Tongue-and-Groove Ring Fastener for Thermal Expansion Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing retaining rings, such as spiral and multi-turn rings, face issues with thermal expansion causing gaps and insufficient torsional stiffness, leading to instability in securing components.
Innovation Solution
A discontinuous ring fastener with a tongue and groove design, allowing for robust full circumference support and stable connection, featuring a tongue that fits into a u-shaped groove, enabling assembly and disassembly by distorting the ring, and accommodating thermal expansion through end face separation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single turn retaining ring is used, then the ring provides full circumference support, but thermal expansion causes the ends to move apart and open the gap
Solution Approach 1:
The retaining ring is divided into multiple turns (at least two turns) instead of a single continuous band. This segmentation allows the ring to accommodate thermal expansion by distributing the expansion across multiple sections, preventing the ends from moving apart and opening the gap while maintaining full circumference support.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a two or more turn retaining ring is used to overcome thermal expansion, then thermal expansion is accommodated, but the material thickness is reduced and torsional stiffness is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The ring incorporates localized reinforcement features such as radial ribs or thickened sections at critical locations (e.g., near the ends or at specific angular positions). These local quality enhancements provide additional torsional stiffness and structural strength without requiring the entire ring to be made of thicker material, thus maintaining thermal expansion accommodation capability.
3Reliability
If the tongue and groove arrangement is used, then robust full circumference support is provided, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tongue and groove features are integrated directly into the band structure itself rather than being separate components. The tongue protrudes from one end of the band and the groove is formed at the other end, merging the connection mechanism with the ring body. This reduces overall device complexity while maintaining robust full circumference support.
Data Source
AI summary
A ring fastener comprising a discontinuous band having first and second axial faces on opposite sides, a first end with a first end face and a groove extending from the first end face and opening to the first axial face; a second end with a second end face and a tongue projecting from the second end face; wherein the groove is u-shaped and the second axial face defines the base of the groove, and the tongue is dimensioned to fit in the groove; such that, when the tongue is received in the groove, the first end is located relative to the second end and a continuous ring is formed. A method of assembling the ring fastener into a circumferential groove in a component comprises the steps of feeding the ring fastener into the groove so that the ends are adjacent to each other; distorting the second end axially out of the plane of the groove; bringing the ends towards each other until the tongue overlies the groove; and inserting the tongue into the groove so that the ends are within groove.