Description
Rotational capacity requirements for modern applications are higher than ever, especially in electric motors, gearboxes, and automotive transmissions. As the market leader for innovative retaining ring solutions, Smalley has been continually investing in ongoing research and development to meet the demand for high RPM requirements.
The revolutionary self-locking feature consists of a ‘dimple and slot’ design to prevent ring expansion.
The dimple feature is punched into the underside of the ring, resulting in a dome shape on the opposing side of the ring. It’s critical that the dome shape protrudes above the surface of the ring, but without shearing. The slot portion is created by cutting into the mating turn.
The dimple and slot are located such that the dimple is trapped within the slot once installed in a groove, thus locking into place. As the ring rotates it expands, engaging the dimple and the slot and preventing any further expansion.