Development of a ball groove measuring system for forged outer race constant velocity (CV) joints

Since traditional cold forging methods are not always capable of producing complexly shaped parts, such parts are often made by processes, which require intense machining operations at relatively high costs. The outer race of a constant velocity (CV) joint is an important load-supporting automotive component that transmits torque between the transmission and the driven wheel. The outer race is difficult to be forged because its shape is very complicated and the required dimensional tolerances are very tight. To guarantee the dimensional accuracy of a forged outer race and to decrease the time for inspection, a quick and precise measurement is required for these forged products. In the present study on forged out race CV joints, a ball groove measurement system that uses the mechanical linear displacement sensor and lab view software has been developed and implemented in an industrial production line. The ball groove measurement system was designed specifically to measure the dimensions of the six ball grooves in the outer race. The newly developed system provides high measurement accuracy with a simple operational sequence. The measured dimensional profiles of developed system also show good agreement with those from a Zeiss 3D measurement scanner.