Liquid coupling

Claim 1

A fluid conducting ball joint comprising, a casing formed of a pair of annular casing half-sections having confronting semi-spherical cavities of equal dimensions therein and secured together to form an enclosed substantially spherical bearing, each half-section having a radial end face, means for securing said end faces in sealing engagement with each other, a spherical member snugly mounted within the spherical bearing for rotation therein, a portion of the wall adjacent said end face of the semispherical cavity in each section being recessed to form between them a ring-like channel surrounding the spherical member, the spherical member being provided in its outer surface with a circumferential channel registerable with the ring-like channel, seal means disposed on opposite sides of said ring-like channel to provide a fluid-tight seal between the casing and the spherical member, a diametrically extending fluid passageway in the the spherical member opening at both ends into the circumferential channel, one of the casing sections having an inlet port through its outer periphery and a plurality of passageways within the material thereof leading from the port into the ring-like channel, the inner surface of said one casing section having a continuous spherically concave surface disposed inwardly from said recess in said one section, the radially inner end of said spherical member having a continuous spherically convex surface in complete bearing relationship with said spherically concave surface, the spherical member having a bore extending radially from the passageway therein, and a conduit integrally secured to the spherical member extending from the radial bore through an opening in the other casing section which is diametricall opposite the inlet port, to allow limited swinging movements of the conduit.