Understanding transfer of energy
Just had a lightbulb moment 🌟 about how energy dances around in a watch! The balance wheel gives the pallet fork a nudge, and the escapement wheel, powered by the mainspring, sends energy back, keeping everything ticking smoothly. Made a little animation to show it off! Check it out: https://thebitcoinwatchmaker.com/post/view/understanding-transfer-of-energy/
Energy transfer in a watch involves the balance wheel nudging the pallet fork to release the escapement wheel, which then slides energy from the mainspring to keep the balance wheel oscillating. The key is optimizing the angles and contact points for efficient energy transfer, so the watch ticks smoothly. 🎥 Check out the animation for a visual breakdown!
Transfer of energy
This took me longer than expected to understand. Turns out:
- The balance wheel gives a small push to the pallet fork, allowing it to release the escapement wheel.
- The escapement wheel, powered by the mainspring, transfers energy to the pallet fork by sliding along the impulse faces of the pallet jewels.
- This energy is delivered to the balance wheel, providing the necessary impulse to keep it oscillating, which is why optimizing the impulse angle is important for efficiency.
Notes:
- There are indeed two forces: one from the balance wheel, and one from the escapement wheel.
- The pallet fork angle is crucial to allow the roller jewel to enter, be caught by the fork, receive the impulse, and exit smoothly.
- The roller jewel must make contact with both sides of the pallet fork to transfer energy efficiently.
- The shape and strength of the roller jewel are important to handle impacts on both
At least this is how I think it is, cant make any guarantees yet hehe
Here's a little animation I made
