Rotor Clip Company, Inc., a leading manufacturer in retaining rings, hose clamps and related products recently published formulae on its website for determining thrust loads and tolerances, avoiding costs associated with over-estimating application requirements.

Maximum allowable thrust load capacities for all retaining rings are given in the manufacturer’s technical manual. Design engineers can use this information to determine if their application requires a ring suited for withstanding thrust loads or static retention.  There is no need to design in one type when another will do at a reduced cost.

For example, consider an assembly in which you have to fasten components in a bore or housing .750” (19.0mm) in diameter. A self-locking retaining ring, which does not need a groove, provides 66 lbs. of static thrust load capacity; an external retaining ring for the same application installed in a soft groove provides 1,200 lbs. of static load capacity with a safety factor of 2. If the load capacity of your application is 66 lbs. or less, then the self-locking ring presents the most economical and effective approach to meeting this fastener requirement.

Visit www.rotorclip.com  for online retaining ring specs, sample requests and quotation requests.  Visit http://www.rotorclip.com/formulas.php to access Rotor Clip’s formulae for determining thrust load and tolerances, or contact tech@rotorclip.com for technical design assistance.