Retention clip for a valve shaft adapter

A valve shaft adapter assembly, comprising:

• a valve actuator defining a pocket and an internal groove;
• a valve shaft adapter collar received in the pocket and defining opposing holes;
• and
• a retention clip mounted to the valve shaft adapter collar, the retention clip comprising:
• a central bar;
• and
• opposing arms extending from the central bar, the arms forming a scaffolding support structure cradling at least four sides of the valve shaft adapter collar, each arm being configured to lie along a respective side of the valve shaft adapter collar and to cooperate with the central bar to define a generally tubular cage around the valve shaft adapter collar, each arm defining:
• an ear extending outward relative to the valve shaft adapter collar in a decompressed state and extending through a respective one of the opposing holes in the valve shaft adapter collar and into the internal groove of the valve actuator;
• and
• oppositely disposed lugs relative to the central bar for receiving clamping pressure from pliers to compress the ears inward toward the central bar and retract the ears at least partially from the internal groove to permit removal of the valve shaft adapter collar from the valve actuator.

A valve shaft adapter assembly for securement to a valve actuator, the valve shaft adapter assembly comprising:

• a collar having opposing corners;
• and
• a retention clip having a central bar with opposing arms, each arm defining:
• a resilient spring clip junction shaped as an arcuate corner, wherein the central bar extends between the opposing corners so that the resilient spring clip junctions contact an inner surface of the opposing corners to lodge the retention clip in the collar;
• an end portion configured to extend from the collar for coupling the collar to the valve actuator;
• and
• a lug for receiving pliers to selectively compress and consequently inwardly retract the end portion to couple the collar to the valve actuator.

A valve shaft adapter assembly, comprising:

• a valve actuator defining a pocket and an internal annular groove in the pocket, the internal annular groove including an axially facing shelf;
• a valve shaft adapter collar received in the pocket and defining opposing holes;
• and
• a retention clip mounted to the valve shaft adapter collar and securing the valve shaft adapter collar to the valve actuator, the retention clip comprising:
• a central bar extending along an axis having arms extending therefrom in a plane, each arm extending on an opposing side of the axis, each arm including:
• a resilient spring clip junction attached to the central bar and defining a localized bend region about which the arm is elastically deflectable toward and away from the central bar;
• a lug coupled to the resilient spring clip junction and defining a pair of inwardly facing tool-receiving recesses configured to receive opposing tips of circlip pliers;
• and
• an end portion extending from the lug and passing through a respective one of the opposing holes of the valve shaft adapter collar and having an exposed tip extending beyond an outer surface of the valve shaft adapter collar,
• wherein the resilient spring clip junctions resiliently bias the end portions radially outward such that, with the valve shaft adapter collar received in the pocket, the exposed tips project radially outward beyond the outer surface of the valve shaft adapter collar into the internal annular groove and engage the axially facing shelf to retain the valve shaft adapter collar in the pocket, and
• wherein compression of the arms toward the central bar via engagement of circlip pliers with the inwardly facing tool-receiving recesses causes elastic deformation at the localized bend regions such that the end portions are translated radially inward through the respective holes and withdraw the exposed tips from engagement with the axially facing shelf in a symmetric manner about the axis due to the arms extending on opposing sides of the axis.