Dish Rack Insert Geometry to Prevent Water Drop Clinging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dishwasher racks with circular wire cross-sections suffer from water drop clinging due to large contact surfaces, affecting drying performance, and existing inserts either fail to address this or complicate production and increase costs.
Innovation Solution
A dish-holding insert with a pointed top portion and coupling means for horizontal and vertical supports, minimizing contact surface area and facilitating easy installation on existing racks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If circular cross-section wires are used for the rack, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the drying performance deteriorates due to water drop clinging
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the rack structure into two functional parts: the circular wire framework (maintained for ease of manufacture) and the inserted support elements (added for functional improvement). The insert segments the contact interface between dish and wire, providing a non-circular support surface that prevents water clinging while preserving the original circular wire structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The insert acts as an intermediary element between the circular wire and the dish. It transfers the load from the dish to the wire while providing its own geometric surface (non-circular cross-section) that prevents water drop clinging, thus mediating between the manufacturing simplicity of circular wires and the drying performance requirement.
2Reliability
If non-circular cross-section wires are used to reduce contact surface area, then the drying performance is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The solution segments the functional requirements: the rack framework remains simple circular wires for easy manufacture, while the insert components provide the complex non-circular geometry needed for drying performance. This segmentation avoids the complexity of producing and assembling non-circular wires throughout the entire rack structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The insert serves as an intermediary that introduces the necessary non-circular geometric features without requiring the main wire structure to be complex. It provides the specialized contact surface morphology locally at support points while the overall rack remains simple and easy to manufacture.
3Reliability
If non-circular cross-section wires are used to reduce contact surface area, then the drying performance is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to increased corrosion risk
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the structural and functional roles: circular wires provide the robust, easily coated load-bearing structure with good corrosion resistance, while inserts provide the specialized non-circular contact surfaces for drying performance. This segmentation protects the main structure from corrosion while achieving the desired drying effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The insert acts as a protective intermediary that prevents direct contact between dishes and the wire structure. It distributes loads over a larger area of the insert surface rather than concentrating stress on the wire coating, thereby protecting the plastic coating from wear and reducing corrosion risk while still achieving water drop prevention.
Data Source
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AI summary
A dish-holding insert (1) for a dishwasher rack (R) consists of a series of substantially arc-shaped elements (2) connected in line, each of said elements (2) comprising an arcuate horizontal opening (3) and a lateral projecting portion (4) in which there is formed a vertical hole (5), the holes (5) having size, shape and pitch suitable to fit the insert (1) over a row of plate-holding supports (V) of the rack (R) and the top portion (6) having a pointed shape in order to prevent the clinging of water drops in the regions of contact between the dishes and the rack (R) such as to improve the drying performance with a negligible increase in costs.