Ball joint assembly

Abstract From the Canadian patent

A ball and socket structure is disclosed for connecting the rack bar and tie rod of the vehicle steering system. The structure provides a ball and socket connection in which opposed bearing surfaces engage opposite hemispheres of the ball end. A tubular housing is internally threaded from one end and is formed with one of the bearing surfaces at its other end. A pre-loading plug or disc is threaded along the internal threads to a pre-loading position in which it compresses a high rate spring to pre-load the two bearing surfaces toward each other. The connection is installed by threading the tubular housing onto a threaded end formed on the end of the rack bar until the threaded end bottoms …