Official Answer
Answer
Upon inspection of a failed assembly, groove wall yielding is identified by a 'dished' or 'peeled back' appearance of the groove itself, while the ring may remain intact but distorted. The metal of the groove will show signs of plastic flow. In contrast, 'Ring Shear' results in the ring being cut into two or more pieces, often with a 'shiny' shear plane on the cross-section of the wire, while the groove remains relatively sharp and square. Groove yielding is common when using hard rings in soft housings (e.g., steel rings in aluminum housings), whereas ring shear occurs when the thrust load exceeds the material's $\tau_{ult} · Area$ limit, often due to an unexpected shock load.
