Axle boot

Abstract

An axle boot for joint sealing, in particular on the drive train of motor vehicles, includes a substantially axisymmetric bellows, which is designed as a single piece with a connecting collar. The connecting collar has a plurality of indentations projecting towards the inside that are adapted to radial recesses in the external contour of the joint housing. To the outside of the connecting collar are attached compensating pieces that complete the external contour, forming a cylindrical circumferential surface on which a clamp is located.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An axle boot for joint sealing, comprising: 
 a joint housing including an external contour having a plurality of radial recesses;    a substantially axisymmetric bellows including an integral connecting collar formed as a single piece, the connecting collar including a plurality of indentations projecting radially inward each indentation adapted one of the radial recesses; and    a plurality of compensating pieces attached to an outer surface of the connecting collar so as to form a cylindrical outer circumferential surface.    
     
     
         2 . The axle boot as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the axle boot is for sealing a joint on a drive train of a motor vehicle.  
     
     
         3 . The axle boot as recited in  claim 1 , wherein a circumferential length of each of the plurality of compensating pieces corresponds approximately to a circumferential length of an associated radial recess.  
     
     
         4 . The axle boot as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of compensating pieces are connected to each other to form a single-piece component extending around an entire circumference of the connecting collar.  
     
     
         5 . The axle boot as recited in  claim 4 , wherein the single-piece component includes a plurality of ring sections for connecting adjacent ones of the plurality of connecting pieces, at least one of the ring sections being elastically deformable in the a circumferential direction.  
     
     
         6 . The axle boot as recited in  claim 5 , wherein at least one of the ring sections includes a meander shape.  
     
     
         7 . The axle boot as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising a circumferential clamp for the connecting collar, the compensating pieces connected to the circumferential clamp.  
     
     
         8 . The axle boot as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the compensating pieces are integrated with the clamp as an integrated multi-component unit.  
     
     
         9 . The axle boot as recited in  claim 1 , wherein each compensating piece includes a more than one material component, each of the material components having a different hardness.  
     
     
         10 . The axle boot as recited in  claim 1 , wherein each of the compensating pieces is a fluid-filled hollow body having flexible walls.  
     
     
         11 . The axle boot as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the bellows is made of a thermoplastic copolyester (TPE).