Apparatus, such as a propeller shaft, includes an outer circumferential portion or outer race to rotate as a unit with an internal shaft (serving as the propeller shaft), an inner circumferential member or inner race to rotate as a unit with an external shaft and a plurality of balls disposed between the outer race and inner race, for transmitting rotation therebetween. A sleeve rotating as a unit with the inner race includes an inside cavity for receiving the external shaft. The sleeve is coated with a coating formed on an inside circumferential surface.

A constant velocity joint assembly with a crash collapse feature. The constant velocity joint assembly includes an inner race, an outer race, a cage and one or more torque transfer elements. The inner race is drivingly connected to a first shaft and the outer race is connected to a second shaft. Circumferentially extending along at least a portion of an inner surface of the outer race is one or more outer race torque transfer element grooves. One or more crash collapse features circumferentially extend radially inward from at least a portion of the inner surface of the outer race and are disposed directly adjacent to the one or more outer race torque transfer element grooves in the outer race. The one or more crash collapse features are disposed entirely between the one or more outer race torque transfer element grooves and do not extend axially beyond the grooves.

A constant velocity joint assembly includes a constant velocity joint. The constant velocity joint assembly also includes a sealing boot in contact with the constant velocity joint. The constant velocity joint assembly further includes a boot protector disposed on a radially outer surface of a portion of the sealing boot. The constant velocity joint assembly yet further includes a first fastener coupled to the boot protector to secure the boot protector to the constant velocity joint.

A first constant velocity joint is equipped with a cup part made of a light alloy. First ball grooves that receive a torque from torque transmitting members are formed on an inner wall of the cup part. A high hardness layer made of ceramic or cermet as a principal component thereof is formed on an inner surface of the cup part including at least inner surfaces of the first ball grooves.

A cage for a constant-velocity ball joint is annular and has cage windows arranged spaced apart from one another along a circumferential direction for guiding balls of the constant-velocity ball joint; wherein each cage window has at least on one side a ball guiding surface facing in an axial direction. The cage can be produced by: a) providing a cage having cage windows; b) applying at least one compressive force via an outer circumferential surface of the cage, facing in a radial direction, in a first region of at least one ball guiding surface of at least one cage window; c) deforming the cage in the first region of the at least one ball guiding surface, so that the at least one ball guiding surface is displaced inwardly in the radial direction with respect to an adjacent second region of the cage.

A dual plunging constant velocity (CV) drive shaft is provided for communicating rotational forces from a transaxle to a drive wheel of a vehicle. The dual plunging CV drive shaft comprises a drive shaft that transfers torque from the transaxle to the drive wheel. An inboard plunging CV joint is coupled between the transaxle and the drive shaft, and an outboard plunging CV joint is coupled between the drive shaft and the drive wheel. The inboard and outboard plunging CV joints each comprises an elongate housing that receives a CV joint coupled with the drive shaft. The inboard and outboard plunging CV joints communicate rotational forces from the transaxle to the drive wheel during vertical pivoting of a trailing arm coupled with the outboard plunging CV joint. The elongate housings allow the drive shaft to “float” longitudinally, as needed, during extreme pivoting motion of the suspension.

A vehicle includes a first drivetrain component and a second drivetrain component. The first drivetrain component defines a splined orifice. The second drivetrain component has a shaft that includes splines that are configured to clearance-fit the splined orifice upon engagement up to a first length and interference-fit the splined orifice upon engagement beyond the first length. Engagement of the splines and the splined orifice at substantially the first length counteracts loads perpendicular to an axis of the shaft preventing disengagement of the first and second drivetrain components.

In a constant-velocity joint, a center locus of a ball rolling on a first outer large-diameter portion has an arc shape having an arc center, and a center locus of the ball rolling on a second outer large-diameter portion has an arc shape having an arc center. Center loci of the ball rolling on an outer extension portion are positioned; throughout their lengths, in a region inducing a tangent line to an opening-side end portion of the center locus of the ball rolling on the second outer large-diameter portion, the region being positioned outward of the tangent line in a radial direction of the outer joint member. An opening-side end portion of the center locus of the ball rolling on the outer extension portion is positioned outward of the tangent line in the radial direction of the outer joint member.

A constant velocity joint comprises an outer joint part with a longitudinal axis and first and second outer ball tracks. The outer joint part comprises an attachment side and an aperture side. An inner joint part has a longitudinal axis and first and second inner ball tracks. with a torque transmitting ball 14 in each pair of tracks, and a ball cage 15 with cage windows 18 in which the balls 14 are held. In each angular position of the constant velocity joint 11 an opening angle is enclosed between an outer tangent and an inner tangent at the ball. At least one of the first and second pairs of tracks is designed such that, within a small articulation angle range comprising at least the joint central plane, at at least an articulation angle, an opening angle amounts to zero, and within a greater articulation angle range, an aperture-side opening angle of a first pair of tracks widens in the opposite axial direction relative to the aperture-side opening angle of a second pair of tracks.

A joint-center-fixed constant velocity joint configured to be provided in a vehicle includes an outer joint member, an inner joint member, a first ball, a second ball, and a cage. While a center of the first ball is moving to a position of the maximum use angle on an opening side from a joint center, a first open angle faces the opening side. While a center of the second ball is moving to a position of the maximum use angle on a bottom side from the joint center, a second open angle is not reversed from a state where the second open angle faces the bottom side to a state where the second open angle faces the opening side.