US2886901A

US2886901A - Seal for rotary drum drier

Info

Publication number: US2886901A
Application number: US639100A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ronal H Whyte; Nelson J Pansing
Original assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Current assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Priority date: 1957-02-08
Filing date: 1957-02-08
Publication date: 1959-05-19
Anticipated expiration: 1976-05-19

Description

May 19, 1959 R. H. WHYTE Erm. 2,886,901

SEAL FOR ROTARY DRUM DRIER Ronal H. Whyte BY Nelson .l Pans/'ng MQW May 19, 1959 R. H. WHYTE ETAL 2,886,901

sRAL FoR ROTARY DRUM DRIRR Filed Feb. 8, 195'? y 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS The/'r Afforney May 19, 1959 R. H. WHYTE ETAL SEAL FOR ROTARYbRUM DRIER Filed Fb. 8, 195'? 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig. 5

United States Patent 2,886,901 SEAL non ROTARY DRUM nnrnR 7 Claims. (Cl. B14-133) This invention relates to a domestic appliance and more particularly to a clothes dryer of the axial air ow type.

The present invention contemplates providing a clothes dryer wherein the drying air passes axially through a horizontally arranged tumbling drum and wherein the air is exhausted from the through the front vaccess opening of the drum.4 The air leaving the access opening passes into a second exhaust opening that is vertically spaced from the access opening, the door of the dryer directing the air into the second exhaust opening.

It is an object of this invention to provide a dryer of the type described above wherein air is exhausted from the tumbling drum of the dryer adjacent the door of the dryer and where means are provided for preventing clothes from plugging the discharge air ow path of the dryer.

A more specilic object is to provide a clothes dryer of the type wherein air is discharged adjacent the door of the dryer and wherein a perforated clothes deflecting baiile is secured to the door for preventing clothes from piling up adjacent the door and plugging the discharge air ow path of the dryer.

Another object is to provide a clothes dryer of the type having a vertically extending bulkhead and wherein a heater box is secured to the bulkhead, the heater box supporting an electric heating element and having an air inlet and an air outlet located in alignment with the rear perforated wall of the tumbling drum of the dryer.`

Still another object is to provide a dryer of the type having a tumbling drum formed with a rear perforated wall portion located adjacent a vertically extending bulkhead, and having a perforated seal circumscribing the rear perforated wall portion of the tumbling drum and interposed between the bulkhead and tumbling drum to form an inlet air chamber for the tumbling drum, the seal being effectively cooled by air passing through the perforations formed in the seal.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings: i

Figure l is a vertical sectional view of the clothes dryer of this invention;

`Figure 2 is a fragmentary front view of the door assembly of the dryer showing the perforated clothes deiiecting bai-ile of this invention;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3--3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a in Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a front elevational view partially in section of the drier shown in Figure l.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Figure 1 a dryer y generally denoted by reference numeral is provided with an outer cabinet including a top wall 12, a front wall 14 and a rear wall 16. A vertically extending bulkhead 18 is welded or otherwise secured to the dryer cabinet. A tumbling drum 20 is located within the dryer cabinet and is supported for rotation by a bearing 22 that is fixed to the bulkhead 18.

plan view of the perforated seal shown 2,886,901 Patented May 19, 1959 riice 2 The tumbling drum has a rear perforated wall portion 24 and is provided with a front access opening 26. The rear perforated wall portion 24 of the tumbling drum is circumscribed by a felt seal 28 that is xed to a flanged member 30 by a clamping ring 32. The seal 28 abuts the rear wall of the tumbling drum 20 and forms an inlet air chamber with the vertically extending bulkhead i3. A heater box assembly generally denoted by reference numeral 34 is secured to the bulkhead 1S. The heater box includes a heater housing 36 having side walls 38 one of which is shown in the sectional view of Figure l. The heater box assembly further includes a shield member 40 and a heat reiiector member 42 spaced from the shield member 40 by spaced bearings 41. The shield` member 40 is provided with an opening 44 that its within openings formed in the bulkhead 18 and in the reector member ,42 and these openings provide an air discharge outlet for the heater box assembly 34. An electric heating element 46 is mounted between the housing 36 and the heater shield 40. The housing assembly 36 is provided with an air inlet passage 43 at the top thereof. 42 are secured to the bulkhead 18 by screws as shown in Figure l.

The iront end of the clothes dryer is provided with a port plate generally denoted by reference numeral 50 that includes a peripheral wall portion 52 forming an access opening that is in alignment with the access opening 26 of the tumbling drum. A felt seal 51 is interposed between the port plate 50 and the lianged portion S3 of the tumbling drum. Suitable bearing members 57 are also interposed between the port plate 50 and langed portion 53 which supports the forward end of drum 20 during its rotation. These bearing members preferably are secured to the outer side of peripheral wall portion 52 and may be made of nylon or any other suitable material. The port plate 50 carries a seal 54 and has an air discharge opening 56 vertically spaced from the opening formed by peripheral wall 52. The port plate 50 is preferably bolted to the front cabinet wall 14 by fasteners (not shown). The exhaust opening 56 formed in port plate 50 is in alignment with a discharge passage 58 that communicates with a vertically extending duct 6i) located immediately below the port plate 50. The vertically extending duct -60 may be welded or otherwise secured to an air box 62. A door 64 is pivotally secured to the front wall 14 of the dryer and has an inner recessed portion 66 that operates to direct air flowing axially through the tumbling drum into the vertically extending duct 60.

The air box 62 is provided with an opening 68 that communicates with the vertically extending duct 60. A lint filter element 70 is located within the air box 62 in the path of air moving downwardly through duct (il).

The air box 62 is open at 72 and the interior of the air box is connected with a blower 73 by means of a duct 76. The blower includes a housing '74 and an irnpeller 78 that is driven by an electric motor 80. The electric motor also drives the tumbling drum through

belts

82 and 84 and through

pulleys

86, 88, 90 and 92. The blower housing 74 is provided with an outlet 94 that is connected with suitable duct work (not shown) that leads to the exterior of the cabinet.

With the above described arrangement air is constantly exhaustedfrom the interior of the tumbling drum bythel blower 73. The air leaving the tumbling drum passesl through the peripheral wall portion 52 of the port plate 50, thence through the recessed portion 66 of the door 64, through

air passages

56 and 58, downwardly through duct 60, through air box 62, through duct 76 and then into the blower where the air is discharged through outl The housing 36, shield 40 and heat reiiectorv assasol Make up air for the dryer is supplied through an air passage 96 formed in the rear wall 16 of the dryer. This air passes downwardly through passage lf3-intothe'hea't'er'box 34 where the air is heated by heating element 46'. The air leaves the heater box throughoutlet passageA 44 and then passes through the rear' perforated wall portion 24 of the tumbling drum intothe interior of the tumbling drum.

The-door 64 ofthe dryer is provided with a perforated baille 93- that operates to deflect clothes away from the recessed portion 66 of door 6d, but which permits 'the passage of air therethrough; The baille thus insures that clothes will not find their way into the recessed portion 66, and thus positively prevents plugging of the discharge airflow-path from the-tumbling drum 20. The bafle 98 is secured to the inner face of door 6ft by bolting or otherwise securing the baffle thereto.

It shouldl be noted thatthe felt seal 26j is protected om heat radiating from heating element i6 bythe heat reflector element 42, which isipreferably formed of an aluminum clad steel; The reflector 42 being spaced from heater shield lll by bumps-41, provides a1r air space betweeny the reector-KEZ and the'shield 40'which operates to protect the seal 28 from heat being transferred from the heating element 46. Therefiector 42 thus adds an additional layer of material-between heating element 46 and seal 28 and by its location also provides an air space therebetween.

Additional means are also provided -for maintaining the seal 28 within safe temperature limits. To this end the seal 28 is provided witha plurality of metal eyelets 1h43 thatV provide air passages therethrough. vVith the arrangement air is constantly pulled through the eyelets 100 to cool the felt-seal when the dryer is operated due to the fact that the tumbling drum is constantly being exhausted by blower '73. With the arrangement just described the felt seal 28 is cooled and is kept at a temperature below the disintegrating temperature of the seal material.

While the formy of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, as may come within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. Aclothes dryer comprising, an outer casing having an opening, a-peripheral wall supported within the casing opening and defining, an access opening, a door pivoted to said casing opening and closing said access opening and havinga portion spaced from said peripheral wall to form an air passage when in the closed position but otherwise engaging. said wall` to seal the opening, a tumbling drum in` said-casing having a loading opening ink alignment with said access opening, means for supplying heated air to said drum and for exhausting said air from said drum at the spacebetweenfsaid peripheral wall and said door, and a perforated baiie xed to said door and extending anlet 9d to the atmosphere.

tering said space and are urged toward said tumbling drum.

movement within said casing and having a front loading opening located 1n alignmentwithsaid access opening,

drum,

a pluralityof radially extending passages whereby air passing through said passagescools said seal.

3. A clothes dryer comprising, an outer casing, an access opening in one wall4k ofsaid casing defined by a peripheral wall, a door pivotedn to said casing opening and closing said access opening and' having7 a portion spaced from said peripheral wall whenin the closed position but otherwise engaging said wall to seal the opening, a tumbling drum in said casing having a loading opening in alignment with said access opening and havinga rear perforated wall portion, a pivotally extending bulkhead located adjacent the rear wall of said drum, a heater box associated with said bulkhead having an air inlet communicating with the exterior of said casing and havingan` air outlet located adjacent the rear perforated portion of said drum, a heater element'in said heater box for heating air, passing through said box, a cylindrically shaped felt seal havinga plurality of radially extendingk passagesfixed to said bulkhead and engaging the rear wall of'said tumbling drum, said seal circumscribing the perforatedportion of said tumbling drum rear wall, means' for exhausting air from said drum at the space between said peripheralwall andsaid door, and a perforated baffle fixedV to said door and extending overv said space when thc door is closed *whereby4 clothes in saidturnblin'g drum are prevented from entering said space.

4. The structure'dened in claim 2 wherein said seal member comprises a cylindricaliy shaped felt member having a plurality of hollow metaleyelets extending radially therethrough and forming radially extendingair passages.-

5. A cylindrically shaped seal ring adapted for interposition betweena rotary tumbling drum and a xed part of a clothes dryer for forming an air chamber therebetween formed of a exible material and having a plurality of radially extending passages facilitating air flow therethrough.

6. A cylindrically shaped seal ring adapted for interposition between a rotary tumbling drum and a fixed part of a clothes dryer for forming an air chamber therebetween formed of a felt material and having a plurality of radially extending passages defined by hollow metal eyeletsin said felt material.

7. A clothes dryer'comprising, a vertically extending front wall', a tumbling drum having a rear perforated wall portion mounted for rotation in said casing and having a front loading opening facing said front wall, lheating means having an inlet communicating with the exterior of said casing and having an outlety communicating with saidrear perforated wall, an access opening insaid front wall defined by a peripheral wall in alignment with said loading opening, a door covering said access opening having a depressed portion spaced from said peripheral wall at the bottom of said door and defining an exhaust air space, a duct connected to saidy air space below said opening, a blower having a suction inlet connected with said duct for drawing air past said heating means, through Vsaid :exhaust air circular perforated batrle saiddoorand alower side depending angularly over said axially through said drum, and space, and a substantially 'semi- References Cited inthe tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,045,453 Emrick June 23, 1936' 2,521,712 Geldhoi` Sept. 12, 1950` 2,619,734 Geldhof'et al. Dec. 2, 1952y 2,675,628 ONeil Apr. 20, 1954r 2,681,513 Fowler Jne22, 1954l 2,751,688; Douglas June 26, 1956 an outer casing having 1 having an upper side fixed toy UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE oE CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,386,901 May 19, 1959 Ronal I-l. Whyte et al.

rs in the printed specification It is hereby certified that error appea oton and that the said Letters of the above numbered patent requiring corre Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 4 line ll1 for "pvotally" read vertically Signed and sealed this llthday of October 1960.

( SEAL) Attest:

KARL H. AXL1NE Attesting Gfcer ROBERT C. WATsoN Commissioner of Patents