the hanger collet 10 is illustrated in fig1 in place carrying an inner casing from an outer casing . the outer casing includes a hanger body 12 which has annular grooves 14 and 16 . the collet is urged outwardly so that when it reaches the location where it may mate with the annular grooves , it springs outwardly into the position shown . the load from the inner casing 18 with its hanger body 44 passes through the upper support shoulder 20 of the collet and then through the latching means 22 to the outer casing 12 . fig1 illustrates the hanger collet 10 as a hollow cylinder of low alloy steel . the collet is about 8 and 1 / 2inch id and 15 inches high . vertical legs 30 are formed between part - length slots 32 from the top and 34 from the bottom . upper return segments 36 join adjacent legs and carry latch means 22 extending outwardly therefrom . lower return segments 40 join adjacent legs so that a sinuous pattern is formed of the legs . the collet must be collapsed when running the hanger so that the collet fits within the inside diameter of the outer casing 12 . as the collet is squeezed down , the open ends of the slots close with bending occurring in the legs 30 and in the return segments 36 and 40 . the legs tend to take an s - shape while the return bends at the segments exert a force tending to open the slots . this creates a force returning the collet to its full uncollapsed size . the length , size and number of the legs may be varied to achieve the desired stiffness of the collet . the collet is strain limited during collapse , rather than load limited . accordingly , the collet may be made as soft as desired with an increased number of slots , decreased thickness of legs , and / or increased length . maximum stress is expected at the crotch of the segments in a very localized manner . because of the substantial remaining portion of each segment , even permanent deformation of the high stress area would not prevent full expansion of the released collet . the lack of need for high tensile strength steel , permits the use of lower alloy steels less susceptible to stress propagated failures . the outboard surface 42 of the legs 30 extends outwardly the same distance as the latching means 22 . accordingly , this surface along with the latching means forms a key , whereby the collet can expand during the running operation only when both latches and the legs key with matching grooves in the outer casing . since the compressed collet takes a barrel shape , rubbing during running takes place primarily on the legs . in its latched position the collet 10 as shown in fig1 will usually be locked in place with a back up member such as casing hanger body 44 . legs 30 are formed with an inner surface 46 being of a larger diameter than the inner surface 48 of the segments 36 . this provides a flowpath during the cementing operation upwards through slot 34 , behind the legs 30 to slot 32 , and then upwardly between segments 36 . each lower segment 40 has a hole 50 for receiving a shear pin . this provides a means for releasably attaching the collet to the inner casing for pulling the collet downwardly before it latches into place . the collet is easily manufactured to precise tolerances by first machining the inner and outer surfaces and then milling the slots . both top and bottom segments move radially in and out resulting in freedom from any circumferential component of motion during collapse and expansion . this permits a cleaner shear or latch action on any holddown linkage . this also avoids a rolling under action which can occur at the edge of a c - shaped member when it is collapsed . if one segment is blocked from latching , it will not restrain latching of adjacent segments and will increase the force tending to latch the other segments .