Ball joint for motor vehicles

1. A ball-and-socket joint for motor vehicles, the ball-and-socket joint comprising:

a housing;

a bearing shell associated with said housing;

a ball pivot with at least a joint ball accommodated rotatably and/or pivotably in said bearing shell of said housing and with a pivot section;

a thrust ring fixed on said pivot section, said thrust ring comprising an axial shoulder and a radial shoulder, said radial shoulder having a wave-shaped contour; and

a sealing bellows with a first edge area fastened to said housing and with a second edge area having a sliding connection with said thrust ring;

beginning from said axial shoulder in an axial direction, said radial shoulder of said thrust ring has a first wave peak, a wave valley following said first wave peak and a second wave peak following said wave valley, a shape of said wave peaks and said wave valley comes close to a straight contact surface, said first and second peaks each being in direct contact against a surface of a motor vehicle.

2. A ball-and-socket joint in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said radial shoulder is elastically supported against a said surface of a motor vehicle component in an installed state of the ball-and-socket joint in the motor vehicle.

3. A ball-and-socket joint in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said wave peaks have different heights relative to a common place with said first wave peak having a smaller height than said second wave peak.

4. A ball-and-socket joint in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said thrust ring is made of a corrosion-resistant material.

5. A ball-and-socket joint in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said second edge area of said sealing bellows has a labyrinth seal on at least one contact surface that is in contact with said thrust ring.

6. A ball-and-socket joint in accordance with claim 5 , wherein:

said labyrinth seal is arranged in contact with said axial shoulder.

7. A ball-and-socket joint in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said second edge area of said sealing bellows is pretensioned by means of a straining ring against said thrust ring.

8. A ball-and-socket joint in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said ball-and-socket joint has an axial securing means at said thrust ring, said axial securing means comprising a ring shoulder made in one piece with said axial shoulder or a retaining ring arranged between said thrust ring and a groove of said joint ball with a ring shoulder made in one piece therewith.

9. A ball-and-socket joint in accordance with claim 8 , wherein said retaining ring is made in one piece with said thrust ring.

10. A ball-and-socket joint in accordance with claim 1 , wherein:

said radial shoulder has a thickness;

said wave peaks have different heights relative to a common plane, a difference between said heights being smaller than said thickness of said radial shoulder.

11. A ball-and-socket joint in accordance with claim 10 , wherein:

a depth of said wave valley with respect to said wave peaks is less than said thickness of said radial shoulder.

12. A ball-and-socket joint and motor vehicle component comprising:

a vehicle component;

a housing;

a bearing shell associated with said housing;

a ball pivot with at least a joint ball accommodated rotatably and/or pivotably in said bearing shell of said housing and with a pivot section, one of said housing and said pivot section being connected to said vehicle component;

a thrust ring fixed on said pivot section, said thrust ring comprising an axial shoulder and a radial shoulder, said radial shoulder having a wave-shaped contour; and

a sealing bellows with a first edge area fastened to said housing and with a second edge area having a sliding connection with said thrust ring;

beginning from said axial shoulder in an axial direction, said radial shoulder of said thrust ring has a first wave peak, a wave valley following said first wave peak and a second wave peak following said wave valley, a shape of said wave peaks and said wave valley comes close to a straight contact surface, said first and second peaks each being in direct contact against a surface of a motor vehicle.

13. A ball-and-socket joint and vehicle component in accordance with claim 12 , wherein said pivot section is connected to said vehicle component and said radial shoulder is elastically supported against a said surface of said motor vehicle component in an installed state of the ball-and-socket joint in the motor vehicle.

14. A ball-and-socket joint and vehicle component in accordance with claim 12 , wherein said wave peaks have different heights relative to a common plane with said first wave peak having a smaller height than said second wave peak.

15. A ball-and-socket joint and vehicle component in accordance with claim 12 , wherein said edge area of said sealing bellows has a labyrinth seal in contact with said axial shoulder of said thrust ring.

16. A ball-and-socket joint and motor vehicle component comprising:

a vehicle component;

a housing;

a bearing shell associated with said housing;

a ball pivot with at least a joint ball accommodated rotatably and/or pivotably in said bearing shell of said housing and with a pivot section, one of said housing and said pivot section being connected to said vehicle component;

a thrust ring fixed on said pivot section, said thrust ring comprising an axial shoulder and a radial shoulder, said radial shoulder having a wave-shaped contour; and

a sealing bellows with a first edge area fastened to said housing and with a second edge area having a sliding connection with said thrust ring;

beginning from said axial shoulder in an axial direction, said radial shoulder of said thrust ring has a first wave peak, a wave valley following said first wave peak and a second wave peak following said wave valley, said wave peaks having different heights relative to a common plane with said first wave peak having a smaller height than said second wave peak.

17. A ball-and-socket joint for motor vehicles, the ball-and-socket joint comprising:

a housing;

a bearing shell associated with said housing;

a ball pivot with at least a joint ball accommodated rotatably and/or pivotably in said bearing shell of said housing and with a pivot section;

a thrust ring fixed on said pivot section, said thrust ring comprising an axial shoulder and a radial shoulder, said radial shoulder having a wave-shaped contour; and

a sealing bellows with a first edge area fastened to said housing and with a second edge area having a sliding connection with said thrust ring;

beginning from said axial shoulder in an axial direction, said radial shoulder of said thrust ring has a first wave peak, a wave valley following said first wave peak and a second wave peak following said wave valley, said wave peaks having different heights relative to a common plane with said first wave peak having a smaller height than said second wave peak.

18. A ball-and-socket joint and motor vehicle component comprising:

a vehicle component;

a housing;

a bearing shell associated with said housing;

a ball pivot with at least a joint ball accommodated rotatably and/or pivotably in said bearing shell of said housing and with a pivot section, one of said housing and said pivot section being connected to said vehicle component;

a thrust ring fixed on said pivot section, said thrust ring comprising an axial shoulder and a radial shoulder, said radial shoulder having a wave-shaped contour; and

a sealing bellows with a first edge area fastened to said housing and with a second edge area having a sliding connection with said thrust ring;

beginning from said axial shoulder in an axial direction, said radial shoulder of said thrust ring has a first wave peak, a wave valley following said first wave peak and a second wave peak following said wave valley, said first and second wave peaks each being arranged in direct contact with the vehicle component.

19. A ball-and-socket joint arrangement comprising:

a housing;

a bearing shell arranged in said housing;

a ball pivot including a joint ball and pivot section, said joint ball being pivotally arranged in said bearing shell of said housing;

a vehicle component connected to said pivot section;

a thrust ring on said pivot section, said thrust ring comprising an axial shoulder and a radial shoulder, said radial shoulder having a wave-shaped contour, and arranged on said pivot section, to be elastically biased against said vehicle component, said wave-shaped contour having separate first and second wave peaks separated by a wave valley, said first and second wave peaks each being in direct contact with, and biased against, said vehicle component;

a sealing bellows including a first edge area fastened to said housing and including a second edge area having a sliding connection with said thrust ring.

20. An arrangement in accordance with claim 19 , wherein:

said second wave peak is more biased against said vehicle component than said first wave peak.