Electromagnetic device construction

Claim 1

An electromagnetic device comprising: a round tubular outer housing having respective annular grooves on an inner peripheral surface at opposite axial ends thereof, each of said grooves having a pair of opposing sidewalls and a bottom wall, one sidewall of at least one said grooves, which is closest to an axial end of said housing, being tapered so that the width of the groove having said tapered sidewall progressively decreases along its depth; a stator assembly mounted within said housing; a rotor assembly electromagnetically cooperating with said stator assembly and mounted within said housing; bearing means for rotatably supporting said rotor assembly within said housing; a pair of end bells respectively mounted at opposite axial ends of said housing, each said end bell having an outer circumferential periphery axially extending into a respective end of said housing, the said circumferential outer periphery of each end bell containing an annular groove therein which at least partially opposes a respective groove provided on the inner periphery of said housing, said end bells fixing between them said stator, rotor and bearing assemblies within said housing; and a pair of C-clips respectively mounted within and engaging with the opposing grooves at each axial end of said housing, at least that C-clip which is mounted within said groove having said tapered sidewall having a tapered face which is complementary to said tapered sidewall so that said tapered side wall and tapered face engage upon radial expansion of the C-clip having the said tapered face to provide an axial face directed inwardly of said housing to bias said end bells toward one another and hold said stator assembly, rotor assembly and bearing assembly between said end bells.