Washing Machine Damper With Integral Buffer Stop for Quiet Operation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dampers for rotary cylinder washing machines exhibit complex designs due to amplitude-dependent damping behavior, requiring significant damping at high amplitudes and minimal damping at low amplitudes, leading to noise and constructional complications.
Innovation Solution
A simple, solid damper design featuring a casing with a displaceable tappet, frictional damping unit, and a buffer stop mechanism with flexibly pliable elements integrated into the piston or stop elements, which provides effective damping at high amplitudes while minimizing noise and complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If a buffer stop mechanism is added to dampen piston strikes, then noise and solidity are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible buffer stop element made of elastomeric material that is integrally formed with the piston or stop element. This flexible element absorbs impact energy through elastic deformation, effectively dampening the strike noise without requiring additional separate components or complex mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer stop element is constructed from elastomeric material that combines flexibility for impact absorption with structural integration. This composite approach allows the buffer stop to be molded as a single piece with the piston or stop element, reducing assembly complexity while maintaining effective noise dampening functionality.
2Reliability
If amplitude-dependent damping behavior is achieved, then damping effectiveness at high amplitudes is improved, but constructional complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The damper utilizes the natural dynamic characteristics of the flexible buffer stop element, which automatically adjusts its damping properties based on vibration amplitude. At low amplitudes, the element remains relatively rigid with minimal damping; at high amplitudes, the element deforms more significantly, providing enhanced damping without requiring active control or complex mechanical adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The damping characteristics are modified through changes in the physical state and deformation of the elastomeric buffer stop element. The material's inherent viscoelastic properties cause it to exhibit different stiffness and damping behaviors under different stress conditions, automatically adapting to varying vibration amplitudes without additional components.
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 damper achieves amplitude-dependent damping with reduced noise and constructional complexity, ensuring quiet operation and cost-effective manufacturing by using flexibly pliable buffer stops to absorb piston strikes, thus enhancing the damping effect and extending the damper's lifespan.
Implementation Method 1
the at least one buffer stop comprising at least one flexibly pliable buffer-stop element which is integral with the at least one piston or with the at least one stop element
Implementation Method 2
a frictional damping unit which is disposed inside the casing, producing damping action
Data Source
AI summary
In a damper, in particular for spin-drying washing machines, it is provided, with a view to improved solidity and noise behaviour of the damper, that at least one buffer stop is disposed between at least one piston and at least one stop element, the buffer stop comprising at least one flexibly pliable buffer stop element which is integral with the at least one piston or the at least one stop element.