Rzeppa Joint

grabcad

The Rzeppa joint features a spherical inner part with six grooves, which is enveloped by an outer shell with matching grooves. Each groove houses one ball. A large steel star-shaped gear (inner race) sits at the centre of the joint and fits within a circular cage that has a spherical design with six openings around its perimeter. The cage, along with the inner race, is positioned inside a grooved cup. Six large steel balls are placed in the cup's grooves and align with the cage's openings while also fitting into the gear's grooves. This joint effectively accommodates significant changes in angle when steering, as it allows for up to 45° of articulation. In this project, two different models of the joint are displayed, along with their renderings and animations. Please note that dimensions are approximate, so these should be used solely for demonstration purposes. Higher quality animations can be found on Imgur: Birfield type - http://imgur.com/a/uzcOH; Cross-grooves type - http://imgur.com/a/W79hA