Patent 7189162 was granted and assigned to American Axle on March, 2007 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A universal joint for interconnecting a pair of rotating shafts includes a pair of bifurcated yokes interconnected by a cruciform. The cruciform includes four orthogonal trunnions each including a lubricant passage. A thrust washer engages an inner surface of the lubricant passage to retain a bearing assembly on each trunnion.