Advantages of Spirolox® Retaining Rings
61Pages

Ring Introduction Advantages of Spirolox® Retaining Rings Spirolox Retaining Rings have No Ears to Interfere in your assembly! Spirolox Rings are manufactured by coiling the ring from flat wire. This unique process produces a retaining ring that has no protruding ears or burrs to interfere with your assembly. Because coiling produces a retaining ring with no scrap, the Spirolox Ring can be economically produced in carbon steel, stainless steel, coppers, and many other alloys. Smalley offers over 6,000 standard parts, which are readily available in both carbon and stainless steel. If you require custom designs, take advantage of Smalley's No-Tooling-Cost process; a process perfect for large runs, prototypes and midstream design changes. Whatever your application, Smalley has the cost-effective and innovative design solution. Spirolox Retaining Rings offer many advantages over stamped retaining rings • No gap - 360° retaining surface • No protruding ears to interfere with mating components (uniform cross-section) • Economically produced in stainless steel because the coiling process produces no scrap • No-Tooling-Charge on custom designs • Easy installation and removal Request FREE samples Get free samples of any standard catalog item at www.smalley.com/samples. Or use form on page 131 of this catalog. Requests typically processed within 24 hours.

Ring Introduction Other Ring Types & Custom Designs Constant Section Rings Another popular choice of retaining ring configurations is the well known Constant Section Ring. Produced by edgewinding with no special tooling charges, Constant Section Rings have been specified for many years in the automotive and heavy equipment industries as a standard choice of engineers. Smalley has hundreds of standard Constant Section Rings in stock, in carbon steel and stainless steel and in both inch and metric sizes. Special or custom designs can be produced quickly and economically utilizing Smalley’s...

Selection Guide Retaining Ring Selection Guide STEP 1: Do you need to meet any specifications? Smalley Series Military MIL- DTL-27426/3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WH Military MIL- DTL-27426/1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WS Military MIL- DTL-27426/4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WHM Military MIL- DTL-27426/2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WSM Aerospace AS4299, AS3217, AS3219. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WH Aerospace AS4299, AS3218, AS3219. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WS Aerospace...

Selection Guide Relative proportions of rings in grooves A cross-section of each Spirolox Retaining Ring configuration is illustrated, comparing groove and ring sections in the same diameter bore or shaft. The heavier retaining ring cross-sections are in deeper and wider grooves, to provide significantly greater thrust capacity. Ring Types Spirolox Retaining Rings—Single Turn (1-Turn) VH & VS — Light Duty, inch VHM & VSM — Light Duty, metric Spirolox Retaining Rings—2-Turn WH & WS — Medium Duty, inch WHT & WST — Medium Heavy Duty, inch WHM & WSM — Heavy Duty, inch EH & ES — Medium Duty,...

Interchange Listing Smalley Retaining Rings are interchangeable with both inch and metric retaining ring grooves. Smalley offers free samples of all stock retaining rings to test in your application. Cross reference a standard stamped ring or snap ring to find the appropriate Smalley Retaining Ring to fit your application.

SMALLEY Ring Applications A. Rubber Boot A.Rubber Boot A 2-Turn Spirolox Retaining Ring clamps the rubber boot onto the groove making for a nearly perfect seal when the boot is filled with grease. The ring has been deburred so it will not tear into the rubber. B. Pneumatic Fitting An economical (without removal notches or offset) 2-Turn Spirolox Retaining Ring creates an ID/OD lock, permitting the 360° rotation of the nut. This permanent assembly is commonly used to hold two components together. C. Conduit Connector In this unique application, a Dished Retaining Ring was designed with...

I. Gear Assembly L. Hose Fitting G. Bike Lock Tamper-proof ring holds the lock assembly within its housing. The ring is considered tamper-proof because of reversed removal notches. Also, having a heavy cross-section makes the ring nearly impossible to remove. H. Pressure Gauge A retaining ring designed in a shallow groove exerts very light pressure on the glass lens in this pressure gauge. This single-turn retaining ring design provides the optimum load without breaking the glass. I. Gear Assembly External 2-Turn retaining ring prevents the pinion shafts from spinning when the gears are...

SMALLEY Ring Applications N. Air Vent M. Right Angle Drive M. Right Angle Drive Constant section rings secure the bearing assembly by providing removable shoulders in the bore. This simplifies the design of the gear box and replaces costly flanged end plates. N. Air Vent Single-turn, light-duty retaining ring fits tightly in the internal groove of a plastic air vent. Ring ends are dimensioned close together, providing nearly complete 360° ring support. O. Pulley 2-Turn retaining rings provide 360° side walls as sides of the timing belt pulley. Design eliminates costly pressed-on...

Assembly Methods Manual Installation Manual installation on an individual or low production basis is accomplished as follows: • Separate the ring coils and insert one end of the ring into the groove. • Wind the ring by pressing down around the circumference until the entire ring is inserted into the groove. Semi–Automated and Automated Installation For higher speed and automated assembly operations, simple tooling or assembly fixtures can be designed. External ­ installation on a shaft can be accomplished with a plunger and tapered plug. The plug, angled at approximately 6 degrees, is...

Assembly Methods Internal retaining ring installation is accomplished in a similar manner. A tapered bore, which acts as a ring contracting guide, and a plunger pushes the retaining ring into position. Tooling for ring installation should have hardened working surfaces to minimize wear. Ring Sleeve Removal Smalley Retaining Rings are supplied standard with removal notches to enable easy extraction from a groove. The notch is provided to form a small gap between the ring end and the shaft or housing, permitting a blunt object to be inserted at the end of the ring to pry the free end out...