Balance wheels control movement in machinery, from household appliances to large machines. They have been used for centuries, especially in watches and clocks. Glucydur is a common material used in modern wristwatch designs. The wheel is moved by a spring and maintains the movement of hands. Some machines still rely on balance wheels for timing and temperature control.
Balance wheels are simple devices that help control the rate of movement that occurs within a piece of machinery. Wheels of this type are found in everyday household appliances such as clocks and watches, as well as in large machines used in the production of different types of products. The concept of the balance wheel has been around for centuries and has remained mostly unchanged since the Middle Ages.
While there is some difference of opinion as to when the balance wheel was first invented, there is general agreement that mechanized clocks developed during the 14th century included the use of these wheels. Over the centuries, watches of all kinds, from pocket watches to the large watches found in the squares of many municipalities, provided for the use of the balance wheel. It’s only since the 1914s and the invention of new digital watches that the balance wheel has begun to disappear from some forms of watch.
Over the years, different types of metals have been used in the construction of balance wheels. Today, the wheels used in some wristwatch designs are made from a compound known as glucydur, which is made from copper, iron, and beryllium. Lightweight in design, a balance wheel made with this compound is still very strong and will likely hold up well through many years of use.
The basic function of the balance wheel can be illustrated by considering the functioning of a standard wound watch. The wheel is weighted to help control the movement of the controls, effectively maintaining the movement of the second, minute and hour hands. Usually, the wheel is moved by some type of spring, sometimes referred to as a spiral or coil spring. With the help of the mainspring, the balance wheel moves from left to right, stopping at the center point as part of the timekeeping process, while other designs require a constant left and right motion that is not unlike the motion of a pendulum on a grandfather clock. clock.
While many modern machines no longer include a balance wheel, there are still some equipment first put into service in the middle years of the twentieth century that rely on the wheel for functions such as timing the progress of raw materials through the process. In some cases, the wheel is needed to ensure that the materials are not subjected to extreme temperatures for longer than specified. Machines of this type are not so widespread today and are normally replaced when plants upgrade to new machinery capable of producing more finished units in less time.
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