Ball Balancer Viscosity Tuning for Washer Drum Vibration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Washing machines experience vibration and noise issues during high-speed drying due to unbalanced drum rotation, as the center of gravity does not coincide with the center of rotation, and conventional ball balancers are sensitive to temperature and gap variations, leading to ineffective vibration and noise control.
Innovation Solution
The washing machine employs ball balancers with adjustable viscosity viscous oil and a controlled gap between the racer and balls, optimizing the dynamic balance by varying the viscosity of the oil in proportion to the gap, maintaining the balance within specific viscosity and gap ranges (100-1000 cSt and 0.5-3.0 mm) to minimize vibration and noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the gap between the inner wall of the racer and the steel balls is small, then the ball balancer attains correct position more accurately, but the deviation in vibration increases due to temperature sensitivity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by varying the viscosity of the viscous oil in the ball balancer. Specifically, the oil viscosity is adjusted to a range of 100-1000 cSt to optimize the balance between position accuracy and vibration stability. This parameter modification allows the system to maintain reliable vibration control while achieving accurate positioning, resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and reliability.
2Speed
If the gap between the inner wall of the racer and the steel balls is large, then the ball balancer rapidly attains correct position and vibration is decreased, but noise increases when oil viscosity is low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by changing the viscosity parameter of the viscous oil to an optimized range of 100-1000 cSt. This parameter adjustment ensures that the ball balancer achieves rapid response speed while maintaining low noise levels, even with a larger gap between the racer inner wall and steel balls. The increased viscosity prevents excessive ball movement that would generate noise.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the gap is expanded to control vibration and noise, then manufacturing error control becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent addresses this contradiction by modifying the viscosity parameter of the viscous oil rather than precisely controlling the gap dimension. By adjusting the oil viscosity to 100-1000 cSt, the system achieves effective vibration and noise control while reducing sensitivity to manufacturing errors in the gap between the racer and balls. This parameter substitution approach decouples performance from tight manufacturing tolerances.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution effectively maintains dynamic balance and reduces vibration and noise in washing machines by optimizing the relationship between the gap and viscosity of the viscous oil in the ball balancers, ensuring proper operation across varying conditions.
Implementation Method 1
viscous oil fills the inside of the racer... the viscosity of the viscous oil is varied in proportion to a gap between the racer and the balls
Data Source
AI summary
A washing machine having a ball balancer coupled to the drum to compensate for a dynamic imbalance during rotation of the drum, the ball balancer including a ring-shaped racer having a closed internal space in which a plurality of balls and viscous oil are accommodated, the ring-shaped racer including a first injection molded member and a second injection molded member joined to each other to form the closed internal space, the first injection molded member including a first side wall, a second side wall and a connecting wall between the first side wall and the second side wall, the first injection molded member having an open side opposite to the connecting wall, and the second injection molded member is adapted to cover the open side of the first injection molded member.