Ball Joint Elastic Support Member Torque Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ball joints in vehicle stabilizer links face challenges in controlling swing-and-slide torque, leading to increased elastic lift and clattering, which affects riding comfort due to dimensional variations in housing and ball seat components.
Innovation Solution
A ball joint design featuring a ball stud with a spherical body portion and a support member with a given thickness, where the support member fills the gap between the spherical body portion and the housing, allowing for controlled swing-and-slide torque and reduced elastic lift.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the tightening margin between the housing and ball seat is reduced to decrease swing-and-slide torque, then riding comfort is improved, but the elastic lift amount increases causing clattering and abnormal noise
Solution Approach 1:
A buffer member (elastomeric material) is introduced as an intermediary component between the ball seat and the housing. This buffer member fills the gap between the ball seat outer periphery and the housing inner periphery, absorbing dimensional variations and preventing direct contact that would cause clattering, while still allowing the reduced tightening margin needed for low swing-and-slide torque
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state and properties of the interface between housing and ball seat by introducing an elastomeric buffer material. This material provides compliance and damping, transforming the rigid contact interface into a compliant one that can accommodate dimensional variations without generating clatter, while maintaining the optimal tightening margin for torque reduction
2Manufacturing precision
If dimensional tolerance of housing and ball seat is reduced to control swing-and-slide torque, then manufacturing precision is improved, but the complexity and cost of manufacturing increase
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer member acts as a mediator that absorbs dimensional variations between the housing and ball seat. By introducing this compliant element, the system can tolerate larger dimensional tolerances in the molded parts without affecting performance, thereby simplifying manufacturing while maintaining control over swing-and-slide torque
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring high precision throughout the entire housing and ball seat components, the invention applies local quality control only where the buffer member is installed. The buffer member compensates for dimensional variations in critical areas, allowing less stringent tolerances in other areas, thus reducing overall manufacturing complexity
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 effectively reduces swing-and-slide torque and prevents elastic lift, thereby improving vehicle riding comfort by minimizing clattering and maintaining precise dimensional tolerance.
Implementation Method 1
the support member is an elastic body having a given thickness, and has an opening for the stud portion to protrude therethrough and a spherical space inside to accommodate the spherical body portion therein
Data Source
AI summary
A ball joint has a ball stud, a housing and a ball seat. The seat is an elastic body in a tubular shape with the top and the bottom being open, and has a spherical space to accommodate a ball portion. The housing has a spherical inner face that is close to an outer periphery of the ball portion, to accommodate the ball portion in the inner face via the seat so as to support the ball stud. A clamped portion arranged at a peripheral end of the housing is clamped to press the seat so that the ball stud can be swung and rotated.