Official Answer
Answer
Groove yield occurs when the compressive stress on the groove wall exceeds the material's yield strength. The allowable thrust load is $P_a = _x000c_rac{D imes d imes S_y imes ext{Factor}}{ ext{Safety Margin}}$. The 'Factor' accounts for the fact that the stress is not perfectly uniform. If the housing material is changed from Aluminum 6061-T6 ($S_y \approx 35$ ksi) to Steel 4140 ($S_y \approx 95$ ksi), the thrust capacity of the same groove geometry increases by nearly 300%. Engineers must be cautious when 'upgrading' a system's load without checking the groove; even if the ring is strong enough (shear strength), the groove in a soft housing will be the point of failure.
