The invention relates to a joint fork of a joint for adjusting linkages, with two fork cheeks arranged fixedly in terms of movement at one shank end of a fork shank, in which the fork shank has a central threaded bore and the mutually parallel fork cheeks each have a receiving bore, and the axis of the threaded bore lies both centrally in relation to the fork cheeks and perpendicularly relative to the axis of the mutually aligned receiving bores.
Standardized joint forks of this type (DIN 71 752) are long and narrow in the directions of the fork shank, that is to say perpendicularly to the joint axis, because the clear diameter of the threaded bore is at most equal to, but usually smaller than the clear distance between the fork cheeks, and the distance between the axis of the receiving bores, on the one hand, and the fork-shank end located opposite the fork cheek, on the other hand, amounts to at least four times the clear diameter of a receiving bore.
An object on which the invention is based is essentially, for constructional and kinematic reasons, to keep small the total constructional length of a rack-and-pinion steering with steering-rod connections attached centrally to a piston rod. This object presents itself especially when positional hydraulic circuits necessitate a large constructional length. Under these circumstances, however, standardized fork joints would prevent a motive-circuit rack-and-pinion steering from being used.
According to the invention, this object is achieved in an advantageous way by means of an arrangement wherein the outside diameter of the threaded bore amounts to approximately twice the clear distance between the fork cheeks, and wherein the distance between the axis of the receiving bores, on the one hand, and the other shank end of the fork shank located opposite the fork cheeks, on the other hand, amounts to approximately twice the clear diameter of a receiving bore.
In the joint fork according to the invention or in the joint according to the invention designed with such a joint fork, it is to the advantage of a small constructional length that, among other things,
the central threaded bore in the fork shank has a short thread length and a wide thread diameter, PA1 the threaded connection can be secured by jamming the slotted fork shank by means of a clamping screw, PA1 the strength of the fork shank is guaranteed by utilizing the thread run-out and the chamber of the trunnion of the respective linkage part for the shank length, and PA1 a further reduction of the constructional length becomes possible if the cylindrical outer face of the bearing lug penetrates into the wide recess made possible by the wide thread diameter on the end face of the trunnion.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.