Mechanical watches and clocks are intricate mechanical devices that fascinate millions of people around the world. In general, a mechanical watch is made of some 100 components. Among these components, the escapement plays a vital role in controlling the timekeeping accuracy. An escapement usually consists of an escape wheel, which receives energy provided by the mainspring through the gear train, and a pallet fork, which controls the oscillation. Owing to its complex nature, few have built a mathematical model for the escapement. In this paper, we present a physical-based simulation model for the Graham Escapement (the oldest and the most common escapement for clocks), and a model for the Swiss Lever Escapement (the most popular escapement for mechanical watches). The models are developed based on a commercial software system RecurDyn® [1]. The simulation helps to understand the kinetics as well as the dynamics of the escapements.
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ASME 2007 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition
November 11–15, 2007
Seattle, Washington, USA
Conference Sponsors:
- ASME
ISBN:
0-7918-4306-8
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Physical-Based Simulations of Mechanical Watches and Clocks Available to Purchase
L. C. Tam,
L. C. Tam
Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong
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Tom Kong,
Tom Kong
Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong
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R. Du
R. Du
Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong
Search for other works by this author on:
L. C. Tam
Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong
Tom Kong
Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong
R. Du
Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong
Paper No:
IMECE2007-41771, pp. 123-128; 6 pages
Published Online:
May 22, 2009
Citation
Tam, LC, Kong, T, & Du, R. "Physical-Based Simulations of Mechanical Watches and Clocks." Proceedings of the ASME 2007 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition. Volume 12: New Developments in Simulation Methods and Software for Engineering Applications. Seattle, Washington, USA. November 11–15, 2007. pp. 123-128. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/IMECE2007-41771
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