shaft, and configured to caulk the cup bearings. The expansion part is configured to push a wedge body between the backup jigs and to expand the arms outward via the backup jigs. The press-fitting and caulking part is configured to press-fit the cup bearings and to caulk the cup bearings in a state in which the arms are expanded. The expansion part is configured to release an expansion of the arms after the press-fitting and caulking of the cup bearings.

A joint assembly for use in a vehicle. The joint assembly includes a first joint member drivingly connected to a second joint member by one or more third joint members. The joint assembly further includes one or more bearing cup assemblies having a bearing cup, one or more bearings and one or more sealing members. The bearing cup has a receiving portion having a size and shape to receive and/or retain at least a portion of one or more trunnions extending from a body portion of the one or more third joint members. At least a portion of the one or more bearings are interposed between the one or more trunnions and one or more side surfaces of the receiving portion. Additionally, the one or more sealing members may be connected to and/or sealingly engaged with at least a portion of the outer surface of the one or more trunnions.

A seal for sealing between a trunnion and bearing cup of a joint member includes a main annular body. A plurality of annular lips extend radially inwardly from the main body. The lips are configured for engaging an outer bearing surface of the trunnion. A first one and a second one of the lips slope in a first direction with respect to the outer bearing surface of the trunnion and a third one of the lips slope in a second direction with respect to the outer bearing surface of the trunnion.

An implementation of the constant velocity (CV) joint may include a drive shaft and a housing. The drive shaft may include a first axis and a plurality of drive shaft lugs on a circumference of the drive shaft. Each of the plurality of drive shaft lugs may include a first surface having a first arcuate cross-section curved about a second axis and a second surface having a second arcuate cross-section that is curved about a third axis. The housing may include a third surface that is configured to contact the first surface to receive a rotational force from the drive shaft. The lug may define an elongate slit along a length of the lug.

A sealed universal joint bearing includes a pot-shaped component having a disk-shaped base and a cylindrical wall projecting from a periphery of the base, and an inner surface of the base and an inner surface of the cylindrical wall define an interior of the pot-shaped body. At least one row of rolling elements are configured to roll along the inner surface of the cylindrical wall. A flange in the interior of the pot-shaped component has a flange surface against which end sides of the rolling elements are configured to slip during bearing operation, and the flange surface includes at least one formation configured to reduce a contact area between the flange surface and the end sides of the rolling elements.

A universal joint bearing having a cup that serves as an outer ring of the universal joint bearing. The universal joint bearing includes exactly one sealing ring that is provided for sealing a gap between the cup and a trunnion.

A structural unit for assembly to a trunnion of a universal joint bearing providing a cup, a sealing ring, which is fixed to the cup, and a shield, which is connected to the cup in a state in which the structural unit is not assembled to the trunnion. The cup includes a bottom and the sealing ring provides at least one sealing lip that points in a direction with an axial component towards the bottom.

A universal joint contains a first joint yoke and a second joint yoke. The first joint yoke and the second joint yoke are connected by a journal cross, ends of the journal cross being mounted in the joint yokes by bearings. In order to lubricate at least one of the bearings, at least one lubricant feed-through is provided, which is provided outside of a central bore of the journal cross.

A method of manufacturing a universal joint includes: temporarily assembling a bearing, which supports a shaft portion of a joint spider such that the shaft portion is rotatable, with respect to a through-hole and the shaft portion by press-fitting the bearing to a first position in the through-hole of a yoke; and clinching, after the bearing is temporarily assembled, a portion of the yoke around the through-hole, and pressing the bearing deeper into the through-hole with a clinched portion formed by the clinching to press-fit the bearing to a second position located deeper than the first position in the through-hole.