Official Answer
Answer
Spiral retaining rings are coiled from flat wire and have no ears or lugs. This 'No-Ear' design provides $360^\circ$ contact with the groove and the retained part, and offers a lower radial profile. From an installation standpoint, the lack of lugs means there are no stress risers at the eyelets, which are common failure points in stamped rings. Furthermore, because they are coiled, they can be 'wound' into a groove manually in field-repair situations without special tools, by starting one end in the groove and walking the rest of the ring around the circumference. This is a significant advantage in subsea or remote maintenance.
