Two-Piece Ball Joint Assembly for Grass Mower Yoke
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cutting unit mounting devices for grass mowing machines are expensive, complex, and time-consuming to assemble, with ball joints requiring costly masking and painting processes, and are prone to rust in corrosive environments, while also causing turf damage during operation.
Innovation Solution
A two-piece ball joint assembly with semispherical ball halves and a ball housing that allows for easy attachment to a yoke, featuring notches and a lock pin for positioning and securing, and a rust-resistant finish, reducing assembly time and cost while minimizing turf damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a traditional single-piece ball joint is used, then the cutting unit mounting device achieves proper structural integrity, but the assembly process becomes time-consuming and costly due to masking, painting, and pin insertion steps
Solution Approach 1:
The ball joint is divided into two separate halves that can be independently manufactured and then assembled around the yoke tube. This eliminates the need for time-consuming masking and painting operations on a single-piece ball, as each half can be painted separately before assembly. The two halves are secured together with a pin, creating a functional ball joint that integrates the yoke tube into its structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The two ball halves are designed to enclose the yoke tube within their combined structure. The yoke tube passes through the interior space formed by the two ball halves, effectively nesting the yoke within the ball joint assembly. This integrated design eliminates separate attachment steps and reduces the overall number of components.
2Manufacturing precision
If a traditional ball joint manufacturing process is used, then proper fit and finish are achieved, but multiple time-consuming steps including masking, painting, and pin insertion are required
Solution Approach 1:
Dividing the ball into two halves allows each half to be manufactured, painted, and finished independently without requiring masking of adjacent surfaces. This reduces the number of manufacturing steps while maintaining precise fit and finish quality on each component before assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The yoke tube is integrated into the structure of the two ball halves, merging what would otherwise be separate components. This combination reduces the total number of parts and assembly steps while ensuring proper alignment and fit through the integrated design.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional ball joint design is used, then the cutting unit can pivot and steer, but the ball joint is prone to rust in corrosive environments due to lack of protective finish
Solution Approach 1:
The two separate ball halves can each receive independent protective coatings or finishes applied during manufacturing. This segmented approach allows for more effective corrosion protection compared to a single-piece design, as each half can be properly coated without masking complications.
Solution Approach 2:
The ball joint assembly combines different materials and surface treatments on the two ball halves and yoke tube to create a composite structure with enhanced corrosion resistance. The design allows for selective application of rust-resistant materials or coatings on components exposed to corrosive environments.
Data Source
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AI summary
A ball joint assembly (10) for attaching a cutting unit (12) to a yoke (38), comprising a first ball half (50A) and a second ball half (50B), each ball half (50A, 50B) including a semispherical body with extensions (64A, 64B, 65A, 65B) on a first side and a second side thereof; and a ball housing (53, 54) mounted around the first (50A) and the second (50B) ball halves and holding the ball halves (50A, 50B) together on the yoke (38).