Clockwork refers to the inner workings of mechanical devices with round gears . Ticking clocks and other timepieces are the most familiar devices that make use of clockwork. Some music boxes , animated toys, and measuring instruments also rely on clockwork to function.
How clockwork works.
Clockwork is usually powered by coiled springs . Winding up the clockwork tightens the springs, storing energy in them. This energy is released as the springs gradually unwind, turning gears. In most mechanical clocks, daily or weekly winding ensures that the clock continues to run with its hands showing the correct time. Modern timepieces are powered by batteries . But unless they indicate time through the use of digital numbers, such devices still require clockwork to move their hands.
Clockwork gears are toothed wheels made of wood, brass, iron, steel, plastic, or other suitable materials. The teeth of adjacent wheels interlock, enabling a gear to drive adjacent gears or to turn smaller gears called pinions. The shapes and angles of gear teeth must be carefully engineered to limit friction, wear, and breakage. Many clockwork mechanisms made by skilled crafters hundreds of years ago continue to work today.
History.
The earliest clockwork yet discovered is an ancient Greek device called the Antikythera mechanism . This complex, hand-cranked astronomical tool was probably created around 200 B.C. Reports suggest that even earlier clockwork may have existed in China, in the form of clockwork people, birds, and other animals.
The first ticking clocks appeared in Europe in the late 1200’s. By the 1500’s, European artisans created clockwork automata (singular, automaton). These figures, often shaped like people, contained clockwork that drove lifelike movements. Automata could be designed to write, draw, drink, and play musical instruments, delighting audiences around the world.
