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escape wheel

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noun Horology.

a toothed wheel for regulating a going train to which it is geared, engaging intermittently with the pallets of a pendulum or balance mechanism in such a way as to cause the mechanism to oscillate rhythmically, and in so doing free the going train for part of each oscillation.

Origin of escape wheel

First recorded in 1880–85
Also called scape wheel.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for escape wheel

Historical Examples of escape wheel

  • This last arc defines the addendum of the escape-wheel teeth.

  • The escape-wheel arbor and pallet staff can be made in the same way.

  • The next straight tooth of the escape-wheel is now resting against the roller e, and the same operation again takes place.

    Time and Time-Tellers

    James W. Benson

  • A is the escape-wheel, B the escape-wheel teeth, C the roller let on the verge, or axis of the balance.

    Time and Time-Tellers

    James W. Benson

  • But the pressure of the escape-wheel against the detent, and the consequent friction, prevent the pendulum from acting freely.

    Great Facts

    Frederick C. Bakewell

British Dictionary definitions for escape wheel

escape wheel

noun

horology a toothed wheel that engages intermittently with a balance wheel or pendulum, causing the mechanism to oscillate and thereby moving the hands of a clock or watchAlso called: scapewheel
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012