Ball joint

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This article is about automobile joints. For the anatomical structure, see ball and socket joint.

A typical ball joint with cutaway view (right)

An inner tie rod end cut open to expose the ball joint.

In an automobile, ball joints are spherical bearings that connect the control arms to
the steering knuckles. They are used on virtually every automobile made [1] and work similarly
to the ball-and-socket design of the human hip joint.[2]
A ball joint consists of a bearing stud and socket enclosed in a casing; all these parts are made
of steel. The bearing stud is tapered and threaded, and fits into a tapered hole in the steering
knuckle. A protective encasing prevents dirt from getting into the joint assembly. Usually, this is
a rubber-like boot that allows movement and expansion of lubricant. Motion-control ball joints
tend to be retained with an internal spring, which helps to prevent vibration problems in the
linkage.
The "offset" ball joint provides means of movement in systems where thermal expansion and
contraction, shock, seismic motion, and torsional motions, and forces are present.[3]

Contents

 1Theory
 2Purpose
 3Front-wheel drive
 4Lubrication
 5Spherical rolling joint
 6Failure
 7Other uses
 8See also
 9References

Theory[edit]

Ball joints allow a limited range of smooth movement in all directions

A ball joint is used for allowing free rotation in two planes at the same time while
preventing translation in any direction,[1] including rotating in those planes. Combining two such
joints with control arms enables motion in all three planes, allowing the front end of an
automobile to be steered and a spring and shock (damper) suspension to make the ride
comfortable.
A simple kingpin suspension requires that the upper and lower control arms (wishbones) have
pivot axes that are parallel, and in strict geometric relationship to the kingpin, or the top and
bottom trunnions, which connect the kingpin to the control arms, would be severely stressed
and the bearings would suffer severe wear. In practice, many vehicles had elastomeric
bearings in the horizontal pivots of the trunnions, which allowed some small amount of
flexibility, however this was insufficient to allow much adjustment of caster to be made, and
also introduced compliance where the suspension designer may not have desired it in his
quest for optimum handling. Camber angle could generally be adjusted by moving both inner
pivots of either the upper or lower control arm inwards or outwards by an exactly equal amount.
But compliance of the control arm inner pivots, typically due to the use of elastomeric bearings,
would again cause the trunnions to be stressed. The suspension designer's freedom was
severely limited, it was necessary to have some compliance where it might not be wanted, and
very little where more would have been useful in absorbing the fore and aft impact loading from
bumps.
The introduction of ball joints top and bottom allowed 3-axis articulation and so removed all the
constraints on the control arm axes being exactly parallel, so caster could be freely adjusted,
typically by asymmetric adjustment of the position of the control arm inner pivots, while camber
was adjusted by the symmetric adjustment of these same pivots.
The arrangements for adjusting the toe angle are not changed by introducing ball joints in the
suspension, although the steering linkage itself must use 4 or more pivots, also usually ball
joints, and in almost every vehicle ever made, some of these have been adjustable by having a
threaded end and locknut, to enable the toe to be set precisely.
This ability to fine-tune ball-jointed suspension allows manufacturers to make the automobile
more stable and easier to steer, compared to the older kingpin style suspension. It may also be
quieter and more comfortable, because lateral and fore and aft compliance in the suspension
can be introduced in controlled amounts at the control arm inner pivots without compromising
the integrity of the steering axis pivots, which are now ball joints instead of a king pin and
trunnions. The smoother ride may also increase tire tread life, since the ball-joint suspension
allows better control of suspension geometry and so can provide better tire-to-road contact.

Purpose[edit]

Rear wheel drive vehicle, front double wishbone suspension with upper and lower ball joints and tie rod
end shown.

On modern vehicles, ball joints are the pivot between the wheels and the suspension of an
automobile. They are today almost universally used in the front suspension, having replaced
the kingpin/linkpin or kingpin/trunnion arrangement, but can also be found in the rear
suspension of a few higher-performance autos.[4] Ball joints play a critical role in the safe
operation of an automobile's steering and suspension.
Many currently manufactured automobiles worldwide use MacPherson strut suspension, which
utilises one ball joint per side, between the lower end of the strut and the control arm, with the
necessary small amount of articulation at the top of the strut being usually provided by an
elastomeric bearing, within which is a ball bearing to allow free rotation about the steering axis.
So, there are commonly only two ball joints in the suspension, however there will be at least
four (track rod ends and rack ends) in the steering linkage.
In non-MacPherson strut automobile suspension, the two ball joints are called the "upper ball
joint" and "lower ball joint". Lower ball joints are sometimes larger and may wear out faster,
because the fore and aft loads, primarily due to braking, are higher at the bottom ball joint.
(Torque reaction and drag add at the bottom joint, and partly cancel at the top joint.) Also,
lateral cornering loads are higher at the bottom joint. Depending on the suspension design, the
vertical load from the suspension spring may be handled entirely by the top ball joint, or entirely
by the bottom ball joint. The damper load, (which is low in normal conditions, zero when
stationary, but in peak bump or rebound rate may be almost as large as the spring load) is
usually, but not always, taken on the same ball joint as the spring load. The anti-roll bar loading
is often, but not always, taken on the bottom ball joint. It may be taken by the top ball joint, or
directly from the steering knuckle by ball-jointed drop links.
If one of the ball joints does not carry spring load, it may be fitted with an internal anti-rattle
spring to keep the ball preferentially in contact with one seat. This was the case in the
BMC Mini of 1959 and its many derivatives, where the lower control arm carried no vertical
loading, so the joint needed and anti-rattle spring, while the top joint, comprising identical parts,
was always in compression due to spring (rubber cone) and damper loads, and so was not
fitted with a spring.
Other vehicles of the 1960s era, including some Vauxhalls, had lower ball joints with
considerable end float, because the joint was always in tension as the spring and damper
loads were applied via the lower control arm and were always non-zero.
Another example is the Ford Focus, which uses MacPherson struts, and the anti-roll bar is
connected directly to the strut, so the lower ball joint is only carrying fore and aft
traction/braking and lateral cornering loads.

Front-wheel drive[edit]
Unlike a kingpin, which requires an assembly in the center of the wheel in order to pivot, joints
connect to the upper and lower end of the spindle (steering knuckle), to the control arms. This
leaves the center section open to allow the use of front-wheel drive. Older kingpin designs can
only be used in a rear-wheel-drive configuration.

Lubrication[edit]
Sealed ball joints do not require lubrication as they are "lubed for life". Formerly most ball joints
had grease fitting (sometimes called a grease zerk) and were designed for periodic addition of
a lubricant, however almost all modern cars use sealed ball joints to minimise maintenance
requirements. The lubricant was usually a very high-viscosity lubricant. It is commonly believed
that standard ball joints will outlive sealed ones because eventually the seal will break, causing
the joint to dry out and rust.[4] Additionally, the act of adding new lubricant pushes out old and
dry lubricant, extending the life of the joint. This was supposed to be done at intervals of 1000
to 2000 miles on many vehicles, which is incompatible with the service interval on modern
cars, often 12000 miles or more, and in any case was rarely attended to by owners, resulting in
severe wear and possible ball joint failure, which can result in serious accidents. For this
reason, almost all ball joints on modern European or Far Eastern cars are the sealed for life
type. New technology especially applied to the internal bearing design has allowed ball joints to
meet these longer service intervals. The special designs incorporate sintered metal bearings
which replace OEM sealed polymer/plastic version and improved dust boot seals that work
much better at retaining the grease.

Spherical rolling joint[edit]

A SRJ024C-P Spherical Rolling Joint

A spherical rolling joint is a high-precision ball joint consisting of a spherical outer and inner
race separated by ball bearings. The ball bearings are housed in a spherical retainer and roll
along both the inner and outer surfaces. This design allows the joint to have very low friction
while maintaining a large range of motion and backlash as low as 1 μm. SRJs are often used in
parallel robotics applications like a Stewart platform, where high rigidity and low backlash are
essential.[5][6]
Most SRJs are designed with an offset housing, allowing for higher compressive loads in a
smaller space. Alternatively, the joint can be assembled backwards for higher tensile load
capability but less range of motion.
An alternative to the SRJ is the universal joint, which consists of two revolute joints.[7] By using
spherical rolling joints instead of universal, designers can reduce the number of joints to
achieve the same result. Using a spherical joint as opposed to a universal joint also eliminates
the problematic possibility of a kinematic singularity.[8] Plain spherical bearings can be used in
place of SRJs at the cost of increased friction, but offer an opportunity to preload the joint
further.

Failure[edit]
While there is no exact lifespan that can be put on sealed ball joints, they can fail as early as
80,000 miles (130,000 km) in modern vehicles, and much sooner in older vehicles.[citation
needed]
Signs of a failing ball joint may start with a sudden burst sound as a result of ball joint
dismantling. Then it keeps on with clicking, popping or snapping sound when the wheel is
turned and eventually turn into a squeaking sound at the end of a stop, when the gas pedal is
used and/or also when hitting bumps. Another symptom could be 'thud' noises coming from
front suspension when going over bumps. Dry ball joints have dramatically increased friction
and can cause the steering to stick or be more difficult.
If a ball joint fails, the results can be dangerous as the wheel's angle becomes unconstrained,
causing loss of control. Because the tire will be at an unintended angle, the vehicle will come to
an abrupt halt, damaging the tires. Also, during failure, debris can damage other parts of the
vehicle.[4]

Other uses[edit]
Main article: Ball and socket joint
While in automotive parlance the term "ball joint" usually refers to the primary ball joint
connections at the ends of the control arms, this type of joint is used in other parts as well,
including tie rod ends. In these other applications, they are typically called tie rod ends or,
when they are an inner tie rod end on a rack-and-pinion steering system, they are called inner
socket assemblies. These joints are also used in a number of other non-automotive
applications, from the joints of dolls to other mechanical linkages for a variety of devices, or
any place where a degree of rotation in movement is desired.