Ball Socket Assembly Wear Compensation via Biased Shoe
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current ball joint assemblies for vehicular steering and suspension systems are costly to produce while maintaining performance, and there is a need for a more economical solution that maintains or improves performance.
Innovation Solution
A low-cost ball socket assembly design featuring a housing with an open interior, a bearing with a curved primary contact surface, a stud ball with a semi-spherically curved outer surface, and a shoe with supplemental contact surfaces that provide rotational torque and adjust for wear, along with a method of assembly that includes orienting and biasing the stud ball and shoe to establish sliding contact and preload.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional one-piece stud design is used, then manufacturing is simpler, but performance and adjustability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The stud is divided into separate components: a stud ball and a stud body that can be assembled together. This segmentation allows the stud ball to be pre-assembled with bearings in a press fit configuration, improving performance while enabling modular manufacturing that offsets the increased complexity through standardized assembly procedures
2Stability of the object's composition
If a press fit configuration is used between the stud ball and bearing, then rotational stability is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stud ball and bearing are pre-assembled in a press fit configuration during manufacturing, establishing rotational stability before final assembly. This preliminary action ensures consistent rotational characteristics while allowing the use of standardized press fit techniques that manage manufacturing complexity through proven processes
3Reliability
If the shoe is biased against the stud ball, then wear compensation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shoe is biased against the stud ball through a spring mechanism that automatically adjusts to compensate for wear between the stud ball and bearing. This self-adjusting mechanism maintains optimal contact and rotational characteristics throughout the service life of the joint, providing wear compensation through an automated system that offsets complexity through reduced maintenance requirements
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 reduces production costs while maintaining performance by allowing for efficient rotation and wear compensation, ensuring reliable operation in vehicular steering and suspension systems.
Implementation Method 1
The shoe has at least one curved supplemental contact surface which is in sliding contact with the stud ball
Implementation Method 2
Each of the bearings has a curved contact surface for allowing rotation or pivoting of the stud relative to the housing and to the bearing
Data Source
AI summary
The ball socket assembly includes a housing with an open interior which extends along an axis. A bearing is disposed in the open interior of the housing and has a curved primary contact surface which surrounds the axis and surrounds a stud ball opening. A stud ball is disposed in the opening and is in sliding contact with the primary contact surface for allowing rotation of the stud ball relative to the bearing. The stud ball has an equator and is in sliding contact with the bearing on both sides of the equator. A stud is operably connected with the stud ball. A shoe is further provided and has a pair of supplemental contact surfaces that are biased against the stud ball. The shoe provides the stud with a predetermined rotational torque and also adjusts for wear in the assembly to maintain the performance of the socket assembly.