Internal retainer ring

Summary:

Phoenix Specialty worked with the customers engineering group to assist in the development of a more robust Internal retainer ring that would solve the issues they were having with the original Internal retainer ring part. After numerous meetings and several design changes, a new part was produced that passed all simulations and testing.

The new part went into production four months after Phoenix Specialty was brought in to assist with this project.

A retaining ring is a fastener that holds components or assemblies onto a shaft or in a housing/bore when installed in a groove. Once installed, the exposed portion acts as a shoulder which retains the specific component or assembly. Circlips are a type of retaining ring.

Self-locking retaining rings may be installed in applications where there is no groove.

Retaining rings are typically made from carbon steel, stainless steel or beryllium copper and may feature a variety of finishes for corrosion protection depending on the type of environment in which they are used, this particular Retaining ring was produced out of Inconel 718 which is a aircraft alloy. Phoenix Specialty maintains a large inventory of raw material to help meet the needs of customer who require quick turnaround, especially when development or prototype work is concerned.

Tapered section retaining rings decrease symmetrically from the center to the free ends, remaining circular when contracted or expanded within the limits of normal use. This assures contact with the groove along the entire periphery of the ring. These rings may be installed axially (horizontally along the center point of an axis) or radially (externally along the radius of a circle). Depending on the size of the ring in question, it may be manufactured in one of two ways:

For smaller rings: using a die and stamping on a press from a coil of steel or copper

For larger rings: wire forming, in which rectangular wire is coiled into the shape of the ring.