Washing Machine Lid Frame With Hollow Cavities for Rigidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lid assemblies in washing machine appliances often require significant weight and material to ensure rigidity and prevent creep or fracture, making them less durable and more material-intensive.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight door assembly with an integral frame and discrete panel, featuring a hollow cavity and pivotable tab design, which supports a transparent panel and includes gas-assisted injection molding for enhanced structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a multi-piece plastic frame is used to house the glass pane, then the frame can be assembled, but significant weight and material are required to ensure sufficient rigidity and prevent creep or fracture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs gas-assisted injection molding to create a composite structure where a rigid plastic frame is combined with gas-filled cavities. This composite approach allows the frame to achieve high rigidity and strength while using significantly less material, as the gas-filled cavities provide structural support without adding weight or material volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the frame by incorporating gas-filled cavities during the injection molding process. This parameter change allows the frame to maintain its structural integrity and rigidity while reducing material density and overall weight, effectively resolving the contradiction between strength and material usage.
2Ease of manufacture
If a multi-piece plastic frame is used to house the glass pane, then the frame can be assembled, but the frame is prone to creep and fracture over time due to forces applied to the lid assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The gas-assisted injection molding process creates a composite structure with gas-filled cavities that enhance the frame's resistance to creep and fracture. The gas-filled spaces act as internal support structures, distributing applied forces more evenly throughout the frame and preventing the plastic material from deforming or cracking under load over time.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame is segmented into multiple sections by the gas-filled cavities, which create internal compartments that reinforce the overall structure. This segmentation allows the frame to better withstand applied forces by distributing stress across multiple structural zones rather than relying on a solid continuous structure.
3Strength
If significant weight and material are used in the frame, then rigidity is ensured, but the lid assembly becomes heavier and more material-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The gas-assisted injection molding process creates a composite structure where gas-filled cavities provide structural reinforcement without adding weight. This allows the lid assembly to maintain high rigidity while significantly reducing the weight that would otherwise be required to achieve the same structural performance with solid plastic.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses gas-filled cavities (pneumatic structure) within the frame to provide structural support. The gas-filled spaces act as internal supports that maintain frame rigidity without adding significant weight, as gas has negligible mass compared to solid plastic material.
Data Source
AI summary
A washing machine appliance and lid assembly is provided. Washing machine may include a cabinet, a basket, and a door. The cabinet may define an opening. The basket may be mounted within the cabinet. The basket may define a wash chamber beneath the opening to receive one or more clothing articles to be washed. Door may be pivotally attached to the cabinet. The door may be selectively movable between an open position permitting access to the opening and a closed position restricting access to the opening. The door may include an integral frame and a discrete panel. The integral frame may define an aperture above the wash chamber.