When engineers think of fasteners, they usually think along traditional lines: screws, nuts, bolts, cotter pins and washers, rivets, etc. But if these same engineers are tasked with reducing costs, they look outside of their comfort zone for a fastener that will do the job and meet their reduction targets. That is why engineers are increasingly turning to retaining rings to replace traditional fasteners and deliver savings in labor, materials, and overall costs. This is by no means a complete list. Take the time to look around your space (home, office, gym, etc.). You are sure to find more examples in addition to the ones described here one or more retaining rings holding something together that you need and use without giving it a second thought. Here are a few products that use a retaining ring as a fastening component.
Drones
Drone Applications
These remote-controlled devices can be used for a variety of purposes, some good, others questionable. They can travel underwater, deliver packages to your doorstep, deliver much needed blood to remote areas, and destroy pre-defined targets on a battlefield among other applications. This drone manufacturer uses retaining rings to fasten the pinion gear and shaft to the device’s propellers.
Doorknob
SImple Doorknobs have Retaining Rings
The next time you enter a room, you may indirectly be coming into contact with a retaining ring. This external retaining ring is holding the threaded portion of this doorknob in place. Notice how the lugs of the ring are reversed so as not to interfere with the threads, which must be screwed into the knob’s base. There are many variations of standard retaining rings that accommodate specific fastener requirements like this one.
Electronic Steering
Electronic Steering Retaining Ring
That next turn you make in your car may very well depend on a retaining ring. The main body of this E-steering assembly was held in place by a bulky cover and bolts. The engineers redesigned it to eliminate these costly items and replaced it with a beveled retaining ring, another variation of a standard retaining ring. This ring features a 15-deg. angle on the outer edge and a complementary angle on the groove wall. When installed, the ring wedges itself between the groove and the retained part, eliminating endplay and vibration.
Jump Rope
Jump Rope Handle Bearing
It is a great way to stay in shape. But while you are doing a hop, skip, and a jump to your favorite ditty, remember that in this model the fastener question was how to retain a bearing in the handle in the most efficient way. Engineers responded with an internal retaining ring. Machine a simple groove on the inside of the wooden handle, compress the lugs, and “snap” the ring into the groove. That is all it takes to install the ring and easily remove it when it is time to replace the bearing.
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Putting in the simplest form, analysis is just the simplification of real world to an engineer, with a measure of how much assumption is put in the analysis process. Lesser the assumptions; more accurate and close is the result to real world situation. However, stress analysis, in actual practices and from technical perspective isn’t just as easy as it is to write.
It’s a battle as old as Finite Element Analysis. How do you achieve accurate results while balancing size and solve time of a FEA model? Simple models may solve quickly, but are the results accurate? And, complex models may provide very accurate results, but solve time could be hours or even days. In this blog we’ll discuss Convergence & Mesh Independence and see how it relates to this age-old battle.
Nice blog Very nicely explained the importance of retaining rings and fasteners in every machinery from Auto-mobile to industrial machinery everywhere some type of retaining rings are used. Thank you
Nice blog Very nicely explained the importance of retaining rings and fasteners in every machinery from Auto-mobile to industrial machinery everywhere some type of retaining rings are used. Thank you
3 thoughts on “Uses for the Ubiquitous Retaining Ring”
Nice blog
Very nicely explained the importance of retaining rings and fasteners in every machinery from Auto-mobile to industrial machinery everywhere some type of retaining rings are used.
Thank you
Nice blog
Very nicely explained the importance of retaining rings and fasteners in every machinery from Auto-mobile to industrial machinery everywhere some type of retaining rings are used.
Thank you
Very informative! Very well explained about these types of a retaining ring as I was looking for these types of information. Keep posting.