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Claim 1

A RETAINING RING APPLICATION COMPRISING THE COMBINATION OF A TUBULAR MEMBER HAVING A CIRCULAR BORE, A RELATIVELY CLOSE-FITTING PART DISPOSED IN SAID BORE, MEANS DEFINING THE INNERMOST POSITION OF SAID PART WITHIN THE BORE, AND A SPRING RETAINING RING RELEASABLY SECURING SAID PART AGAINST AXIAL MOVEMENT OUTWARDLY FROM THE BORE, SAID RETAINING RING SEATING IN A CIRCULAR GROOVE IN THE BORE WALL AND IN THE UNSTRESSED STATE HAVING AN INNER-EDGE DIAMETER LESS THAN THAT OF SAID BORE WHEREBY ITS INNER EDGE NORMALLY PROJECTS INTO THE BORE AS AN INTERNAL PARTSECURING SHOULDER, SAID RETAINING RING BEING OF SPLIT CONSTRUCTION AND SAID GROOVE HAVING DEPTH AT LEAST EQUALING THE RADIAL WIDTH OF SAID RETAINING RING THEREBY TO PERMIT SPREADING OF SAID RETAINING RING BY AN AMOUNT SUCH THAT ITS INNER-EDGE DIAMETER BECOMES SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THAT OF THE BORE, SAID RETAINING RING BEING PROVIDED IN ITS RELATIVELY OUTER FACE WITH SHOULDER MEANS SET BACK FROM ITS INNER EDGE ADAPTED TO BE ENGAGED BY THE WORKING PART OF A RING-SPREADING FIXTURE AND THE DIAMETER OF THE BORE AXIALLY-OUTWARDLY OF THE RING BEING ENLARGED BY AN AMOUNT AS TO ACCOMMODATE AND PERMIT ACTUATION OF SAID WORKING PART.