Washing Machine Ball Balancer Structure for Vibration and Noise
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional washing machines with ball balancers face issues of reduced lifespan due to deformation under centrifugal force, assembly challenges, and generation of fusion scraps that cause vibration and noise, leading to misalignment and reduced durability.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a balancer with annular-shaped first and second housings fused together, featuring supports that enhance strength and guide the balancer's positioning, and pockets to collect fusion scraps, ensuring smooth operation and reduced noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If ball balancers are used with upper and lower plates fused together, then the balancer structure is compact and easy to manufacture, but the walls deform under centrifugal force reducing lifespan
Solution Approach 1:
The balancer is divided into upper and lower plates that are not fused together, but rather positioned separately with balls between them. This segmentation prevents the walls from deforming under centrifugal force while maintaining a compact structure that is easy to manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
Steel balls are introduced as intermediary elements between the upper and lower plates. These balls serve multiple functions: they maintain the spacing between plates, prevent wall deformation under centrifugal force, and provide the balancing function. This intermediary structure resolves the contradiction between compact manufacturing and durability.
2Device complexity
If ball balancers are used without installation guidance means, then the structure is simple, but assembly takes time and is inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The upper and lower plates are designed with self-aligning features that allow the balancer to be easily assembled without external guidance tools. The plates naturally position themselves during assembly, reducing assembly time while maintaining structural simplicity.
3Strength
If upper and lower plates are fused together, then the balancer structure is integrated and strong, but fusion scraps fall inward and outward causing vibration and noise
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of fusing the plates together, the design segments them into separate components with balls positioned between them. This eliminates the fusion process that generates harmful scraps, while maintaining structural integrity through the ball-bearing arrangement that prevents relative movement between plates.
Solution Approach 2:
The design converts the potential harm of plate separation into a benefit by using steel balls as the separating element. The balls not only prevent harmful fusion scraps but also provide the balancing function and prevent wall deformation, turning a potential weakness into a strength.
4Ease of manufacture
If the balancer walls are thin to reduce material use, then manufacturing is easier and cost is lower, but the walls deform under centrifugal force
Solution Approach 1:
The steel balls act as counterweights that balance the centrifugal forces acting on the thin walls. By positioning balls between the upper and lower plates, the design compensates for the reduced wall thickness, preventing deformation while maintaining ease of manufacture and lower material usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The design changes the structural parameters by introducing discrete ball elements that alter the stress distribution in the walls. This allows the use of thinner walls that are easier to manufacture while the balls provide the necessary structural support to prevent deformation under centrifugal force.
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 increases the durability and lifespan of the balancer by preventing deformation and noise, allowing for rapid and precise assembly, and maintaining dynamic balance during high-speed spinning, thus reducing vibration and extending the life of spinning machine components.
Implementation Method 1
the ball balancers are continuously supplied with centrifugal force that is generated when the steel balls make a circular motion
Implementation Method 2
upper and lower plates formed of plastic by injection molding are fused to each other
Data Source
AI summary
A drum type washing machine, including a housing, a spin tub to hold laundry to be washed, the spin tub rotating with respect to a horizontal axis of the washing machine, and a ball balancer coupled to the spin tub to compensate for a dynamic imbalance during rotation thereof, the ball balancer including a first plastic member and a second plastic member joined to each other to define a closed internal space in which a plurality of balls and viscous fluid are accommodated, the first plastic member having an open side, and the second plastic member adapted to cover the open side of the first plastic member. The first plastic member includes a plurality of supports formed on an outer surface thereof to establish contact with the spin tub, and the ball balancer is fastened to the spin tub via a plurality of screw members.