Clockwork component, clockwork, timepiece, and method for manufacturing a clockwork component of said type

Abstract

Disclosed is a clockwork component (12a) made of a composite material comprising a rigid matrix and a nanotube forest in the rigid matrix.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to a part of a timepiece movement, a timepiece movement and a timepiece, and to a method of manufacturing such a part of a timepiece movement. Background technique [0002] A timepiece movement usually includes a regulator, a mechanical oscillator that determines the time base of the timepiece movement. The regulator consists of a coil spring associated with a pendulum known as a balance. This coil spring requires extremely high dimensional accuracy, which determines the timekeeping accuracy of the watch movement. [0003] Examples of coil springs are specifically listed in document JP2008116205A. The coil spring is made of a composite material comprising a matrix of graphite and amorphous carbon reinforced by carbon nanotubes dispersed in the matrix and aligned in the longitudinal direction of the coil. Nanotubes are about 10 nm in diameter and about 10 microns in length. To make the coils, a homogeneous mixture is first crea...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0005] - the extrusion process makes it impossible to achieve high mechanical precision, resulting in unacceptable timing inaccuracies,

[0006] - the orientation of the nanotubes is poorly controlled because the nanotubes are arranged randomly in a homogeneous mixture,

[0007] - the method is complicated to implement in order to ensure a good homogeneity of the material and thus the regularity of the coil springs,

[0008] - Obtaining the required mechanical properties of a coil spring is complicated because the amount of mixture must be adjusted very precisely while maintaining homogeneity

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