Washer-extractor machine

Abstract

This invention is related to washer-extractor machines and in particular to drum type washing machines that provide saving from water, energy and time and at the same time increase washing and extraction efficiency. This invention is also related to a washing and rinsing process realized using this machine.

Description

[0001]This invention is related to washer-extractor machines and in particular to drum type washing machines that provide saving from water, energy and time and at the same time increase washing and extraction efficiency. The machine according to this invention prevents the harm of the textile caused by the drum perforations and also during the high speed spinning stage. This invention is also related to a washing and rinsing process realized using this machine.[0002]Washing machines are provided with various capacities for domestic and industrial applications in order to use for various processes that enable washing and / or chemical treatment of different materials, especially textile products. Besides washing machines for domestic use, there also exist several industrial types, providing physical and chemical treatments such as washing, stone-washing, dry-cleaning, bleaching, softening, and dyeing.[0003]Horizontal drum washing machines that constitute the object of the present appl...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0001]This invention is related to washer-extractor machines and in particular to drum type washing machines that provide saving from water, energy and time and at the same time increase washing and extraction efficiency. The machine according to this invention prevents the harm of the textile caused by the drum perforations and also during the high speed spinning stage. This invention is also related to a washing and rinsing process realized using this machine.

[0005]In order to fill the drum with liquid such as water or, to heat water, to mix chemicals into water, to measure water temperature, to measure water level, to drain water, and to collect liquid draining out through the drum perforations during a spinning cycle, a tub is needed outside the drum, and in order to prevent said drum to contact said tub while spinning, a space is necessary in between. When washing liquid required for a washing process is taken inside a tub, the amount of liquid filling the space between said tub and the drum corresponds to nearly 15-35% of necessary liquid. Liquid draining from a limited permeability drum can be restrained and flow back is maintained therein by means of a pump which has a higher flow-rate than that permeated water, enabling therefore an evacuation of the volume between the drum and the tub while at the same time an adequate amount of liquid existing inside the drum. The drum, which constitutes the object of the invention, provides considerable savings of water, energy, chemicals, and time by means of emptying said exterior space during a washing process. Saving of water and chemicals is important as far as consumption is concerned and also it is vital to decrease the amount of waste water contaminated with chemicals, thus preventing environmental pollution.

[0006]During a washing process, the interaction of water and / or chemicals with washed materials inside a drum is achieved by lifting and falling movements of said materials, which obtained with the drum rotation. Conventional perforated drums contain lifter beaters which are called ribs in sizes proportional to the diameter of the drum. In washing machines using less water, rib heights varies approximately between 6 to 12% of the diameter of the drum, while this proportion reaches 12 to 20% in machines using more water. The size of said ribs should enable lifting a considerable amount of the laundry mass. In conventional washing machines, the number of ribs is limited to 6 or maximum 8. Washing is both a chemical and a physical process. One other important function of washing machines is to extract liquid from processed material by way of a centrifugal force produced from spinning of drum at high speeds. Due to centrifugal force, extracting pressure at high speeds may attain values up to 400-500 G; and in the case of high capacity machines, wherein laundry stretches very tightly over ribs, and spaces remain underneath between the ribs and drum sheet, such physical pressure may applied to said laundry to stretch towards the spaces and causes damages or tearing. On the other hand, laundry over the ribs, placed during distribution, is more close to the rotation axis, means it undergoes less centrifugal force, and more liquid remains thereon. If material is lifted by means of many small ribs or protrusions scattered in very short intervals and homogeneously over the cylindrical surface of a drum, said drum constituting the object of the invention, any damage caused to textile by normal size ribs can be prevented. Height of said small ribs and protrusions indicated here is approximately between 1 to 6% of the diameter of said drum.

[0007]Protrusive cylindrical surface of a drum also provides other advantages besides the facility of lifting washing material. Such protrusive structure, augments the physical effect while washing, helps to rotate the material in more homogeneous and more regular manner, enables better distribution of laundry inside the drum at the start of extraction and orients extracted water towards the perforations. During extraction phase, textile dispersed over a usual perforated cylindrical surface gets more and more squeezed as centrifugal force increases pressure thereon, which restrains not only water passage through the textile fibers, but also drainage ways through the drum perforations. Water drainage from a drum can be accelerated by employing adequately elevated and dense protrusions that are provided in the present invention, in which situation laundry will stretch towards the spaces between the protrusions but will not reach to block the perforations. Draining more extracted water at an equal spinning speed and equal time is provided and in return improved extraction efficiency without any change in the energy consumption is obtained.

[0009]The invention disclosed in the present application provides savings from water, energy, chemicals and time consumption as attempted by the foregoing references, through limiting water use by the strictly necessary amount for the inner drum, enabling implementation in all types of perforated drums horizontal or inclined with the horizontal, independent from water level or the amount of fabrics loaded therein. Moreover, as explained below in several embodiments, the application of methods, corresponding to the purpose of the present invention, has been reduced to such basic essentials that no alteration is required in the production techniques of conventional and commonly used horizontal washing machines. Providing the cylindrical surface of a drum with perforations as in ordinary drums, and enabling water drainage through said perforations during both drain and extraction cycles prevent not only efficiency loss in washing and extraction but also the creation of new problems.

Problems solved by technology

Also, since during a washing cycle, there is no water contained inside the external tub, transmission of conduction heat loss from outer surface of the tub decreases.

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