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The Washing Machine

Washing machine has probably washed


your clothes hundreds of times, but have
you ever wondered …
 What's inside that trusty washing machine?

 How does it spin the clothes so fast without


leaking water?
 Why is it so heavy?

 How does the agitator switch directions?

We'll venture inside a washing machine to


answer all of these questions and more!
Contents
Introduction
History
Inside a washing machine
Drive mechanism
Inside a gear box
Controls
Working
Spinning mechanism
Bicycle driven washing machine
Introduction

A washing machine, or
washer, is a machine
designed to clean laundry,
such as clothing, towels and
sheets. The term is mostly
applied only to machines
that use water as the
primary cleaning solution.
All washer machines
work by using mechanical
energy, thermal energy,
and chemical action.
History
Clothing has been hand-washed for thousands of
years, by flushing water through the fabric to
remove loose dirt, rubbing with soap to remove
oils and stains, and applying fragrances to cover
odours.
For particularly dirty clothing covered with mud
or dirt, it was necessary to constantly rub and
flex the cloth to break apart solids and help the
soap penetrate through thick, dry, or sticky
layers of soil on the cloth.
At first this was done by pounding or rubbing the
clothing with rocks in a river, and later
developed into the corrugated wash board.
The earliest washing "machine" was the
scrub board invented in 1797.
American, James King patented the first
washing machine to use a drum in 1851, the
drum made King's machine resemble a
modern machine, however it was still hand
powered.
In 1858, Hamilton Smith patented the rotary
washing machine.
In 1874, William Blackstone of Indiana built
a birthday present for his wife. It was a
machine which removed and washed away
dirt from clothes. The first washing
machines designed for convenient use in
the home.
Mighty Thor-
The Thor was the first electric-
powered washing machine.
Introduced in 1908 by the Hurley
Machine Company of Chicago,
Illinois, the Thor washing machine
was invented Alva J. Fisher.
The Thor was a drum type washing
machine with a galvanized tub and
an electric motor. A patent was
issued on August 9th 1910.
The Whirlpool Corporation started
in 1911 as the Upton Machine Co.,
founded in St. Joseph, Michigan, to
produce electric motor-driven
wringer washers.
Operating a washing machine is
pretty simple..
There are a few things to decide before you start
your load of clothes, such as how big the load is
what temperature the water will be for the wash
and rinse cycles, how the machine should agitate
and how long the cycles should last.
After you fill the tub with clothes, the machine
fills the tub with water, and then stirs the clothes
around using an agitator.
After some time agitating, the washer drains the
water and then spins the clothes to remove most
of the water. Then, it refills, and agitates the
clothes some more to rinse out the soap. Then it
drains and spins again.
Inside a washing machine
CONSTRUCTION & WORKING-
Block of Concrete:
If we take a look under
the washing machine,
you'll see what makes it
so heavy.

The concrete is there to


balance the equally heavy
electric motor, which
drives a very heavy
gearbox that is attached
to the steel inner tub.
There are lots of heavy
components in a washing
machine.
Two Steel Tubs:
The inner tub is the one
that holds the clothes. It
has an agitator in the
middle of it, and the sides
are perforated with holes
so that when the tub spins,
the water can leave.
The outer tub, which seals
in all the water, is bolted
to the body of the washer.
Because the inner tub
vibrates and shakes during
the wash cycle, it has to be
mounted in a way that lets
it move around without
banging into other parts of
the machine.  
Inner tub with agitator in the middle
Cable-and-pulley support system
The inner tub is attached to
the gearbox, which is
attached to the black
metal frame. This frame
holds the motor, gearbox
and the concrete weight.
 There are a total of three
pulleys, so that if one side
of the frame moves up, the
other side moves down.
This system supports the
weight of the heavy
components, letting them
move in such a way as not to
shake the entire machine. Black frame w/o Gearbox or Tubs
But, if all of these parts are just hanging by
cables, why don't they swing around all the time?
A laundry machine has
a damping system that
uses friction to absorb some
of the force from the
vibrations.
In each of the four corners of
the machine is a mechanism
that works a little like a disc
brake.
 The part attached to the
washer frame is a spring. It
squeezes two pads against
the metal plate that is
attached to the black frame.
Plumbing
The plumbing on the washing
machine has several jobs:

•It fills the washing machine with


the correct temperature of water.
•It re-circulates the wash water
from the bottom of the wash tub
back to the top (during the wash
cycle).
• It pumps water out the drain
(during the spin cycle)

The washing machine has


hookups for two water lines on
the back, one for hot water and
one for cold. These lines are
hooked up to the body of
a solenoid valve.
Before the hose releases water into the
wash tub, it sends it through an anti-
Anti-siphon device siphon device.
This device prevents wash water from
being sucked back into the water
supply lines. You can see that the
white, plastic device has a big opening
that allows air in.
The water from the hose shoots into
the device and turns downward,
exiting through the tube on the other
end. But while it is inside the device, it
is open to the atmosphere.
This means that if there were suction
on the water supply line, it could not
possibly suck any water in from the
washing machine; it would get only air.
Water inlet & overflow port
The picture above shows
the inlet through which
water enters the washing
machine.
 The nozzle to the right is
an overflow port, which is
connected to a pipe that
dumps water out the bottom
of the washing machine
(onto your floor), instead of
letting it overflow the tub
and possibly get the motor
wet.
Pump
The rest of the plumbing
system, the part that re-
circulates the water and
the part that drains it,
involves the pump.
This pump is
actually two separate
pumps in one: The
bottom half of the pump
is hooked up to the drain
line, while the top half re-
circulates the wash water.
So how does the pump
decide whether to pump
the water out the drain
line or back into the wash
tub?
This is where one of the neat tricks of the
washing machine comes in: The motor
that drives the pump can reverse
direction. It spins one way when the
washer is running a wash cycle and
recirculating the water; and it spins the
other way when the washer is doing a
spin cycle and draining the water.
If you look carefully, you can see
the vanes of the bottom layer of the
pump. When water enters the
pump's inlet, these vanes, or fins, push
the water around and force it back out of
the pump by way of the outlet.
This type of pump can operate in both
directions -- which port is the inlet and
which is the outlet depends on which
direction the pump is spinning in.
If the pump spins clockwise, the bottom pump sucks
water from the bottom of the wash tub and forces it
out the drain hose, and the top pump tries to suck air
from the top of the wash tub and force it back up
through the bottom, so that no water recirculation
takes place.
If the pump spins counter-clockwise, the top pump
sucks water from the bottom of the tub and pumps it
back up to the top, and the bottom pump tries to
pump water from the drain hose back into the bottom
of the tub.
There is actually a little bit of water in the drain hose,
but the pump doesn't have the power to force much
of it back into the tub.
There is also a mechanism in which
the pump does not spin at all.
The washer just churns the water
that is in the tub without
recirculating it. For this situation,
the pump is hooked up to the
motor by way of a clutch.
Flexible coupling hooks
the clutch up to the pump.
On the bottom of the clutch is a set
of four teeth. When
the electromagnet engages, it raises
an arm up into these teeth, which
stops them from rotating.
Once the teeth are stopped, the
clutch starts to engage. After a
couple of revolutions, it locks up to
the motor shaft and the pump starts
to turn with the motor.
 Lets take a look at the drain
hose in the picture -- notice
how it loops all the way to the
top of the machine before
heading back down to the drain.
 Because one end of the hose is
hooked up to the bottom of the
tub and the other is open to the
atmosphere, the level of water
inside the drain hose will be the
same as the level inside the tub.
 If the drain hose didn't go all the
way up to the top of the
machine, then the tub could
never fill all the way.
 As soon as the water reaches the
bend in the hose, it goes out the
drain.
Drive Mechanism
The drive mechanism on a
washing machine has two
jobs:
To agitate the clothes,
moving them back and
forth inside the wash tub.
To spin the entire wash
tub, forcing the water out.
There is a gearbox that
handles these two jobs. If
the motor spins in one
You can see the pump mounted to the
direction, the gearbox
outer tub, and the gearbox, which holds
agitates; if it spins the the inner tub. (the black frame has
other way, the gearbox been removed)
goes into spin cycle. A piece of rubber seals the outer tub to
the gearbox.
The inner tub has
been removed
from the outer
tub. It is resting
The inner tub bolts to the on the gearbox,
three holes in the flange of and the plastic
agitator is visible
the gearbox.
in the centre of
You can see from the the tub.
buildup of crud on top of
the gearbox that it has
been exposed to wash
water for many years.
A hollow tube extends
from the centre of the
gearbox.
Inside this tube is a
splined shaft-the spline on
top of the shaft hooks into
the plastic agitator
GEAR BOX with seal cut and
inner tub removed
Inside the Gear Box
PRINCIPLE-
If you spin the pulley on
the gearbox one way, the
inner shaft turns slowly
back and forth, reversing
direction about every half-
revolution. If you spin the
pulley the other way, the
flange spins at high speed,
spinning the whole tub
with it.
 Here you can see a gear with a link attached
to it.
 This link is just like the one attached to an
old steam train wheel -- as the gear (along
with the link) turns, it pushes another pie-
shaped piece of gear back and forth.
 This pie-shaped gear engages a small gear on
the inner shaft, which leads to the spline.
 In addition to rotating the inner shaft in
alternating directions, there are other gears
within the system that provide a gear
reduction to slow the rotation.
 Because the motor spins only at one speed,
spin-cycle speed, a gear reduction is
necessary to facilitate the slower wash cycle.
 When the washer goes into spin cycle, the whole
mechanism locks up, causing everything to spin at the
same speed as the input, which is hooked up to the
motor.
 The interesting thing here is that when the motor spins
the gearbox in one direction, the agitator runs, and
when it spins it the other way, the whole machine locks
up. How does it do this?
 In the figure above, notice the gear with the angled
teeth.
 There is also a smaller gear with angled teeth behind
the big one in the foreground. These are the only two
gears with angled teeth.
 Depending on which way the gears are spinning, the
angle on the teeth will tend to force the inner gear to
slide either to the left or to the right inside the gearbox.
 If it slides to the left, it engages a mechanism that
locks up the gearbox.
You can see a small notch in
the outer shaft.
This notch is hollow, and is
attached to the shaft with
the small helical gear
When the small gear moves,
it moves this outer shaft
with it, and the small notch
engages the single tooth
that is fixed to the lockup
mechanism.
When the gearbox is locked
up, both the inner shaft,
which drives the agitator,
and the outer shaft, which
drives the tub, spin at the
same speed as the input
pulley.

Controls
The cycle switch has the job of
determining how long the different
parts of the cycle last.
Inside the switch is a little motor
equipped with a very large gear
reduction that makes the control
dial turn very slowly. Cycle Switch
 In the top half of the switch, there
is a set of six contacts. These are
actuated by the small pieces of
metal in the plastic arm on the
dial.
As the dial spins, bumps on the
dial raise and lower the six metal
pieces, which close and open the
contacts in the top half of the
switch.
Inside the Cycle Switch
 If you look at the shape of the bumps,
you can see why the dial on the washer
spins only one way: The front side of
the bumps has a slope that raises up
the metal pieces gradually; but the
back side doesn't, so if you try to turn
the knob backward, the metal pieces
wedge against the bumps.
 This bumpy plastic disk is really the
software program that runs your
washing machine.
 The length of the bumps determines
how long each part of the cycle lasts,
and the length of the space between
bumps determines how long the
machine pauses before moving on to
its next task.
Speed & Temp Control
These switches control the speed
of the motor and determine
which of the hot/cold water
supply solenoids will open during
the wash and the rinse cycles.
If hot is selected, only the hot
water solenoid valve will open
when the machine fills.
If warm is selected, both will
open; and if cold is selected, only
the cold water solenoid valve will
open.
The speed/temperature
control is pretty simple.
Each plastic
rocker engages two sets
of contacts, either
opening or closing the
circuit connected to
those contacts.
For each switch, there is
always one closed and
one open set of contacts. Inside the speed/temperature control
Water level control
• This switch controls how
high the tub fills with water.
• The level sensor uses
a pressure switch to
detect the water level in the
tub.
• The big end of the hose
Water level control switch
connects to the bottom of
the tub, while the small end
connects to the switch.
• As the water level in the
tub rises, water rises in the
hose also; but the air in the
hose is trapped, so as the
water rises, the air is
compressed. Water level control switch plumbing
 Inside the housing of this switch is
a little piston.
 The pressure in the hose pushes the
piston up. When it is raised far
enough, it pops up and closes an
electrical contact.
 This set point, where the contact is
lost, is adjustable, and in the picture
you can see the cam mechanism that
is connected to the adjuster knob on
the control panel of the washer.
 As the cam turns, it presses a spring
against the cylinder, making it harder
for the cylinder to pop up.
Inside the water level control switch  This means that the water level will
have to rise some more before the
pressure in the hose will be high
enough to trigger the switch.
Working:
STEPS- 
1. Setting the programme controller and switching on
the machine activates the door interlock: once the
door is shut, it cannot be opened until the
programme is finished.
2. As soon as the door is locked, the programme begins.
The inlet valves are opened, allowing water to flow
into the drum. On the way, it passes through the
detergent tray, collecting powder or liquid.
3. The water entering the drum compresses air in a
pressure chamber. This pressure is relayed along a
flexible pressure tube to a pressure switch, which
shuts the inlet valves at the programmed water level.
4. The pump is switched off and the cold valve
opens to start the rinse cycle. A repeated
sequence begins: the tub filling to the
programmed level, the drum revolving and the
water being pumped out.
5. At the end of the final rinse the spin cycle
starts. The motor is switched on, revolving the
drum at high speed. At the same time the pump
is switched on to remove the water coming out
of the clothes.
6. The motor is switched off. After a delay to allow
the drum to stop spinning, the door lock is
disengaged. The programme is now finished
and the door can be opened.
7.The pump is switched off and the cold valve
opens to start the rinse cycle. A repeated
sequence begins: the tub filling to the
programmed level, the drum revolving and the
water being pumped out.
8. At the end of the final rinse the spin cycle starts.
The motor is switched on, revolving the drum at
high speed. At the same time the pump is
switched on to remove the water coming out of
the clothes.
9. The motor is switched off. After a delay to allow
the drum to stop spinning, the door lock is
disengaged. The programme is now finished and
the door can be opened.
Spinning mechanism-
Euler’s 1st and 2nd laws can explain the dynamics of
a washing machine spin cycle.
 ∑ Fc = ∑ mIaI 1st law
∑ Mp = r cp x (∑ mIaI) 2nd law
In Euler’s 1st law the force is what pushes your
clothes to the exterior of the basket then the force
pushes the water in your clothes out of your clothes
and through the holes in the washing machine.
∑ Fc = m[ac + (αb/g x rci) + (wb/g x wb/g x rci)]
∑ Fc = m[ rciwb/g2 ]î
 
If the load is balanced, i.e. all the point masses at the
exterior of the basket are equal. Then the ∑ Fc = 0 due to the
fact that the forces induced by point masses at 180 o from
each other will cancel each other out.
 ∑ Fc = F1 + F2 = 0
  Now let us suppose that the point masses on the outside of
the basket are not equal.
This will lead to the Sigma Fc <=> 0. This in turn leads to a
moment around the base of the basket, which causes the
basket to wobble . This can be seen from the drawing.
 
.
∑ Fc = ∑ mIaI <=> 0
∑ Mp = ∑ rCP x ∑ mIaI
Now for a self-balancing washing machine
springs are inserted in a circular pattern around
a point lower than ‘P’.
These springs create forces and moments that
counteract any forces and moments that could be
created at ‘P’ by an unbalanced load.
Bicycle driven washing machine
Conclusion-

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