Posted to News on 12th Sep 2009, 00:00
Shallow groove retaining rings
TFC has added the Hoopster to its Smalley retaining ring range. The Hoopster is the ideal retaining ring for applications where the depth of the groove is critical, since it only requires a shallow groove depth in order to successfully perform. Instead of edge-coiling the material, it is coiled on the flat to produce a ring that has an extremely low profile.
Unlike a conventional retaining ring or circlip, the retained component in a Hoopster retaining ring assembly may have a corner break. Thrust load is not sacrificed when the retained component has a broken corner because the moment arm is negligible. The shallow groove associated with the Hoopster, in combination with the groove material, are the controlling factors in determining thrust capacity. The Hoopster does not twist when loaded, so pure thrust load based on shear strength of the material maximises the Hoopster's load carrying capacity.
