1. A joint connection for connecting a component provided with axially facing spur gear teeth with a joint provided with corresponding axially facing spur gear teeth in a torque-transmitting manner, wherein:
said spur gear teeth on said component and on said joint have flanks that have a wedge angle in the range from about 10 to about 150 and that contact each other as functional surfaces;
said joint is a constant velocity joint having an inner hub comprising a cylindrical section, and the axially facing spur gear teeth of the joint are formed on an axial end face of the cylindrical section of the inner hub;
said component is provided with a sleeve having a cylindrical section and a set of longitudinal teeth formed on at least a partial area of an inner surface of said sleeve, said set of longitudinal teeth on said sleeve mating with a set of longitudinal teeth formed on at least a partial area of an outer surface of said component such that the sleeve is non-rotatably connected to said component, and the axially facing spur gear teeth of the component are formed on an axial end face of said cylindrical section of said sleeve;
said joint connection comprises a securing member which engages respective connection elements provided on the outer circumference of the cylindrical section of the sleeve and on the outer circumference of the cylindrical section of the inner hub of the joint and applies an axial engaging force to the sleeve and the joint to fix the flanks of the spur gear teeth on the sleeve in intermeshing, torque transmitting interengagement with the flanks of the spur gear teeth on the inner hub of the joint; and
said securing member comprises a securing nut with a thread which mates with a thread on the component and a shoulder which projects inwardly on a side of said securing nut facing said joint and engages a securing ring received in a groove formed in said cylindrical section of said inner hub.
2. A joint connection according to claim 1, wherein the wedge angle of the functional surface flanks of the spur gear teeth is in the range from about 1.5\xb0 to about 5\xb0.
3. A joint connection according to claim 1, wherein the joint is an opposed path constant velocity joint.
4. A joint connection according to claim 1, wherein the spur gear teeth are case hardened.
5. A joint connection according to claim 1, wherein the spur gear teeth are heat treated or tempered.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. Method for forming an essentially flat blank (12) of metal into a thin-walled, shell-type body (14), with the blank (12) being clamped over its circumference (22) to a supporting structure (16) with a mold chamber (18) in which the blank (12) is held during increasing deformation into a thin-walled, shell-type body (14), the rear face (24) of the blank (12) facing towards the mold chamber (18) being sealed with respect to the front face (26) of the blank (12) facing away from the mold chamber (18), a vacuum being applied to the mold chamber (18) forming the closure of the blank (12) and the blank (12) being deformed into a thin-walled, shell-type body (14) by a defined evacuation of the mold chamber (18) and by at least one forming tool (50) applied to the front face (26) of the blank (12), with the blank (12) and the at least one forming tool (50) being moved, especially rotated, relative to each other.
2. Method in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the blank (12) is brought to an elevated temperature profile by at least one device (30) for warming andor heating the blank (12) allocated to the mold chamber (18).
3. Method in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the blank (12) is held at an elevated temperature profile by at least one device (32) for thermal insulation allocated to the mold chamber (18) andor at least one device (34) allocated to the mold chamber (18) for heat reflection.
4. Method in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the blank (12) is supplied with protective gas by a device allocated to the mold chamber (18) or communicating with the mold chamber (18).
5. Method in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the blank (12) is deformed into the thin-walled, shell-type body (14) by a perforated mating mold (48) allocated to the mold chamber (18).
6. Method in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the blank (12) is deformed into the thin-walled, shell-type body (14) by at least one forming or pressure roller andor one, preferably hydrostatically mounted, pressure ball.
7. Method in accordance with claim 6, characterized in that the front face (26) of the forming tool (50) applied to the blank (12) is guided relative to the blank (12) from the circumference (22) to the centre of the blank (12) andor from the centre to the circumference (22) of the blank (12).
8. Method in accordance with claim 6, characterized in that the forming tool (50) applied to the front face (26) of the blank (12) is controlled by means of a template or numerically using closed-loop andor open-loop control.
9. Method in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the blank (12) before deforming into the thin-walled, shell-type body (14) is formed from at least two separate flat elements joined together to form one unit by means of tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding, metal inert gas (MIG) welding, friction stir welding (FSW), electron beam (EB) welding, laser welding, plasma welding or a similar welding method.
10. Method in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the blank (12) is soft annealed before deforming into the thin-walled, shell-type body (14).
11. Method in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the blank (12) is pre-contoured by chip removal, especially by turning, milling andor grinding, before deforming into the thin-walled, shell-type body (14), with a predetermined wall thickness distribution of the blank (12) being set to obtain the required final wall thickness of the thin-walled, shell-type body (14).
12. Method in accordance with claim 11, characterized in that the blank (12) is provided with contouring on its reverse face (24) before deforming into the thin-walled, shell-type body (14).
13. Method in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the blank (12), before deforming andor stretching into the thin-walled, shell-type body (14), is provided, by chip removal, especially by turning, milling andor grinding, with openings, perforations or similar cutouts, especially in the pole area of the blank (12) that are temporarily sealed vacuum tight by covers, especially a film.
14. Method in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the blank (12) is preformed andor pre-pressed before deforming into the thin-walled, shell-type body (14).
15. Method in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the blank (12), before deforming into the thin-walled, shell-type body (14), is brought to condition T4 by solution annealing followed by quenching.
16. Method in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the blank (12) is cold formed for deforming into the thin-walled, shell-type body (14).
17. Method in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the blank (12) is hot age-hardened and brought to condition T8 before deforming into the thin-walled, shell-type body (14).
18. Method in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the blank (12) is continuously measured when deforming into the thin-walled, shell-type body (14).
19. Use of the method andor device in accordance with claim 1 for producing components (12) that are rotationally symmetrical andor not rotationally symmetrical, are shell-shaped, especially hemispherical-cap shaped, dome-shaped, elliptical-dome shaped, elliptical, or Casini-shaped or with other cross-section shapes.
20. Use of the method andor device in accordance with claim 1 for the production of shells as domes for rocket fuel tanks, satellite tanks, parabolic antennas, parabolic deflector dishes, parabolic solar collectors, searchlight housings, container bottoms, tower cupolas, pressure domes or similar.
21. Use of the method andor the device in accordance with claim 1 for rolling, especially compaction rolling, of defined surfaces of thin-walled, shell-type bodies (14).