Ball Joint Dust Cover Minimizing Seal Width
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dust covers for ball joints require additional machining of the knuckle to accommodate increased seal width and involve complex phase matching during mounting, which complicates the installation process and reduces workability, especially in tight spaces.
Innovation Solution
A dust cover design featuring a cup-shaped rubber elastic dust cover body with a reinforcement ring and a plate member having outer peripheral petal parts that can be easily bent to engage with the knuckle groove, minimizing seal width and eliminating the need for knuckle machining, and simplifying the phase matching process during mounting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional dust cover with plate member is used to extend sealing to the knuckle lower end face, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but the seal width increases requiring additional knuckle machining
Solution Approach 1:
The dust cover is segmented into a dust cover body and a separate plate member that can be independently positioned and installed. The plate member includes an annular sealing part that extends sealing to the knuckle lower end face without requiring knuckle machining, as it can be installed separately after the knuckle is manufactured
Solution Approach 2:
The plate member acts as an intermediary component between the dust cover body and the knuckle. It includes an annular board member and an annular sealing part that together provide the extended sealing function without requiring modifications to the knuckle structure itself
2Manufacturing precision
If a plate member with engaging projection is used to prevent rotation, then positioning accuracy is improved, but the mounting process becomes more complex requiring phase matching
Solution Approach 1:
The plate member is preliminarily positioned on the shaft before the knuckle is installed. The engaging projection is pre-formed on the plate member to engage with the knuckle groove, establishing the correct position before final assembly, which simplifies the overall mounting process
Solution Approach 2:
The engaging projection and knuckle groove automatically align and engage with each other during assembly, allowing the plate member to self-position on the shaft without requiring complex external positioning tools or procedures
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
The design minimizes seal width, eliminates the need for knuckle machining, and simplifies the mounting process by allowing easy positioning of the plate member, enhancing sealing effectiveness and workability while preventing foreign matter entry.
Implementation Method 1
the annular sealing part 402b that is integrally formed on the inner peripheral side of the annular board member 402a and is made of a rubber elastic material
Implementation Method 2
The plate member 402 is provided with an engaging projection 402c that is made of a rubber elastic material and that engages with the knuckle groove 201
Data Source
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AI summary
It is an object of the present invention to be made up of a dust cover body and a plate member, minimize the seal width with respect to a shaft of a ball stud, and eliminate the need to machine a knuckle, and also to save the work of matching the phase of the plate member with that of a knuckle groove in positioning the plate member when mounted. The object is achieved by structuring a dust cover for a ball joint 1 as follows. The dust cover for a ball joint 1 is made up of a dust cover body 2 made of a rubber elastic material and an annular plate member 3. In the dust cover body 2, a reinforcement ring 23 is disposed in a stud mounting part 21, and an annular step 25 is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the reinforcement ring 23. The plate member 3 is made up of a plate body 31 and an annular sealing part 32 that is made of a rubber elastic material and is accommodated in the annular step 25. In the outer periphery of the plate body 31, a plurality of cut parts 311 are formed, so that outer peripheral petal parts 312 are formed between adjacent cut parts 311 to be capable of being bent so as to be engaged with a knuckle groove 151.