WINTER 2014

46 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S

46 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK Rotor Clip Company Inc. 187 Davidson Avenue, Somerset, NJ 08873 Tel: 1-800-557-6867 Fax: 732-469-7898 Email: info@www.rotorclip.com www.rotorclip.com Design engineers have used beveled retaining rings successfully for many years to take up endplay and eliminate unwanted noise and vibration in countless assemblies as diverse as electronic steering gears and rotary unions. The savings are obvious when compared to the alternatives, including maintaining inventories of rings of assorted thicknesses or relying on shims to accomplish the endplay take up task. The proper functioning of a beveled ring depends on its adherence to stated specifications, the most critical being the actual bevel angle and the thickness or “U” value as listed in the Rotor Clip catalog. These critical characteristics have been the source of controversy as many end users have used measurement methods that are inherently unreliable. MEASURING THE ANGLE OF A BEVELED RETAINING RING by Bruce Rudin After much experimentation, Rotor Clip has settled on an accurate measurement technique it is Above: Fig 1A - Ring Seated at Minimum Depth Below: Fig 1B - Ring Seated At Maximum Depth (Near Groove Bottom) recommending to its worldwide customers who rely on beveled retaining rings in their applications. Beveled retaining rings are similar in construction to the standard internal and external types, except the groove engaging edge is beveled to a 15° angle. (The bevel is located around the outer circumference of the internal rings, and around the inner circumference of the external rings.) The groove is machined with a corresponding 15° bevel on the loadbearing groove wall. When a beveled ring is installed in the groove, it acts as a wedge between the outer groove wall and the part being retained. The ring’s spring action causes the fastener to seat more deeply in the groove and compensate for the endplay. The ring should be seated at least halfway into the groove to provide sufficient contact area with the load-bearing groove wall (see Fig1). please turn to page 192