A manufacturing method of a member according to an aspect of the present invention is a manufacturing method of a member including a specific three-dimensional tubular portion, the manufacturing method including: a U-forming step of performing U-forming on metal material sheet using a U-forming die and punch including a U-forming punch to manufacture a U-formed article having a recessed cross-sectional shape; and an O-forming step of causing side end portions of the U-formed article to abut each other by an O-forming die to form abutting portions, in which a forming condition ratio a=Du/Do is set to 0.85 to 0.95.

This stabilizer link includes a metal support bar, and ball joints that are provided at both ends of the support bar. Each ball joint includes a ball stud one end of which is fastened to a suspension device or a stabilizer, and which has a ball part at the other end thereof, and a housing that rotatably supports the ball part of the ball stud. The support bar includes: a body part extending in a nearly linear shape, and reinforcement parts each having a nearly annular shape and each provided at both ends of the body part. The reinforcement parts of the support bar are each embedded in the housing so as to surround the ball part.

A stabilizer is provided with a restriction ring connected to a torsion portion at a connection portion adjacent to a bush. The restriction ring has a body, a female portion, a male portion, and a welded portion. The female portion has gripping portions with a spacing therebetween decreasing in the direction away from a valley bottom portion. The male portion has a neck portion, an expansion portion, and a contraction portion. The welded portion covers at least the range of the contraction portion and the valley bottom portion and melts in the plate thickness direction from the outer peripheral surface.

A vehicle suspension component, such as a lower control arm, that includes first and second stamped metal shells, a stiffening feature, and several connection nodes for operably connecting the suspension component to the rest of the vehicle suspension system. The first and second stamped metal shells may be stamped from next generation steel that is lightweight and strong, and are joined together in a clam shell or box-style type design so that the connections nodes are sandwiched therebetween. The stiffening feature may include a depression, a depression perimeter that at least partially surrounds the depression, a depression sidewall, a depression floor, and a depression weld, wherein the depression weld joins the shell interior surfaces of the first and second stamped metal shells together.

This assembly includes a plurality of stacked circular members, and a fixing pin that is disposed inside each of the circular members to arrange and integrate each of the circular members in an axial direction thereof. The fixing pin includes a shaft portion extending in the axial direction, a flange portion extending radially outward from one end side of the shaft portion, a recessed portion that is provided on an end face of the shaft portion on the other side and has a non-circular cross-section orthogonal to the axial direction, and one or a plurality of protruding portions that are provided on an outer circumferential portion of the shaft portion on the other end side and protrude radially outward from an inner circumferential surface of each of the circular members.

A torsion beam of a coupled torsion beam axle may include an external beam having a first cross-section in which an external protrusion of a middle end portion of the external beam is formed to protrude toward upward in a longitudinal direction of the external beam, and external skirt portions are vertically extended along the longitudinal direction at both end portions of the external protrusion; and an internal beam having a second cross-section in which an internal protrusion of a middle end portion in the internal beam is inserted into the external beam to face the external protrusion of the external beam, and internal skirt portions are extended in a vertical direction at both end portions of the internal protrusion, and each external surface of the internal skirt portions and each internal surface of the external skirt portions are surface-bonded in a mutually matched state. A gap is formed between an external surface of the internal protrusion and an internal surface of the external protrusion to form a closed cross-section.

A torsion beam of a coupled torsion beam axle may include an external beam having a first cross-section in which an external protrusion of a middle end portion of the external beam is formed to protrude toward upward in a longitudinal direction of the external beam, and external skirt portions are vertically extended along the longitudinal direction at both end portions of the external protrusion; and an internal beam having a second cross-section in which an internal protrusion of a middle end portion in the internal beam is inserted into the external beam to face the external protrusion of the external beam, and internal skirt portions are extended in a vertical direction at both end portions of the internal protrusion, and each external surface of the internal skirt portions and each internal surface of the external skirt portions are surface-bonded in a mutually matched state. A gap is formed between an external surface of the internal protrusion and an internal surface of the external protrusion to form a closed cross-section.

A vehicle suspension component (16), such as a lower control arm, that includes first and second stamped metal shells (30, 32) and several connection nodes (36, 38, 40) for operably connecting the suspension component to the rest of the vehicle suspension system. The first and second stamped metal shells may be stamped from next generation steel that is lightweight and strong, and are joined together in a clam shell or box-style type design. Each of the connection nodes includes a fixed attachment end (92, 192) and a movable attachment end (94, 194), wherein the fixed attachment end may be sandwiched between the shell connection node portions of the first and second stamped metal shells and welded thereto, whereas the movable attachment end movably or pivotably attaches the vehicle suspension component to the vehicle suspension system.

One aspect of the present invention is related to a ball socket assembly that includes a housing with an inner bore and at least one open end. The ball socket assembly also includes a ball stud which is partially received in the inner bore of the housing. An exit bearing supports the ball stud and is positioned in the inner bore adjacent the at least one open end. The exit bearing includes a plastic piece and a metal piece which are connected with one another. The metal piece has a semi-conical shape. The housing is deformed adjacent the at least one open end to capture the exit bearing within the inner bore. In operation, the metal piece reinforces the plastic piece to transfer forces between the ball stud and the housing.

A method for producing a connection element (1, 30), in particular for an articulated connection of components arranged in a chassis. The connection element (1, 30) is formed by a profile element (6, 31) which includes a joint portion (2), for accommodating a joint component (5), a central portion (4), and a connection portion (3). The profile element (6, 31) is formed by an arrangement of at least one first profile section (7, 32) and at least one second profile section (8, 33), which are held in position, with interlock, by at least one fixing element (9, 10), a joint component (5) is inserted, into the joint portion (2) so formed, and the profile element (6, 31) and the joint component (5) are partially overmolded with a plastic material.