Washing drum
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Solution Overview
Problem
Washing drums in non-domestic applications face challenges in securely closing the door during rotation under significant centrifugal forces while still allowing easy opening and closing for loading and unloading, as existing solutions are insufficiently robust and laborious.
Innovation Solution
A washing drum design with a cylindrical construction featuring articulately arranged door leaves, hooks, and lugs, along with a resilient element like a helical spring positioned between the door leaf and the casing to apply a robust spring force, ensuring the door remains closed during rotation, and an optional lock mechanism for added safety and ease of operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If resilient elements are positioned inside the drum to apply spring force to door leaves, then the door can be easily opened, but the solution is insufficiently robust for non-domestic applications with heavy loads
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient element is repositioned from an internal location to an external location between the lateral side of the door leaf and the lateral part of the casing. This spatial relocation allows the spring to operate in a different dimensional space, achieving both sufficient force application and robustness for heavy loads while maintaining ease of door operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient element acts as an intermediary mechanism between the door leaf and the casing. By positioning it externally, it mediates the interaction between the moving door and the fixed casing, providing the necessary spring force to assist door opening while withstanding the centrifugal forces generated during drum rotation in non-domestic applications.
2Reliability
If a strong locking mechanism is used to secure door leaves during rotation, then reliability under centrifugal force is improved, but opening and closing becomes laborious
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient element positioned externally functions as a counterweight mechanism, using spring force to offset the centrifugal forces acting on the door leaves during rotation. This external positioning allows the spring to provide continuous counteracting force, securing the door during operation while still permitting easy opening when the spring force is sufficient to overcome the centrifugal effects.
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 design effectively secures the door during operation, allowing easy opening and closing, even with heavy loads, by providing sufficient spring force and kinetic energy assistance, while preventing accidental opening and ensuring safety through robust locking mechanisms.
Implementation Method 1
at least one resilient element, which in the first position applies to the second door leaf a spring force which drives the second door leaf into the second position
Implementation Method 2
These resilient elements also deliver to the door leaves the kinetic energy necessary to be more easily able to open a relatively heavy door leaf after having been unhooked
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 6~8
AI summary
A washing drum (1) having an opening (4) in its cylindrical wall (3) and two door leaves (5, 6) which are arranged articulately between a first position, in order to close off the opening (4), and a second position, in order to free up the opening (4), wherein the first door leaf (5) comprises lugs (10) and the second door leaf (6) comprises hooks (9), which in the first position hook together, and having at least one resilient element (11), between a lateral side of the second door leaf (6) and the casing (3) laterally adjoining the opening (4), which resilient element (11) in the first position applies to the second door leaf (6) a spring force, towards the second position.