The elastic spiral retaining ring is an industrial accessory that can function as a support, buffer, brake, height adjustment, and angle adjustment. When the shaft is selected with an elastic spiral retaining ring, the inner diameter is slightly smaller than the diameter of the assembly shaft. When the hole is selected with an elastic spiral retaining ring, the outer diameter of the retaining ring is slightly larger than the diameter of the assembly circular hole. The retaining ring mainly serves the role of axial fixation. Among them, the conical surface and the retaining ring are fixed with a high degree of centering.
The current elastic spiral retaining ring installation methods:
- Most of them are installed with elastic retaining ring installation pliers;
- Simple installation aids;
- Automatic elastic retaining ring installation machine.
Disadvantages of these installation methods:
- If the force is uneven in manual installation, the elastic retaining ring will deform plastically, which will lead to the failure of the elastic retaining ring;
- It is impossible to locate parts with complex structure, and the production efficiency is also low;
- Simple installation aids are only suitable for the parts to be installed, generally not universal and have limitations;
- The automatic elastic retaining ring installation machine has a complex structure and high cost.
The elastic spiral retaining ring is different for the shaft and the hole. Their structural characteristics are: the elastic spiral retaining ring for the shaft is a kind of installation on the shaft groove, which is used for the positioning and fixing of the shaft end parts, can withstand severe vibration and shock loads, but need to take anti-loosening measures and installation positioning; The hole is installed in the circular hole with an elastic spiral retaining ring, which is used to fix the axial movement of the parts. The outer diameter of this type of retaining ring is slightly larger than the diameter of the assembled circular hole.
The elastic spiral retaining ring for shaft is a kind of axial movement installed on the grooved shaft and used to fix the parts. The inner diameter of this kind of retaining ring is slightly smaller than the diameter of the assembly shaft. When installing, it is necessary to use circlip pliers, insert the pliers nose into the pliers hole of the retaining ring, expand the retaining ring, and then put it on the pre-machined shaft groove. Conventional packaging is packaged in batches of oil paper or plastic, and the surface is generally blackened by phosphating, commonly known as a wild card. There are several aspects that need to be paid attention to in the production of shaft retaining rings; one is that the surface is flat; the other is that the hardness and elasticity are qualified; the third is that there should be no corner burrs.
There are five standard types of elastic spiral retaining ring, which are widely used in medical equipment, aerospace and other fields. Although these elastic spiral retaining rings can be applied to most working conditions, with the update of technology, special applications of elastic spiral retaining rings have entered our field of vision, such as self-locking elastic retaining rings.
Self-Locking retaining rings are designed to help increase the rotational capacity of the retaining ring and are ideal for applications with high rotational capacity requirements.
The origin of self-locking retaining ring
All flexible spiral retaining rings for rotating shafts will be restrained by centrifugal force. If these centrifugal forces are large enough to expand the retaining ring so that it no longer fits in the groove, the effect of the elastic retaining ring is diminished, which is highly likely to lead to failure.
However, with the advancement of technology and the updating of equipment, more and more applications need to use higher rotational capacity, so the centrifugal force on the elastic retaining ring will also increase. If your application requires more than the recommended rotational capacity indicated by standard circlips, you can choose based on your specific application needs.
Since rotational capacity is a function of several parameters (i.e. thickness, radial wall size, fit, and interference fit and diameter between ring and groove, etc.) Or the fit of the retaining ring and the groove to improve the rotation ability.
If your application needs exceed the recommended rotational capacity of a standard circlip, you can choose a self-locking circlip based on your application needs. The self-locking retaining ring is used in ultra-high speed conditions, and overcomes the centrifugal force at high speed through its self-locking structure.
A self-locking retaining ring is a custom retaining ring that features a self-locking function through a protrusion and a groove that interlock to prevent expansion of the retaining ring. The protrusions fit perfectly into the grooves on the mating turns so that when the retaining ring is installed in the grooves, the protrusions snap into the grooves.
This feature allows the retaining ring to function properly at speeds well beyond the rotational capability of standard circlips. Therefore, this self-locking function enables the retaining ring to operate at high speeds, withstand vibration, and accelerate operation, while absorbing a certain degree of shock load.
Installation method of self-locking retaining ring
The installation process of the self-locking retaining ring is roughly the same as that of the standard retaining ring, except that there is one more step than the standard retaining ring, that is, you need to use a small hammer or mallet to tap the protrusion of the self-locking retaining ring achieve accurate positioning. The two protrusions of the self-locking circlip must be fully seated in their corresponding grooves on the mating turns.
Zhejiang Lisheng Spring is a member enterprise of China Spring Association and a national high-tech enterprise. We have many years of production experience and are one of the experts in this industry. Our company currently has thousands of specifications of products, if you are interested in our products, please contact us.
