US2985054A

US2985054A - Retaining ring having interacting tabs and slot to prevent expansion

Info

Publication number: US2985054A
Application number: US739863A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harry M Bramberry; Paul A Lux
Original assignee: Ramsey Corp
Current assignee: Ramsey Corp
Priority date: 1958-06-04
Filing date: 1958-06-04
Publication date: 1961-05-23
Anticipated expiration: 1978-05-23

Description

United States Patent O RETAINING RING HAVING INTERACTNG TABS AND SLGT TO PREVENT EXPANSION Harry M. Bramberry, Kirkwood, and Paul A. Lux, I'Jniversity City, Mo., assignors to Ramsey Corporation, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Ohio Filed June 4, 1958, Ser. No. 739,863

6 Claims. (Cl. 858.8)

This invention relates to improvements in retaining rings. More particularly, this invention relates to retaining rings provided with means to prevent the opening of the ring due to centrifugal force and to prevent collapse of the ring under pressure.

It is an object of the invention to provide a retaining ring for holding parts, such as shafts and housings, in assembled relation, which ring is capable of taking a thrust-load and is provided with means to prevent the deformation of the ring in use.

A further object is to provide a retaining ring the adjacent coils of which are provided with a slot and a tab respectively which cooperate to prevent deformation of the ring and which may further serve to facilitate installation or removal of the ring.

While the novel and distinctive features of the invention are particularly pointed out in the appended claims, a more expository treatment of the invention, in principle and in detail, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, is afforded by the following description and accompanying drawing in which like reference characters `are used to refer to like parts throughout and wherein:

Figure l is a plan view of one embodiment of the retaining ring of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional View taken on the line lI-II of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line III- III of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the left side of the retaining ring shown in Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a sectional view showing the retaining ring of Figure l externally mounted on a shaft.

Figure 6 is a plan view of another embodiment of the retaining ring of the present invention.

Figure 7 is a sectional view showing the ring of Figure 6 interiorly mounted on a shaft or in a housing.

Turning now to the drawing, and more particularly to Figure l thereof, there is shown a retaining ring 10 which may, for example, conveniently be formed from a continuous winding of spring steel as a two-coil helix in true circular shape. Thus, as may be best seen in Figures 1 and 4, the ring 10 consists of a rst or upper coil 11 and a second or lower coil 12 connected continuously to the first coil by `an intermediate or set portion 13.

The retaining ring 10 of Figure 4 is adapted to be seated in a groove such as the groove 21 externally formed on a shaft 22 as shown by way of example in Figure 5. In placing the ring into the groove, the two coils are, of course, extended by spring action to clear the outer diameter of the shaft and contract to seat in groove 21. In order to facilitate the removal of the ring from the groove, slots and 16 may, if desired, be provided in end portions 11a and 12a, respectively, in accordance with the teaching in U.S. Patent No. 2,450,425, issued to F. D. Frisby on October 5, 1948. These

grooves

15 and 16 are adapted to receive a tool, such as a screwdriver, to force the ring from the groove. It will of course be understood that the provision of these ring removal slots does not form a part of -the present invention.

In accordance with the present invention an additional slot 18 is provided in the coil 12 of ring 10 and a further slot 20 is provided in the coil 11 of ring 10. Tabs 17 and 19 are formed from the material of coils 11 and 12 respectively and are positioned to protrude into the

slots

18 and 20 as best seen in Figures 2 and 3. 'I'his slot and tab arrangement is provided to prevent deformations of the retaining ring such as expansion of the ring by the centrifugal force resulting from the rotation of shaft 22. 1t will be apparent that any such tendency of the ring to expand will be prevented by abutment of the end of the tab against the end of the slot after a Predetermined limited amount of movement. Thus, if the ring tends to expand the end 17a of tab 17 will eventually abut against the end 18a of slot 18 and similarly the end 19a of tab 19 will abut against the end 20a of slot 20. The relative dimension of the tab and slot may be adjusted to permit any desired tolerance.

It has been found that the most effective position for the tab and slot arrangement is on a diameter such as the diameter 14b of the ring 10 which lies perpendicular to a diameter such as the diameter 14a of ring 10 which passes through the gap of the ring formed between the end 11a and 12a as indicated by the bracket 14 in Figure l.

Although the ring 10 of Figure 1 has been illustrated as being of the external type suitable for seating in an external groove as shown in Figure 5, it will, of course, be understood that the principles of the present invention may also be applied to an internal type ring suitable for seating in an internal groove as shown in Figure 7. Thus, in Figure 7, a ring 30 is shown seated in an internal groove 38 of a hollow shaft `or housing 37. Ring 3i) is shown in plan in Figure 6 and is generally similar to the ring 10 shown in Figure l. In the ring 30, however, it will be noted that the deformation preventing tab and slot arrangement has been positioned in the ends 31 `and 32 respectively of the two coils of the ring 30 generally in the position occupied by the

removal tool slots

15 and 16 of the ring 10 of Figure l. By this arrangement, slot 33 in the end 31 and slot 35 in the end 32 serve both the functions of being adapted to receive a removal tool such as a screw driver for extending the ring and the function of receiving the

tabs

34 and 36 respectively to prevent deformation of the ring such as collapse due to pressure applied thereto `from the shaft 37. It will, of course, be understood that the slot and

tab arrangement

33 and 34 and 35 and 36 respectively of Figure 6 are the same in cross section as those shown for ring 10 in Figures 2 and 3 and function in the same manner. The embodiment of Figure 6 differs from that of Figure l primarily in the positioning of the tab and slot pairs so that they may serve both the function of l preventing ring deformation and of facilitating n'ng removal.

While the principles of the invention have now been made clear, there will be immediately obw'ous to those skilled in the art many modiiications in structure, arrangement, proportions, the elements and components used in the practice of the invention and otherwise, which are particularly adapted for specific environments and operating requirements without departing from those principles. The appended claims are therefore intended to cover and embrace any such modifications within the limits only of the true spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim as our invention:

1. A retaining ring to carry the axial thrust of a relatively rotatable member and to be mounted in a corresponding annular groove of a cylindrical member, said ring comprising a helix of nearly two similar and axially en gaged turns forming coils of metal strip whose wldth `extends radially and is at least several times its axially extending thickness, the ends of the two coils being in peripherallyspaced relation to provide a ring of `only two axially engaged strip thicknesses, at least one slot having its length extending lalong the peripheral length oi, and through the thickness of, a iirst of said coils, and a corresponding integral tab bent at only a shallow angle to extend axially from the width of the second of said coils into said corresponding slot, and with only its end engaging the end of said slot, to prevent radial deformation of saidV ring under service loads and to aiord a tool engaging means for installation or removal of said retaining ring.

2. A relatively rotatively thrust supporting and retaining ring to be mounted in a corresponding annular groove of a cylindrical member, comprising a helix of slightly less than two complete and similar, axially engaged turns of strip whose axially extending thickness is much less than its radially extending width, at least one slot through the thickness of, and extending along the peripheral length of, one of said turns, Vand a corresponding, integral tab protruding axiallyrby less than its thickness from the width of a portion of the otherof said turns immediately adjacent said slot, said tab having its end extending into said corresponding slot to engage the end thereof to thereby compress said tab along its peripheral length and prevent radialdeformation of said ring from service loads.

3. An axial and relatively rotatable thrust supporting, retaining ring to be installed in a corresponding groove in a cylindrical member, comprising nearly two complete, similar, and axially engaging coils of a continuous helical winding from metal strip whose width extends radially and is at least several times its axially extending thickness, the ends of the said coils lying within the outerv and inner radial margins of the ring and being in peripherally' spaced relation to each other. to form a gap therebetween,

. a iirst peripherally extending slot in said first coil, a second ,peripherally .extending slot in said second coil, a corresponding iirst integral tab extending axially from said second coil and a corresponding second integral tab extending axially from said rfirst coil, said slots and tabs each lying on a diameter of said ring which is perpendicular to a diameter which extends through said gap of said ring, said Vfirst tab protruding into said second slot by less than its thickness and said second tab protruding into said iirst slot by less than its thickns toV prevent radially outward expansion of said ring in service by peripheral engagements of the free ends of said tabs with the corresponding ends of said slots.

4. A thrust carrying, retaining ring to be mounted in a corresponding groove of a cylindrical member, cornprising nearly two similar, annular coils of a continuous helix of strip metal whose radially extending width is at least several times as great as its `axially extending thickness, said coils being in engagement and having their Vends in spaced relation to each other, a trst slot near the end of said rst coil `and a second slot near the end of said second coil, a iirst tab on said second coil and a second tab on said rst coil, said iirst tab being bent out by less than its thickness to protrude into said first slot with its free end engaging the corresponding end of said rst slot and said second tab being bent out by less than its thickness to protrude into said second slot with its free end engaging the corresponding end of said second slot to prevent radially inward deformation of said ring in use and also to permit reception of tools in both said slots for opening said ring for removal.

5. A thrust carrying, retaining'ring to be installed in a corresponding annular groove in a cylindrical member, comprising a continuous helix of strip metal having slightly less than two engaging coils, the ends of the coils being in space relation to each other to form a gap, a tirst and peripherally extending slot ,in said rst coil and a second peripherally extending slot in said second coil, a first and peripherally expandingtab on said second coil and a second and peripherally extending tab on said rst coil, said iirst and second slots andV said iirst and second tabs each lying on a diameter of said ring which is perpendicular to a diameter of said ring which passes through said gap, said first tab protruding into said first slot by an amount not greater than its thickness and said second tab protruding into said second slot by an amount not greater than its thickness wherebyrthe free ends of said tabs engage corresponding ends of said slots to prevent radially outward deformation of said ring by centrigugal force in use, a third slot near said end of said iirst coil and a fourth slot near said end of said second coil, said third and fourth slots`being adapted to receive a tool for opening said ring.

6. A thrust carrying, retaining ring to be installed in a corresponding groove of a cylindrical member cornprising a continuous helix of nearly two complete turns of spring steelstrip, said turns being in engagement and their ends beingrin spaced relation to form a gap therebetween, a first peripherally extending slot in .said iirst turn and a second peripherally extending slot in said second turn, a corresponding iirst tab upon said second turn and a corresponding second tab on said iirst turn, said tabs being formed from a portion of the spring steel material of-said coils respectively, said iirst tab being bent out to protrude into said first slot by an amount approximately equal to its thickness and said second tab being bent out to protrude into said second slot by an amount approximately equal to its thickness whereby only the free ends of said tabs engage the corresponding ends of said slots to prevent radial deformation of said ring 1n use.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 172,982 Earle Feb. 1, 1876 2,164,109 Guiducci June 27, 1939 2,450,425 Frisby Oct. 5, 1948 2,660,913 Frisby Dec. 1, 1953