US947146A - Spring for timepieces. - Google Patents

Description

W. VON BOLTON. SPRING PoR 'TIMEPIEOBS.

APPLICATION IILED NMBS, 1907.

947,146. I y Patented Ja1L18,191o.

gn/ue nto@ Mrnu von Bglf", @tm

2 0 strength, resistancelto li tofore utilized,

50 tage over .steel of hein oisrrEDj-srAf WERNER VON BOLTON, or CHAR HALSKE, A. IGf., OF BERLIN,

"r'rnNBUnG, GERMAN GERMANY, A CORPORATION or GERMANY.

Y, ASSIGNOR TO SIEMENS SPRING NE012,- TIMEPIECES.

.Specilcation Ot Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 1s, 1910.

Original application Med February 17, 1905, Serial No. 24g-6,189. Divided and this application l'ed Inno 8,

1907. .Serfa11 o. 378,023.

To all whom it may concern: i

Be it known that I, Vinnisnn von Bonrox,

a subject of the Czar of Russia, and resident of Charlottenburg, near Berlin, Germany,

5 have invented certain new and useful Imor `Timepieces, of

` provements in Springs which the following is a specification.

' My present application is va division of my prior application, filed February 17, 1905,

serially numbered 246,189.

The present invention relates to an iinproved construction of springs, vand more particularly to springs which are employed 1n tiine pieces. A

Htretotore springs of this character have generally been made of steel, due to the fact that that niaterialcombines a great'niany advantageous properties, such as bein ca able of easy manufacture, consi era le wear, and the like There are, however, certainv inherent objections to the use of steel in springs for time pieces. rlheinaterial is not permanent un-- der all conditions, and, being susceptible to magnetism, rusting, and wear, itfproves unsatisfactory. Before my invention, however, so far as I ani aware, no efficient substitute for st e1 'was suggested, and I theretore believe hat I am the first to overcome these difficulties and to provide a spring for time pieces which is capable of answering the ,severe rctlriirei'nents which are demand-v ed. In accordance withmy invention, I forni tie spring of tantalum. Tantaluni has been proposed .foruse in filaments for wherein itsA high melting point is thc chief property utilized. I have found, however, that tantalum possesses a great many properties which were not herel and which are of peculiar advantage in the s rings ot time pieces. It possesses, like stee the property of being easily worked and hardened. It Offers greate:` resistance to `fracture than steel,

elect rie lighting,

` and has great resilience and elasticity.

Its hardness can be increased to such a degree as to greatly exceed that of. the best steel and to be almost equal to the diamond in this respect. It has`the 'further advanone of the precious metals which is not al ecte'd by the atmosphere, and which, at ordinary temperatures, completely resists the action of most acids.

A further advanta e which it possesses is that it is substantie ly non-magnetic. Being extremely hard, it offers great resistance to at the same time possessing great strength, it has the yielding property 0f steel with less liability of fracture. Bein non-inagnetic'and resistant toacids an to the at mos'phere, it has a ermanence which steel entirely lacks.- Having a very highmelting point, it is capable of use at temperatures eyond which steel would be of service.

I have illustrated in the accompanying drawing a clockl spring composed of tantalum. Y

In order to work the metal satisfactorily,

electrical current through it. By the fusing process the metal is treed from impurities, while at the saine time being rendered homogeneous. The metal which has been fused, and thus rendered homogeneous, can be readily worked mechanicallyin any known nian- Aner. It can be hammered, rolled, drawn, filed and the like, and thus brought into any desired form. lVlieiibeing worked mechanically, especially if it contains a small quantity of carbon or other hardening medium, the metal readily assumes so great a degree of hardness that further working is rendered impossible and it must 'then be carefully soft again. In vthis annealing process care inust be. taken that the temperature does not risc too high, as otherwise the metal is more easily attacked by the oxygen of the atinospliere. Even iii the form ot' the finest drawn wires, or the thinnest rolled bands, however, the metal will stand a heating in the Open air u lto a dark redheat without being a preciably affected. When so heated tile mctalshows a colorizatioii similar to tem pered steel. AIn order to prevent too great a heat, particularly of fine parts of pure tantaluin, it is pre erable to effect the heat- 2 ing 'indirectly by bringing large plates or drums to thetemperature to which the parts l to be heated-. are required to be brought i and then to bring the objects of4 tantaluni to l be heated iii contact. with these plates or iti/mustbe reviously well fused. This is. prrtbly one by heating the metal in a vacuum b electrical means, such as by electricalv resistance or directly by passing an' `Wear, and, being resilient andv elastic, while heated o'r annealed in Order to be rendered drums. -If, on thegther `h-a'nd, it'is desired tu raise the ob'ects^ of *tantalum to'higher temperatures wlthout their Abein materxallfy u'ected Qnther sur'fg'vcegg itis a vantageous vto effect the heatmg 1n algvalcuum, as at Avery -high temperatures pure' tantalum clombnes "i II clai-m: I A spring for tmepieces composed of substantially pure tantalum.

WERNER VON B0LT0N.' I Witnesses:

WOLDEMAR HAUPT, HENRY HASPER.

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