Provided are a ball joint and a dust cover that make it possible to suppress contact of a body portion of the dust cover with the vicinity of a flange portion of a ball stud. A dust cover integrally includes: a deformable bellows-shaped body portion made of an elastic body; a fixed portion made of an elastic body and provided on one end side of the body portion; and a sealing portion made of an elastic body and provided on the other end side of the body portion. The sealing portion includes: an inner peripheral sealing portion configured to be slidable on a part of a shank portion on the opposite side of the shank portion from a spherical portion with respect to a flange portion; and a cover portion that continuously covers, in an outer wall surface of the flange portion, a radially outward tip end portion and a part of a portion that decreases in diameter from the tip end portion toward the spherical portion side.

Provided are a ball joint and a dust cover that make it possible to suppress contact of a body portion of the dust cover with the vicinity of a flange portion of a ball stud. A dust cover integrally includes: a deformable bellows-shaped body portion made of an elastic body; a fixed portion made of an elastic body and provided on one end side of the body portion; and a sealing portion made of an elastic body and provided on the other end side of the body portion. The sealing portion includes: an inner peripheral sealing portion configured to be slidable on a part of a shank portion on the opposite side of the shank portion from a spherical portion with respect to a flange portion; and a cover portion that continuously covers, in an outer wall surface of the flange portion, a radially outward tip end portion and a part of a portion that decreases in diameter from the tip end portion toward the spherical portion side.

A vehicle drivetrain includes a driveshaft, a driveshaft joint and a boot. The driveshaft joint is configured to be coupled to an end of the driveshaft. The boot is disposed over the driveshaft joint. The boot has an inner wall and an outer wall. The inner and outer walls are separated by an empty space.

A constant velocity universal joint includes a body which encloses the constant velocity joint components and provides a smooth outer surface. A semi-rigid plastic boot has a spherical surface sized to generally match the outer surface of the body. The material of the boot is sufficiently elastic to allow the boot to fit over the body, yet sufficiently resilient to snap the open end closed after the boot is placed over the body to provide a substantial seal preventing entry of debris under the seal. A retaining ring is positioned on the boot near the truncated end, the ring establishing the location of an elastic seal that contacts the outer surface of the body.

A gimbal assembly for a flexible conduit configured to convey a medium is disclosed herein. The gimbal assembly includes a first component including a first plurality of struts that terminate in a first socket defining a first cavity of a first geometric configuration. The gimbal assembly also includes a second component including a second plurality of struts that terminate in a second socket defining a second cavity of a second geometric configuration. A joint fastener is configured to couple the first socket to the second socket. The joint fastener includes a first portion that geometrically corresponds to the first cavity and a second portion that geometrically corresponds to the second cavity. The first portion is configured to be immovably seated within the first cavity, and the second portion is configured to be movably retained by the second socket such that the first component can rotate relative to the second component.

A boot that protects a moveable joint and retains lubricant associated with the joint. The wall of the boot includes a venting aperture that is protected by a surrounding barrier structure.

An edge-welded bellows, including a plurality of diaphragms and a guide part for guiding on the outer surface of a rod extending through an inner through-opening of the bellows or for guiding on the inner surface of a tube surrounding the bellows. The guide part has a retaining fin, which, at the edge thereof, lies between the edges of adjacent diaphragms and is welded thereto, and a guide sleeve, which surrounds the longitudinal central axis and has a guide surface for guiding the bellows on the outer surface of the rod or the inner surface of the tube. The guide sleeve has a wall thickness that is more than three times that of the retaining fin. The guide sleeve has a step having a contact surface. The retaining fin lies, in a region adjoining the edge thereof, on the contact surface and is form-fittingly secured against being lifted off from the contact surface.

An incrementally assembled skin-constrained inflatable bellows system includes a top end cap, a bottom end cap, and a bellows attached to and separating the top end cap and the bottom end cap and configured to hold pressurized fluid between the top and bottom end caps. The system further includes a nozzle configured to allow fluid to enter and exit the bellows, and an inextensible skin attached to each of the top end cap, the bottom end cap, and to the bellows. The top end cap assumes a first position when the bellows is inflated via the nozzle and, when the top end cap is adjusted from the first position to a second position, the skin is configured to maintain the top end cap in the second position and constrains the bellows into a predefined rigid three-dimensional shape.

An incrementally assembled skin-constrained inflatable bellows system includes a top end cap, a bottom end cap, and a bellows attached to and separating the top end cap and the bottom end cap and configured to hold pressurized fluid between the top and bottom end caps. The system further includes a nozzle configured to allow fluid to enter and exit the bellows, and an inextensible skin attached to each of the top end cap, the bottom end cap, and to the bellows. The top end cap assumes a first position when the bellows is inflated via the nozzle and, when the top end cap is adjusted from the first position to a second position, the skin is configured to maintain the top end cap in the second position and constrains the bellows into a predefined rigid three-dimensional shape.

Disclosed is a steering system comprising a housing, a steering rack which is movably arranged and extends out, of a housing end section of the housing on at least one side of the housing with a steering rack end portion, at least one tie rod attached to the steering rack with a ball joint, at least one bellows covering the steering rack end portion of the steering rack, the ball joint and a section of the tie rod adjacent to the ball joint, the bellows having a first end and a second end, the first end being attached to the housing end section and the second end being attached to the tie rod at a tie rod attachment section, wherein a rolling diaphragm is arranged inside of the bellows, wherein a first end of the rolling diaphragm is attached to the housing end section and a second end of the rolling diaphragm is attached to the ball joint or the steering rack end portion, and wherein a rolling bend of the rolling diaphragm is movable between the housing and the second end of the bellows.