A joint assembly can be used in a variety of applications to secure a first member to a second member. An example of such an application is a pin secured to a pitman arm yoke. In some instances, a shim may be inserted between the jaws of the yoke to facilitate the secure coupling between the pin and the yoke without causing excessive forces within the yoke and/or misalignment of the bores within the jaws of the yoke. Under such circumstances, a gap may be defined between the shim and one or more jaws of the yoke that provides an entry path for dirt and debris. Over time, any dirt and debris that works its way into the joint can cause pin wear, leading to a loss in functionality and/or useful life of the pin.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,195,862 is entitled, “Camber Adjusting Shim Arrangement,” and is directed to a shim arrangement for adjusting the camber of a wheel in a steerable driving axle assembly, such as a front axle assembly of a four wheel drive vehicle. The shim arrangement involves a large number of tapered shims of resilient non-metallic material of high compressive strength at yield, each of which has a different maximum dimension and each of which preferably has a color corresponding to the maximum dimension of the shim. In use, a shim of the required thickness is inserted between two sections of the axle housing to adjust the angle between them and hence the camber of the wheel. Because the shims are colored, it is possible to identify the particular shim that has been used after the axle assembly has been reassembled after insertion of the shim. The shims are of a resilient plastic material such as 40% glass filled nylon. Each shim preferably has an annular rib adjacent its inner wall which engages the adjacent surfaces of the housing, or an adjacent shim, and acts as a seal.
There is a continued need in the art to provide additional solutions to enhance the performance of joint assemblies. For example, there is a continued need for a joint assembly including a pin and a pitman arm which helps prevent the pin from being affected by the entry of dirt and debris into the joint, preferably without the use of grease or other lubricant.
It will be appreciated that this background description has been created by the inventors to aid the reader, and is not to be taken as an indication that any of the indicated problems were themselves appreciated in the art. While the described principles can, in some respects and embodiments, alleviate the problems inherent in other systems, it will be appreciated that the scope of the protected innovation is defined by the attached claims, and not by the ability of any disclosed feature to solve any specific problem noted herein.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds