Ball and socket joint and method of forming it

摘要

A ball and socket joint for use in mechanical linkages, especially for ball-ended connecting rods in a multi-cylinder hydraulic pump comprises a ball head forcibly inserted into a socket which extends over more than a hemisphere and which is formed as a cylindrical seating member. Radial slits around the mouth of the socket allow the necessary distortion and then the mouth of the socket is squeezed and held by a hoop or ring or counter-plates, and the seating member is inserted in a cylindrical recess in a further component.