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EP-4513046-B1 - BALL JOINT END

EP4513046B1EP 4513046 B1EP4513046 B1EP 4513046B1EP-4513046-B1

Inventors

  • RAVAZZINI, Mauro
  • RAVAZZINI, Marco

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240821

Claims (7)

  1. Ball joint end comprising a housing body (2) and a bearing (3) comprising an outer ring (4) housed in a through housing hole (5) in said housing body (2), wherein said housing body (2) comprises a radial groove (5') obtained on an inner wall (5a) of said housing hole (5) and arranged nearer a first face (2') than a second face (2") of said housing body (2), said first face (2') and said second face (2") being opposite one another and extending on distinct planes substantially perpendicular to an axis of symmetry (A) of said housing hole (5), characterised in that said outer ring (4) comprises a shoulder (6') aligned radially with said groove (5') to form a seat (7') configured to receive an elastic ring (8').
  2. Ball joint end according to claim 1, wherein the outer ring (4) has a thickness D2, measured according to a direction parallel to the axis of symmetry (A) of the housing hole (5), substantially equal to a thickness D1 of the housing body (2), which is also measured in said direction parallel to said axis of symmetry (A), or the outer ring (4) has a thickness D2 that differs from the thickness D1 of the housing body (2) by a quantity less than a thickness D3 of the elastic ring 8', in which D1-D2<D3.
  3. Ball joint end (1) according to claim 1, comprising a further radial groove (5") obtained on said inner wall (5a) and arranged nearer said second face (2"), said outer ring (4) comprising a further shoulder (6") aligned radially with said further groove (5") to form a further seat (7") configured to receive a further elastic ring (8").
  4. Ball joint end (1) according to claim 1, comprising an abutment portion (9) protruding radially from said housing hole (5) near said second face (2"), said abutment portion (9) being configured to receive in abutment said outer ring (4).
  5. Ball joint end (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein in said seat (7') the elastic ring (8') is fitted to stop a movement of said bearing (3) along a direction substantially parallel to the axis of symmetry (A) of said housing hole (5).
  6. Ball joint end (1) according to claim 5 as appended to claim 3, wherein in said further seat (7") the further elastic ring (8") is fitted to stop a movement of said bearing (3) along a direction substantially parallel to the axis of symmetry (A) of said housing hole (5).
  7. Ball joint end (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said bearing (3) is a radial ball joint.

Description

The invention relates to a ball joint end, in particular of the type used at the ends of hydraulic or pneumatic pistons, for example used in cranes or other lifting means. Background of the invention Joint ends are known comprising a housing body that has a seat in which a bearing is housed, for example a ball joint. The bearing is locked axially inside the housing body by elastic rings, this enables the bearing to withstand axial loads, preventing the bearing from slipping out. In these joint ends, the thickness of the housing body has sufficient dimensions to enable elastic rings to be fitted abutting on the flat side faces of the outer ring of the bearing. A ball joint end of this type is disclosed, for example, in US 2018/0216659. Nevertheless, in some joint ends of known type, in which the thickness of the housing body is equal to or a little greater than the thickness of the outer ring of the bearing, it is not possible to lock the bearing axially inside the housing body by elastic rings because there is not sufficient space to enable the elastic rings to be fitted. In these joint ends without elastic rings, in order to lock the bearing in the housing body, coupling is performed by interference by pressing the bearing inside the seat of the housing body. Although the joint ends without elastic rings solve the problem of how to use joint ends with reduced overall dimensions, they have various limits and drawbacks. One drawback of joint ends without elastic rings of known type is due to the reduced reliability. In fact, such joint ends are often subject to the bearing slipping out because of the cyclical loads applied that can cause the bearing to exit the housing seat. One further drawback of the joint ends without elastic rings of known type is the reduced loads that joint ends without elastic rings can bear. In fact, owing to the coupling with interference, a heavy load can deform plastically the housing body with resulting slipping out of the bearing. As a result, it is necessary to work with reduced loads to avoid this drawback. In the light of what has been set out above, it is desirable to improve the ball joint ends of reduced thickness, i.e. with a dimension of the housing body that is the same as or little greater than the dimension of the outer ring of the bearing, making the ball joint ends more reliable and performant. Summary of the invention The object of this invention is to improve current ball joint ends with reduced thickness, i.e. with thickness of the housing body the same as or little greater than the dimension of the outer ring of the bearing, so as to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art. Another object is to provide a ball joint end with reduced thickness that is reliable and in which axial slipping out of the bearing from the seat is prevented. A further object is to provide a ball joint end with reduced thickness that is resistant to greater loads than those applied to known j oint ends, wherein deformation of the j oint end does not entail axial slipping out of the bearing. Such objects and still others are achieved by a ball joint end as specified in the first claim attached to the present description. Brief description of the drawings The invention can be better understood with reference to the appended drawings that illustrate an embodiment thereof by way of non-limiting example in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a ball joint end according to the invention;Figure 2 is a vertical elevation front view of the ball joint end of figure 1;Figure 3 is a section view taken along the axis III-III of figure 2;Figure 4 shows an enlarged detail of figure 3;Figure 5 shows the enlarged detail of figure 4 in which some components have been removed to show others better;Figure 6 shows the enlarged detail of figure 4 in which some components have been removed to show others better;Figure 7 shows a partially sectioned side vertical elevation view of a ball joint end according to the invention;Figure 8 shows an enlarged detail of figure 7 in which some components have been removed to show others better. Detailed description of the invention According to this invention, a ball joint end 1 is disclosed, in particular of the type used at the ends of hydraulic or pneumatic pistons, for example used in cranes or other lifting means. The ball joint end 1 comprises a housing body 2, in particular of the eyelet type. The ball joint end 1 comprises a bearing 3, in particular of the radial ball joint type. The bearing 3 is fitted in the housing body 2. The housing body 2 is provided with a through housing hole 5. The housing hole 5 is of a substantially cylindrical shape and comprises an inner wall 5a of a substantially cylindrical shape. The housing body 2 comprises a first face 2' and a second face 2". The first face 2' and the second face 2" are opposite one another and extend on planes that are distinct from one another. These planes are substantially perpendicular to an axis of symmet