A tripot housing includes a housing body that extends between a first housing end and a second housing end along a longitudinal central axis. The housing body defines a guide channel that extends from the first housing end toward the second housing end. The guide channel has a first wall, a second wall, and a third wall that extends between the first wall and the second wall. An elliptical contact surface area transitions the first wall with the third wall and the second wall with the third wall, with the elliptical contact surface areas being configured for engagement with an outer roller of a roller assembly to inhibit a locking condition.

A vehicle output shaft includes a torque transmission shaft, a drive-side end which is connected to a differential by way of a differential-side joint, and an output-side end which is connected to a driven wheel of the motor vehicle by way of a wheel-side joint, as well as at least one torsional vibration damper. The torsional vibration damper is arranged in a series circuit between the torque transmission shaft and at least one of the joints.

An inner member of a constant velocity joint includes holding portions that hold roller assemblies. Each of the holding portions includes a first orthogonal part and a second orthogonal part brought into contact with an inner roller of the roller assembly. When first and second transmission shafts are coaxially disposed, top parts of the first and second orthogonal parts are brought into contact with the inner circumferential wall of the inner roller. The first and second orthogonal parts are each sectioned into a first curved surface extending from the proximal end of the holding portion to the top part and a second curved surface extending from the top part to the distal end of the holding portion. The curvature radius of the second curved surfaces is larger than the curvature radius of the first curved surfaces.

A joint assembly (200) comprising a first joint member (232) that is drivingly connected to a second joint member (272) by one or more torque transfer elements (290). Drivingly connected to at least a portion of the second joint member (312) is a stub shaft (292). An end of the stub shaft, opposite the second joint member, is drivingly connected to at least a portion of a second shaft. At least a portion of a second end portion of a first shaft (202) is drivingly connected to at least a portion of a first end portion of the first joint member (232) and at least a portion of a first end portion of the first shaft has a gear member (210) with a plurality of gear teeth thereon.

A constant velocity joint and flexible boot assembly. The constant velocity joint includes an outer race having a first end portion and a second end portion. The first end portion of the outer race is connected to a first shaft. A second end portion of a flexible boot includes an attachment portion having a groove circumferentially extending along at least a portion of an outer surface of the attachment portion. The attachment portion of the flexible boot is connected to an outer surface of a second shaft. A retaining member has a first and second boot retention leg extending radially inward from at least a portion of an inner surface of the retaining member. At least a portion of the first leg is disposed within the groove and at least a portion of the second leg is disposed axially outboard from a second end of the flexible boot.

An object is to provide a constant velocity universal joint boot that can improve resistance to fatigue failure and achieve further extension of service life even if a constant velocity universal joint swings at a large operating angle. To achieve this object, a constant velocity universal joint boot is adopted, in which a large-diameter annular portion mounted on a mating member whose outer circumferential surface is formed into a non-circular shape, and at least a part of the inner circumferential surface of the large-diameter annular portion formed into a non-circular shape, and the large-diameter annular portion, a boot bellows portion, and a small-diameter annular portion attached to a shaft are integrated, and an annular recess is provided in that part of the inner circumferential surface of the large-diameter annular portion which is adjacent to the bellows.

A tripod constant-velocity joint including: an inner ring; three trunnions protruding from the inner ring; three roller units supported by the trunnions; and an outer ring storing the roller units. Each roller unit includes: an inner roller that is in contact with a convex outer-circumferential surface of the corresponding trunnion at a tangent point; an outer roller supported by the inner roller through rolling elements that are interposed between the inner and outer rollers; and a limiting portion protruding from the outer roller, so as to limit movements of the rolling elements and the inner roller. A clearance between the inner roller and the limiting portion is smaller than an axial length of a crowned end portion of each rolling element, and is larger than a stroke distance of reciprocating movement of the tangent point when a joint angle of the tripod constant-velocity joint is a predetermined value.

Constant velocity joints are used in vehicles to transmit a torque from the drive train to the driven wheels and at the same time to allow bending movements to allow the vehicle to drive around bends or to dip the chassis relative to the driven wheels. An outer ring of a tripod roller has flanges which retain rollers and retain an inner ring. During assembly, the inner ring is cooled such that its diameter is reduced such that it can be moved into position axially without interference from the flange. Once the parts return to the same temperature, the inner ring and rollers are retained.

In one embodiment, a drive axle, comprising: a first axle frame comprising a first pair of gears at opposing sides of one end of the first axle frame, each of the gears comprising a hole; a second axle frame comprising a second pair of gears at opposing sides of one end of the second axle frame adjacent the one end of the first axle frame, each of the gears comprising a hole, the first pair of gears intermeshing with the second pair of gears throughout an articulation range; a center frame disposed between the first and second axle frames, the first and second axle frames coupled to the center frame by plural pins disposed in the holes of the first and second pairs of gears; a driving shaft surrounded at least in part by the first axle frame and comprising a first yoke; a driven shaft surrounded at least in part by the second axle frame and comprising a second yoke; and a double cardan joint, the double cardan joint coupled to the first and second yokes, wherein the center frame surrounds at least a portion of the double cardan joint.

A constant velocity joint includes a trunnion extending radially outwardly about a trunnion axis. The joint also includes a ball surrounding the trunnion and rotatable relative thereto about a plurality of needle rollers. The joint further includes a retainer that is a single, unitary structure coupled to the trunnion and positioned to limit movement of the ball and the needle rollers in a direction parallel to the trunnion axis.