Uses for the Ubiquitous Retaining Ring

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

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

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.