Riefler escapement Riefler escapement The Riefler escapement is a mechanical escapement for precision pendulum clocks invented and patented by German instrument maker Sigmund Riefler in 1889. It was used in the astronomical regulator clocks made by his German firm Clemens Riefler from 1890 to 1965, which were perhaps the most accurate all-mechanical pendulum clocks made. An escapement is the mechanism in a mechanical clock that gives the pendulum precise impulses to keep it swinging, and allows the gear train to advance a set amount with each pendulum swing. The Riefler escapement was an improvement of the deadbeat escapement, the standard used in
Mechanical energy isolated system remains constant in time, as long as the system is free of friction and other non-conservative forces. In any real situation, frictional forces and other non-conservative forces are present, but in many cases their effects on the system are so small that the principle of conservation of mechanical energy can be used as a fair approximation. Though energy cannot be created or destroyed in an isolated system, it can be converted to another form of energy. In a mechanical system like a swinging pendulum subjected to the conservative gravitational force where frictional forces like air drag and friction