Composite Drum Support Assembly for Lightweight Washer Reliability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional drum supporting assemblies for washing machines are heavy, prone to oxidation and wear, and costly to produce, while lacking the necessary strength and reliability.
Innovation Solution
A supporting assembly made from a thermoplastic material with embedded glass fibers, molded into a multiple-lobe construction with radially extending arm elements, stiffening ribs, and a metal shaft, providing enhanced strength and lightness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional metal supporting assemblies are used, then strength and reliability are achieved, but weight increases and oxidation and wear resistance decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining thermoplastic polymer matrix with glass fibers to create a supporting assembly that achieves high strength-to-weight ratio. The glass fibers provide tensile strength while the thermoplastic matrix binds them together, resulting in a component that is both strong and lightweight, resolving the contradiction between strength and weight.
2Strength
If conventional metal supporting assemblies are used, then structural strength is maintained, but resistance to oxidation and wear deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The composite material system combines inert glass fibers with chemically resistant thermoplastic polymer, creating a structure that resists oxidation and wear. The glass fibers do not oxidize like metals, and the thermoplastic matrix provides chemical stability, thereby improving reliability while maintaining structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameters from metallic composition to polymer-composite composition, fundamentally altering the chemical properties to resist oxidation and wear. This parameter change transforms the material's interaction with environmental factors, improving durability without sacrificing strength.
3Strength
If conventional metal supporting assemblies are used, then mechanical strength is achieved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The use of composite materials allows for cost-effective manufacturing through processes like injection molding, which can mass-produce complex geometries in a single operation. This eliminates the need for multiple metal fabrication steps, assembly operations, and post-processing, thereby reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining mechanical strength through optimized fiber placement and structural design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple functions into a single composite component, integrating support, wear resistance, and corrosion protection into one molded part. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate metal components and assembly operations, reducing overall manufacturing cost while maintaining or improving mechanical strength through the composite structure.
4Weight of moving object
If lightweight materials are used, then weight decreases, but strength and durability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The composite material system specifically addresses this contradiction by combining lightweight thermoplastic polymer with high-strength glass fibers. The resulting composite achieves a superior strength-to-weight ratio compared to both pure metals and simple plastics, allowing weight reduction while maintaining or enhancing strength through the synergistic combination of materials.
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
The solution results in a lightweight, durable, and cost-effective drum supporting assembly with improved resistance to mechanical stress and oxidation, achieved through a molding process that reduces production costs and enhances structural reliability.
Implementation Method 1
a composite plastics material constituted by glass fibers embedded in a thermoplastic material
Implementation Method 2
made by molding a composite plastics material constituted by glass fibers embedded in a thermoplastic material
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
An improved supporting assembly for supporting a linen washing machine drum, characterized in that said supporting assembly comprises a multiple-lobe construction made of a fiberglass reinforced plastics material, constituted by a plurality of radially extending arms integrally formed with a central body. The multiple-lobe construction is made by molding a fiberglass reinforced plastics material including a plurality of glass fibers embedded in thermoplastic polyamide material. The fiberglass reinforced plastics material preferably comprises glass fibers in a rate up to about 65% and a plastics material rate corresponding to the remaining part.