Apparatus for fastening a sealing bellows to the housing of a ball joint

Claim 1

A ball joint comprising a housing defining a chamber, a ball stud having a ball portion received in said chamber and a shank portion projecting from said housing, a sealing bellows encircling the ball stud, and a generally L-shaped holding ring for sealing said sealing bellows against said housing, said sealing bellows having a doughnut-form rim sealing against a rim of said housing, said housing rim comprising a generally L-shaped circular portion having an axially extending surface and a radially extending surface defining a recess extending circumferentially of the housing, said generally L-shaped holding ring being positioned in said recess and fastened therein to define with said generally L-shaped circular portion of said housing rim a generally U-shaped circular groove formed around the axis of said ball stud in which groove said doughnut-form rim of said sealing bellows is located, said generally L-shaped holding ring having a wall extending axially for holding said doughnut-form rim of said bellows, said axially extending surface of said generally L-shaped circular portion of said housing rim having a circumferential ring step lying radially inward of said axially extending wall of said generally L-shaped holding ring, said circumferential ring step having at least one projection extending therefrom radially outwardly thereof for securing the radially extending wall of said generally L-shaped holding ring to the radially extending surface of said generally L-shaped circular portion of said housing rim to thereby fasten said generally L-shaped holding ring to said housing.