CA1331104C - Drive for clothes washing machines - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
An electric motor, a drive and a clothes washing machine including the motor and drive are described, the motor having a stator held outboard of a frame carrying bearings in which a shaft rotates, the shaft carrying the rotor outboard of the stator, the rotor having permanent magnets on an inner face thereof. The shaft carries an agitator and a spin tub of the clothes washing machine and interconnecting members between a part rotatable with the agitator and a part rotatable with the spin tub are movable axially on the shaft relative to each other by a buoyancy system which is operated by the absence or presence of water in a container of the clothes washing machine to connect the spin tub and the agitator to be driven by the shaft continuously in one direction for spinning clothes when water is at a low level in or absent from the container and to disconnect the spin tub from the shaft, leaving the agitator still connected to the shaft when sufficient water is in the container so that rotation of the shaft backwards and forwards by the motor washes clothes in the spin tub by backwards and forwards movement of the agitator.

Description

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This application is a division of application serial :. :
number 531,143 filed March 4, 1987.
This invention relates to clothes washing machlnes of the type having a cabinet in which an agitator is mounted on a vertical axis and is oscillated back and forth within a perforated ~ .
spin tub which in turn is mounted within a water tight container, the spin tub and the agitator rotating continuously in one direction to give a spin action, said cabinet containing an ::
electric motor and driving means for the agitator and spin tub and/or clothes washing machlnes incorporating such drives. :
It is an object of the present invention to provide a clothes washing machine of the type described which will at least provide the public with a useful choice.
Accordingly the invention seeks to provide a clothes washing machine having a cabinet in which an agitator i8 mounted on a vertical æhaft so as to rotate therewith and be rotatably oscillated back and forth for a washing function within a .
perforated spin tub which is rotatably mounted on said vertical shaft, the spin tub and the agitator rotating continuously in one ~ ~.
direction to give a spln action and said perforated spin tub in turn being mounted within a stationary water container, said cabinet containing a drive system comprislng an electric motor and drlving means to cause said rotatable oscillation or cause said :-~
rotation of said spin tub continuously in one direction, said :~
drlving means including said vertical shaft, lnterconnectlng means provlded between sald vertlcal shaft and said spin tub with a ~

~ first part of said interconnecting means mounted on or rotatably ~ :-.i3 ::;

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driven by said vertical shaft and a further part of said interconnecting means mounted on or drivably connected to said '~' spin tub, and actuating means for said interconnecting means operable so that when at least a predetermined amount of water is - ;
present in said container said parts of said interconnecting means ~j are disconnected and when water is substantially absent from said .
j container said interconnecting means parts are interconnected so that said perforated spln tub will rotate with said vertical shaft; said actuating means including a buoyancy chamber rotatable by said vertical shaft, the buoyancy of said buoyancy chamber in the presence of said substantially predetermined quantity of water ln said container being such as to move at least one of said parts . of said interconnecting means from engagement with the other of . said parts of said interconnecting means.
To those skilled in the art to which the invention relates, many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended .,~

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claims. The disclosures and the descriptions herein are ~ -purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any ' sense limiting.
¦ The invention consists in the foregoing and also envisages constructions of which are the following gives examples.
One preferred form of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a cross sectional elevation of a clothes washing machine constructed according to the invention, with some parts shown at 45 in plan to other parts, Figure 2 is an enlarged view part in cross section of a water container, spin tub, agitator, drive and electric motor, and ~
Figures 3 and 4 are respectively a plan view -and cross section of preferred motor frames incorporated ~
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in the invention in the preferred form, - Figure 5 is a further enlarged view of a seal shaft and bearings being part of Figure 2, Figure 6 is a part cross section of an ¦ alternative embodiment of the invention.

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Figure 7 is a part cross section of a further alternative embodiment of the invention, Figure 8 is a scrap elevation at 45 to the view in Figure 1, and Figure 9 is a rear view of a motor agitator forming part of the invention.
Referring to the drawings, a clothes washing machine comprises a cabinet 1 of square cross section which has mounted in it an electric motor 2 constructed according to 10 the present invention as will be described further later. ~ ;
A water container 3 is suspended within the cabinet 1 by suspension rods 4 and springs 5 and for example four ;~
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springs and rods are provided, and the motor and other mechanism are attached to the container 3. The springs are ;~
provided in the corners of the square cross section cabinet 1 accordingly parts of the rod are shown in sectional view in Figure 8 which is at 45 to the other sectional view of Figure 1. By water is meant washing liquid, e.g. water and detergent. Contained within the water container 3 there is a perforated spin tub 6 and within the spin tub is an agitator 7. An opening lid 9, shown only partially is provided through which clothes may be inserted into the container and within the spin tub 6 and the spin tub is partly balanced by upper balancing ring 10 shown only in the rear one side in Figure 1. The springs terminate in hooks 12 which engage in apertures 13 in the container base ~ '.' . .' : ~' ~ 3 ~
moulding 29. The agitator 7 is mounted on a hollow drlve shaft 11 so as to rotate therewith but is slldable axially thereon. The spin tub 6 is coaxially mounted on the shaft 11 so as to be rotatably and also slidable axially thereon.
The motor 2 is constructed as follows. A rotor 15 has a backing ring 16 (Fig 2) and the backing ring is formed from a strip of magnetic material fo. example a silicon steel alloy and the strip of steel is coiled on edge with adjacent surfaces lightly insulated and touching each other to provide a short hollow cylinder or annular helix.
Inside the helix there is provided a series of magnets 17, the backing ring 16 being expanded slightly before being placed over the magnets placed in a mould. The magnets are permanent magnets of a material capable of being magnetised to a hlgh flux value e.g. Neodinium iron made by Magnaquench Inc. and the annulus and the magnets are held in place by a plastics member 18 which has a hub 19, a disc or spoked connector portion 20t and substantially cylindrical element 21, the member being moulded over the backing ring and magnets so as to maintain the inner faces of the magnets 17 concentric with the axis of the hub 16.
¦ The stator 25 of the motor has a magnetic core which ¦ comprises a strip of magnetic material again preferably a silicon steel alloy or other low hysteresis steel which is preformed to provide spaced apart pole pieces and again this strip is formed by bending on edge to form an annular helix in the form of a hollow cylinder with the poles 8 ,.. " , . .,. , , , . . ~" , : ., r ~331~LO~

formed by the stacked pole pieces pointing outwardly As may be seen in Figure 9 the pole~ 8 are connected together by a narrow band 14 50 that bending on edge is relatively easily effected. To provide insulation for windings on the poles of the core a top insulating moulding 22 is placed on one side of the poles and a bottom insulating moulding 23 ~
placed on the opposite side, meeting at a joint line 24 ~-;
Windings are placed on the mouldings wound around each hole ~-~
and such windings 26 are effected on the poles directly. -- ;
It is preferable that the stator be wound in a three -phase star connected mode and the windings are made and connected using known techniques.
The stator 25 and the rotor 15 are mounted as will shortly be described.
lS The water container 3 is preferably an injection ;
moulding and the base 29 has motor support columns 30 ~-~
preferably braced with stif~ening webs 31. These webs extend to the outer perimeter of the container 3 and are moulded integrally with the container. ;
The motor 2 includes two bearing frames 32 and 33 which comprise injection mould$ngs of a die cast metal or plastics material or preferably steel pressings or plastics material. Preferably the frames 32 and 33 are produced from the same mould or set of dies, thus enduring equality of dimensions between the two frames. The frames are carefully designed and made so that the bearing mouldings 27 and 28 are ooncentric with locating pins or dimples 34 .
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and corresponding holes 35 at the periphery of the frames and with the external angle 36 in which the lnner corner 37 of the stator 25 fits with an interference bit.
Stiffening depressions 49 are provided to stiffen the - 5 frames and on assembly one frame is assembled rotated 45 relative to the other frame to provide correct matching of holes and dimples. ~ .
Bearings 38 and 39 fit in the bearing mountings 27 and 28 and the bearings are spaced apart by a spacing tube 40 lO which encircles the drive shaft 11. The hub 19 ls fixed to .
I the shaft 11 by a bolt 41 engaging a nut 42 held in the ! hollow of the shaft 11 by the shaft 11 being swaged down to provide splines which engage corresponding spline spaces 42 in the hub 11. For transport purpoies a further nut 43 ;~
15 holds the assembly supported by suspension rods and fixed -~
to a cabinet member 44. .
The spin tub 6 comprises a stainless steel perforated :
hollow cylinder 45 fixed to a plastics extruded base 46 e.g, by spinning the lower edge of the cylinder 45 on to the periphery of the plastics base 46. If desired.a lower balancing ring 47 is provided and the balancing rings each comprise as a hollow ring with baffles and liquid container therein and the rings are each closed by an annular disc 48. One balancing ring preferably the ring 10 were found to give reasonable balance while spinning.
A plurality of bridges 50 are provided at spaced intervals with gaps between them and the bridges connect ' ; -~ ~`

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the balancing ring 47 (if fitted) to an air chamber in the form of a bell 51 having an open mouth directed downwardly ;;
and a tube 52 integral therewith which surrounds the shaft . . .: .:
11. A low friction plastics bearing 53 enables the plastics base 29 and consequently the spin tub 6 to rotate and slide axially on the drive shaft 11.
A series of downwardly directed dog clutch teeth 55 (Fig 2) of a high impact duty material e.g. a high impact ~ . - ... .
duty plastics material are carried by a carrier 56 riveted screwed or otherwise fixed to the air chamber 51 e.g. by screws 57. A ring 60 carries coacting dog clutch teeth 61 also of a high impact duty material and the ring 60 is :: .: : :
rotatable by and axially slidable on the drive shaft 11 . : ~.
e.g. by engagement of splines on the ring 60 with splines -~
on the drive shaft 11. The agitator 7 has a boss 62 with inner splines 63 engaging outer splines 64 on the ring 60 so that rotation of shaft 11 results in rotation of the teeth 61 and the agitator 7, and the boss 62 slides axially ~ ;
on the drive shaft 11 as may be seen by conforming the up position of elements on the left hand side of figures 1 and 2 with the 'down' position on the right hand side..
The air chamber 51 is designed to provide a flotation or buoyancy force resulting from the entrapment of air in the air tight air chamber 51 when water closes the ~ -perimeter of the lower edge of the air chamber 51. In the event that water enters the air chamber 57, e.g. because of turbulance during agitation, the lower face could be olosed ~:

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off with a disc 54.
The buoyancy force is at least sufficient to lift the spin tub 6, and the agitator 7 when a substantially predetermined volume of water is provided in the container 5 3, and the spin tub and agitator 7 is shown in the "upn ;~
posit~on on the left hand side of Figures 1 and 3 and in the ndown" position on the right hand side. When the spin tub 6 is in the up position, i.e. supported by floatation of the air chamber 51, the teeth 55 and the teeth 61 are disengaged from each other and the agitator may be rotated freely over any desired rotational movement independent of the spin tub 6. When water is absent or substantially absent from the container 3 the spin tub 6 sinks until the teeth 55 and 61 are engaged. The spin tub 6 and agitator ~;
will then be rotated as one unit and this rotation will be effected continuously in one direction to spin clothes in the spin tub to a drier condition in the known way. To assist in freeing frictional contact between the axially -~
sliding parts during up and down movement of the spin tub during filling with, and emptying of water, control means are provided controlling motor 2 to give a slow agitating action i.e. forward and reverse rotation over a small arc of movement. At each reversal the dogs will reverse contact and be free of each other for a short time due to clearances as between the dogs and spaces between the dogs.
To assist in fixing the spin tub against rotation during agitation, i.e. when the agitator is in the up ~' position, the upper edge 67 of the spin tub may contact a frictional surface 68 on the underside of a top member 69 ~-of the container 3.
The agitator 7 has external blades 81 thereon which -extend from the surface of both colufmn 82 and the upper ;-surface of an upper coned disc 83. There is a space 84 between the disc 83 and the upper surface 85 of the air chamber 51 this space may be divided with radial vanes (not shown) since the purpose of the space arrangement is to 10 provide a centrifugal impeller. Such an impeller may be -otherwise provided e.g. an independent centrifugal pump could be provided.
Outlet openings 86 are provided from the space 84 at or ;~
near the outer edge of the disc 83 the outer edge 87 of ;
which is turned downwardly and operates in close proximity to the inner edge of the balance ring 46. As a result of this construction a pfwmping action is given, pumping water fro~ the centre of column 82 from apertures 88 through . .
space 84 below balance ring 46 to space 86 between the spin tub 6 and the container 3 and lint is restrained in this space before the water re-enters the spin tub through the holes 90. If desired a container may be mounted on the~;
column 82 such container holding a clothes conditioner in the known way.
Electronic commutation equipment 65 is provided on an annular printed circuit board in an annular container 66 mounted below the stator 25 and the electronic commutation ~ ' ~
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1 equipment is preferably enclosed in a compound for protection and heat sinking, and is such as to enable the -~-electric motor 2 to move in a backward and forward motion thus causing the shaft 11 to be oscillated backward and forth resulting in the agitator 7 being also rotated in a back and forth motion to give the well known washing motion. The electronic commutation equipment 65 is also.
arranged to drive the motor continuously to give a spin action, and to drive the spin tub with the agitator, the absence of water from the container 3 results in ;~
engagement of teeth 55 and 61 as above described.
However, when the agitator is preferably given a -~
slow agitation motion and the container 3 has water in it ;
at least to a predetermined level the flotation force of air in air chamber 51 causes the air chamber spin tub and agitator to rise. The teeth 55 are then raised out of contact with the teeth 61 and the agitator may now move independently of the spin tub and thus may be oscillated back and forth at a desired rate and over any desired angle of rotation to give a washing action without material movement of the spin tub.
To provide seals between the drive shaft 11 and the :
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base 29 of the water container, a short cylinder of e.g.
steel 70 (Fig 50) i9 fixed to the upper frame 32 by a screw 71 and a flange 72 holds the bearirg 38 in place. The short cylinder 70 supports a seal 72 against the wall 73 of an apperture in the water container base 29 and a disc 74 holds a further seal 75 again~t the shaft 11, being reinforced by a backing ring 76. A played disc 77 holds a further seal 78 against the shaft 11 reinforced also by a spring 79, the flange 80 sitting within a short cylinder 81 -integral with disc.
The seal 72, short cylinder 81 disc 74 and seal 75 are integral with each other and the played disc 77 seal 78 and flange 80 are integral with each other. Both units are made of Neoprene or other known flexible sealing material.
A pump 95 is provided for the purpose of draining the container 3 and the pump 95 is mounted directly about an opening 96 in a lower part of the container 3 and thus a ; .~r~
single flexible tube can run from the pump outlet through the back of the cabinet to the user drain connection point.
It is to be noted that the bearings 37 and 38 are a slip fit on the drive tube 11 and tightening of the bolt 41 and a cap 91 by a screw 92 clamps both bearings into po~ition. Removal of the rotor securement screw 92 and the bolt 41 can result in the drive tube 11 being removed from above and the motor rotor 16 being removed from below. The motor 2 is removable as a unit after removing also the screws 93 holding the frames 32 and 33 in position. Thus . ~
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for maintenance purposes this removal can be readily effected. Furthermore following removal of the qecurement 3crew 92, the agitator and agitator hub can be removed and the spin tub assembly then lifted off from above. Thus maintenance i~ very simple.
It is also to be noted that because the spin tub and its contents float during the agitation phase no thrust bearing is required. Also the bearing 53 operates under water and only under low speed condition i.e. the agitator speed relative to the substantially stationary spin tub and therefore the bearing need only be a light duty bearing.
An alternative form of interconnection means is provided as follows~
The agitator 7 has associated with it a bell 100 both -~
being fixed to the shaft 101 by a bolt 102. The shaft 101 ¢orresponds to the shaft 11 and is driven by an electric motor as above described.
Within the bell 100 is a rise and fall member 103 which is a plastics moulding sealably attached by a flexible bellows 105 eg. of neoprene to the outer edge 106 of the plastic member 103 and to the edge of the bell 100. A
further flexible bellows 107 is sealably attached to the member 103 and to the hub of the bell 100. The member 103 has prongs or dogs 108 spaced at intervals thereon and such prongs or dogs 108 engage in the spaces between castellations 109 in the bottom of the spin tub 6. A
spring (not shown) is provided which exerts a downward 3 3 ~

force from the hub 108 on the member 103 and the cavity 110 is open to atmosphere through a cross hole or notch 111 in the hub 104 and a series of holes in the shaft or drive tube 101. This arrangement is such that when the container 3 is emptyng, the spring moves the member 103 downwardly so that the prongs or dogs 108 engage in the spaces between the castellations and thus the spin tub will move with the agitator and be rotated with that agitator continuously for the purpose of spinning. However, when the container 3 has water in it to a predetermined level the hydrostatic water pressure on the undersurface of the member 103 causes that member to rise against the pressure of the spring air ~ -venting through the air holes abovementioned and the prongs or dog~ 108 are then raised out of contact with the spin tub and the agitator may now move indpendently of the spin tub and thus may be oscillated back and forth to give a washing action.
In a further alternative arrangement of spin tub to ;
agitator interconnecting means shown in figure 7 the agitator 7 is combined with a hub 110 fixed by a bolt 111 to a solid splined shaft 112. An air chamber in the form of a bell member 115 is a slideable fit on the shaft 112 and has air entrapment spaces 116 in which air is trapped by rising water in the container 3 when the latter is being ; ;
filled preparatory to agitation occurring. The bell 115 then acts as a float raising detents or dogs 113 from engagement with castellations 107 as shown on the right ~ ;

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hand side of figure 7 to a disengaged position as shown on the left hand side of figure 7.
At least in the preferred forms the invention provides the following advantage~:
1. The electric motor assembly and construction is integrated with the drive ~ystem in that a simple shaft and pair of bearings supports the rotor at one end of the agitator and spin tub at the other end advocating the need for separate shafts and bearings for the motor ~
and for the agitator and spin tub drive. ;
2. The mounting of the stator and the rotor outboard of the lower motor frame enable ready replacement of the stator and/or rotor.
3. The mounting of the electronics in an annular disk associated with the stator of the motor reduces the length of interconnecting wiring and enables a compact factory wired unit to be provided.

4. The floating spin tub concept eliminates the need for springs bearings and enables ready maintenance to be ;
carried out.

5. The complete freedom of the agitation to rotate through an unlimited angle of rotation during agitation enables any desired angle of rotation.
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Claims (22)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A clothes washing machine having a cabinet in which an agitator is mounted on a vertical shaft so as to rotate therewith and be rotatably oscillated back and forth for a washing function within a perforated spin tub which is rotatably mounted on said vertical shaft, the spin tub and the agitator rotating continuously in one direction to give a spin action and said perforated spin tub in turn being mounted within a stationary water container, said cabinet containing a drive system comprising an electric motor and driving means to cause said rotatable oscillation or cause said rotation of said spin tub continuously in one direction, said driving means including said vertical shaft, interconnecting means provided between said vertical shaft and said spin tub with a first part of said interconnecting means mounted on or rotatably driven by said vertical shaft and a further part of said interconnecting means mounted on or drivably connected to said spin tub, and actuating means for said interconnecting means operable so that when at least a predetermined amount of water is present in said container said parts of said interconnecting means are disconnected and when water is substantially absent from said container said interconnecting means parts are interconnected so that said perforated spin tub will rotate with said vertical shaft; said actuating means including a buoyancy chamber rotatable by said vertical shaft, the buoyancy of said buoyancy chamber in the presence of said substantially predetermined quantity of water in said container being such as to move at least one of said parts of said interconnecting means from engagement with the other of said parts of said interconnecting means.

2. A clothes washing machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said buoyancy chamber comprises a flotatable chamber.

3. A clothes washing machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said spin tub is also lifted by said buoyancy chamber.

4. A clothes washing machine as claimed in claim 2 wherein said spin tub is also lifted by said buoyancy chamber.

5. A clothes washing machine as claimed in claim 3 wherein said buoyancy chamber is compartmented and has an open mouth below the interior of the chamber.

6. A clothes washing machine as claimed in claim 4 wherein said buoyancy chamber is compartmented and has an open mouth below the interior of the chamber.

7. A clothes washing machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said buoyancy chamber comprises a bell having within it a movable member flexibly and sealably attached to said bell.

8. A clothes washing machine as claimed in claim 7 wherein said interconnecting means comprise a series of dog clutch teeth on said movable member engageable with corresponding tooth members on the base of said perforated spin tub.

9. A clothes washing machine as claimed in claim 8 wherein said perforated spin tub has a castellated base with a series of radial ribs and radial grooves and said dog teeth engage in said grooves and against said ribs.

10. A clothes washing machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said electric motor comprises a stator carrying energizable windings on poles thereof, a rotor, a bearing housing having a pair of bearing mountings in a central disposition and having locating means arranged to hold said bearing mountings separated and axially aligned, said bearing housing having stator locating means arranged to hold said stator concentric with said bearing mountings a single pair of bearings mounted in said bearing mountings, said vertical shaft being rotatably mounted in said bearings and carrying said rotor, said rotor comprising a backing ring of a magnetic material, a series of permanent magnets spaced apart on an inner surface of said backing ring and rotatable exteriorly of said stator windings, a hub mounted on said shaft, and a backing ring support holding inner faces of said permanent magnets concentric with said shaft.

11. A clothes washing machine as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 9 wherein said interconnecting means comprise a series of dog clutch teeth on said movable member engageable with corresponding tooth members on the base of said perforated spin tub.

12. A clothes washing machine as claimed in claim 10 wherein said stator is disposed outboard of said housing and said rotor has a connecting portion between said hub and a rim thereof, said connecting portion being outboard of said stator.

13. A clothes washing machine as claimed in claim 11 wherein said stator is disposed outboard of said housing and said rotor has a connecting portion between said hub and a rim thereof, said connecting portion being outboard of said stator.

14. A clothes washing machine as claimed in claim 12 wherein said stator comprises an annular helix of a magnetic material, said helix having said poles extending outwardly from the circumferential surface of the annulus, said annular helix being mounted on said stator locating means.

15. A clothes washing machine as claimed in claim 13 wherein said stator comprises an annular helix of a magnetic material, said helix having said poles extending outwardly from the circumferential surface of the annulus, said annular helix being mounted on said stator locating means.

16. A clothes washing machine as claimed in claim 10 wherein insulation to insulate said windings from said poles is provided and comprises a pair of mouldings each moulding being in the form of an annulus with insulation covering one part of each pole, there being a division intermediate of the thickness of each pole between the two mouldings.

17. A clothes washing machine as claimed in any one of claim 12 or 14 wherein insulation to insulate said windings from said poles is provided and comprises a pair of mouldings each moulding being in the form of an annulus with insulation covering one part of each pole, there being a division intermediate of the thickness of each pole between the two mouldings.

18. A clothes washing machine as claimed in claim 11 wherein insulation to insulate said windings from said poles is provided and comprises a pair of mouldings each moulding being in the form of an annulus with insulation covering one part of each pole, there being a division intermediate of the thickness of each pole between the two mouldings.

19. A clothes washing machine as claimed in claim 13 wherein insulation to insulate said windings from said poles is provided and comprises a pair of mouldings each moulding being in the form of an annulus with insulation covering one part of each pole, there being a division intermediate of the thickness of each pole between the two mouldings.

20. A clothes washing machine as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, 12 to 16, 18 or 19 wherein said spin tub has a hollow tubular mounting within said spin tub and said vertical shaft or said tubular mounting has an anti friction coating thereon, surfaces of said shaft or said tubular mounting rubbing on said anti friction coating to provide a bearing between the spin tub and the vertical shaft during agitation.

21. A clothes washing machine as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, 12 to 16, 18 or 19 wherein said vertical shaft and said motor are removable downwardly by unfastening said agitator from said shaft and unfastening said motor from said container.

22. A clothes washing machine as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, 12 to 16, 18 or 19 wherein said agitator and said spin tub are removable from said container upwardly through an upper opening in said container after freeing said agitator from said shaft.