Please name this mechanical thingie

My first take was to label it an external circlip, but I am pretty sure there is a more descriptive label to distinguish a pressed spring steel circlip from a formed wire circlip.

Later....

Brian W

Found it. It is called E-CLIP bye

That's shape of an object I've seen called a "lock washer."

No! That is an "E" style retaining ring. It is a type of fastener designed to prevent a shaft from moving back and forth in a axial direction. See:

Wrong, its an e-clip

Try this as well:

They have it as e-ring, I see....

BrianW

Actually he isn't entirely wrong. An E-clip can be very effective as a lock washer.

-jim

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Well a "bowed" E-ring might make a usable lock washer, but it would not be my first choice to ensure that a threaded fastener did not come loose. In fact, it would not even be my tenth choice:

split ring lock washer belleville lock washer Loctite thread adhesive internal tooth lock washer external tooth lock washer safety wire locking retainer & wire serrated flat washer pair of wedge-lock washers wave spring washer

I don't know what a bowed e-ring is. An e-clip that fits snugly on the minor diameter of the threads will be an effective lock. If the only concern is not coming loose it is better than most on your list since tightening a nut down will cause the clip to bite into the threads.

-jim

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What a split ring lock washer or a belleville washer does is to provide for axial pre-load tension in the bolt as the joint expands and contracts in response to changes in temperature (or changes in load). An E-ring used as a washer may lock to the thread, but it will otherwise only function as a flat washer which does not provide any pre-load tension.

If you push the clip over threads and it is sized so that it fits snugly or even spreads the clip a little then as you tighten a nut against it the clip is seated at an angle to the nut face. As it is tightened the clip is flattened to the face causing it to spread wider. It takes about 180 degrees of turn of the nut from where it starts to apply load to the washer to where it is fully tensioned (the point where it is seated flat to the nut face).

The only reason a nut under tension holds in place is friction between mating surfaces. Without friction every nut would immediately back off until all the tension was gone. A lock washer that increases that friction significantly at the very end of tightening process works well.

-jim

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