Ball Joint Cage Offset Edge Design for Stress Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ball joint cages suffer damage from high torques and relative movements due to balls pressing against window borders, leading to potential damage and increased production complexity and cost when attempting to enhance window support through increased wall thickness.
Innovation Solution
The cage design features an offset section of the edge relative to the longitudinal axis at the window height, allowing for increased support without requiring metal removal, achieved through forming techniques that deform the edge inward, creating a ball running surface with the same thickness as the webs for enhanced durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the wall thickness of the windows is increased to provide better support for the balls, then the durability and load-bearing capacity improve, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase due to metal-removing methods and interrupted material structures
Solution Approach 1:
The cage features local thickness variations where the wall thickness is increased specifically in the window regions to provide enhanced ball support, while other regions maintain standard thickness. This localized reinforcement approach allows improved strength where needed without unnecessarily increasing overall material usage or manufacturing complexity throughout the entire cage structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The design incorporates preliminary reinforcement features in the window regions through the offset edge sections that are formed during the initial cage manufacturing process. This preliminary action provides enhanced support capacity before the cage is assembled and subjected to operational loads, preventing damage from high torques and relative movements without requiring complex post-manufacturing interventions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design provides economical manufacturing and increased durability by distributing stress evenly, preventing damage and reducing production costs while maintaining the structural integrity of the cage.
Implementation Method 1
forming techniques, i.e. not by metal removal... the offset is preferably generated by forming techniques, i.e. not by metal removal... formed by deforming the edge toward the longitudinal or joint axis
Data Source
AI summary
A cage for a ball joint, the cage being configured annularly about a longitudinal axis and having an inner surface and an outer surface, two edges delimiting the inner surface and the outer surface and a window, in which the inner surface surrounds an inner space of the cage and two webs laterally adjoin the window. One edge of the cage has an offset relative to the longitudinal axis in relation to one of the two webs at the height of the window. A ball joint with a corresponding cage is also disclosed.