US3608110A - Apparatus and method of oscillating a flex-vane type agitator - Google Patents

Apparatus and method of oscillating a flex-vane type agitator Download PDF

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Publication number
US3608110A
US3608110A US17598A US3608110DA US3608110A US 3608110 A US3608110 A US 3608110A US 17598 A US17598 A US 17598A US 3608110D A US3608110D A US 3608110DA US 3608110 A US3608110 A US 3608110A
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Prior art keywords
agitator
clothes
oscillating
stroke
frequency
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Expired - Lifetime
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US17598A
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English (en)
Inventor
James R Hubbard
Elmer C Vanderslice
John B Reid
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Space Systems Loral LLC
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Philco Ford Corp
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    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F13/00—Washing machines having receptacles, stationary for washing purposes, with agitators therein contacting the articles being washed 
    • D06F13/02—Washing machines having receptacles, stationary for washing purposes, with agitators therein contacting the articles being washed  wherein the agitator has an oscillatory rotary motion only

Definitions

  • a vertical axis washing machine including a tub, a selectively rotatable basket in the tub, and a rotationally oscillatable agitator within the basket and including vanes of a exible material having a relatively low modulus of elasticity.
  • Drive means provides short strokes, highfrequency oscillation of the agitator.
  • This invention relates to vertical axis laundry apparatus, and more particularly to an improved method of and machine for washing clothes.
  • Vertical axis washing machines of well-known type utilize rotationally oscillatable agitators which describe arcs of from about 160 to ⁇ 210 and operate at frequencies of from about 100 to 60 cycles per minute.
  • Efforts directed to simplication of the agitator drive system have resulted in other known types of machines employing, variously: vertical pulsating action of an agitator partly of an elastomeric material; eccentric action of an agitator of a rigid plastic material; and wobble-plate action of an agitator partly of an elastomeric material.
  • 'Ihese other known types of washing machines have exhibited considerable tendency to tangle clothes.
  • a solution to clothes tangling has been to lower the frequency of agitation.
  • this remedy disadvantageously, is accompanied by a reduced washing action when compared with the rotationally oscillatable agitator.
  • the invention is applicable to that type of washing machine employing a rotationally oscillatable agitator having a stroke varying from zero velocity at one end to zero velocity at the opposite end, with an oscillating stroke velocity that is substantially sinusoidal.
  • the preferred range of stroke arc is from a minimum of yabout 65 to a maximum of about 105, with a corresponding frequency range from about 250 c.p.m. to 155 c.p.m. Combinations of arc and frequency in such optimum ranges provide an approximate average of from about 520 to about 550 degrees of agitator rotation per second.
  • FIG. l is a perspective View of laundry apparatus of a type embodying the invention, and with parts broken away or removed for convenience of illustration;
  • FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are diagrammatic representations of operational features of apparatus seen in FIG. 1, and illustrating method aspects of the invention.
  • a washing machine 10 of the vertical axis type includes a generally cylindrical open top ⁇ tub 11 and a rotatable, perforate basket 12 disposed therein.
  • the basket and agitator may be rotated at a relatively high rate of speed to centrifuge wash-fluid from the clothes.
  • the basket may be held stationary while agitator 13 is oscillated, rotationally, in achievement of either a washing or a rinsing action.
  • Mechanism for spinning the basket and agitator, and for operating the agitator while preventing rotation of the basket includes a suitable transmission 15- and a drive motor 14 connected thereto by a pulley and belt assembly 16.
  • a suitable transmission 15- and a drive motor 14 connected thereto by a pulley and belt assembly 16.
  • agitator oscillationproducing elements thereof are of such relative proportions as to afford the improved agitator stroke frequency and arc to be described in detail in what follows.
  • Linkage which can be proportioned to achieve the purposes of the invention may, for example, be of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,836,993 of Harold D. Johnson et al., issued June 3, 1958, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
  • Agitator 13 is of that general type disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,464,239 of James R. Hubbard and John B. ⁇ Reid, issued lSept. 2, 1969, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. More specifically, agitator 13 includes a central post portion 17 provided with an upper set of three vertically extending radial vanes 21 preferably spaced 12.0 apart, and a lower set of vertically extending radial vanes 22 also spaced 120 apart, and offset when viewed in plan, substantially 60 relative to the upper vanes.
  • the upper vanes 21 are of lesser radius than the lower vanes 22, and corresponding upper and lower vanes are interconnected by helical vane sections 23 of lesser radial extension than either of vanes 21 and 22.
  • a downwardly aring skirt 24 is provided at the lower end of post 17 and affords partial support of vane 22.
  • Each of the lower vanes 22 is undercut with respect to the skirt to such an extent that substantial portions of these vanesare free to ilex about transverse axes thereof.
  • agitator 13 is molded from polypropylene.
  • transmission 15 is operable by drive motor 14 through pulley and belt assembly 16 to oscillate agitator 13 through a rotational arc in the range from about 6'5 to about 105.
  • the aforementioned drive means further is operable to produce these oscillations at a frequency in the range from about 250 cycles per minute to about cycles per minute.
  • basket 12 is filled with clothes followed by introduction of wash fluid into the basket, in accordance with known practice, and until tub 11 is filled substantially to a level corresponding approximately to the level of the upper vanes 21 of lesser radial extension.
  • Extensive testing has shown that operation of the agitator in accordance with the above described parameters achieves an advantageous clothes and wash fluid motion characterized by toroidal movement of a rotating annular mass of clothes and fluid, wherein the surface of the wash fluid is relatively active.
  • the combined clothes and uid activity advantageously has resulted in remarkably consistent degrees of soil removal and clothes action for various clothes loading conditions.
  • the above described apparatus has been found to achieve its highly effective action with little or no tangling of clothes.
  • agitator velocity vs. stroke arc relationships were investigated, and with reference to FIG. 2, a set of three curves A, B, and C evolved to illustrate preferred rotationally oscillating agitator stroke velocities (/sec.) vs. stroke arc relationships. As seen from these curves, for a rotationally oscillating agitator the velocity will vary from zero at one end of the stroke to zero velocity at the other end of the stroke, with generally sinusoidal intermediate values as indicated by the several curves.
  • agitator materials were investigated, and, using the relationship clothes turnover per minute (Y) vs. agitator material modulus of elasticity-p.s.i., as the criteria, those materials having a modulus of elasticity in the range from about 150,000 to about 200,000 p.s.i. were found to exhibit optimum clothes turnover rates. Acceptable clothes turnover rates were obtained in the range from about 125,000 to about 300,000 p.s.i. It should be noted that to either side of the line of peak performance, the turnover rate tended to decrease rather sharply.
  • optimum turnover (Y) has been achieved for stroke arc (A) in the range from about 65 to about 105, at a frequency in the range from about 250 cycles per minute to about 155 cycles per minute, for a given clothes load (L), and in a medium wherein a cxible agitator was used.
  • the turnover rate (Y) hasbeen found to be representative of the degree of soil removal uniformity, and is used in the determination of the above described parameters. Hence when considering the several interrelationships contemplated by the invention, the term Y is synonymous with soil removal uniformity with a given clothes load.
  • an agitator stroke and frequency range can be determined for a flexible agitator of the type disclosed.
  • oscillating agitator type the improvement which consists in: providing motor driven agitator drive means effective to oscillate said agitator through an arc in the range from a minimum of about 65 to a maximum of about 105, said drive means being effective to produce such oscillations at a frequency in the range from a maximum of about 250 cycles per minute to a minimum of about cycles per minute.
  • said drive means drives said agitator at an average velocity of approximately 540 degrees per second.
  • a method of washing clothes, using a vertical axis oscillating agitator comprising: oscillating said agitator through an arc in the range from a minimum of about 65 to a maximum of about 105; and producing such oscillations at a frequency in the range from a maximum of about 250 cycles per minute to a minimum of about 155 cycles per minute.
  • vanes of said agitator are of a material having a modulus of elasticity in the range from about 125,000 p.s.i. to about 300,000 p.s.i.
  • a method of washing clothes, using a vertical axis oscillating agitator comprising: oscillating said agitator through a stroke arc and at a stroke frequency such that twice the product of the arc times the frequency, divided by 60, yields an average agitator drive velocity of at least 500 degrees per second.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Control Of Washing Machine And Dryer (AREA)
  • Treatment Of Fiber Materials (AREA)
US17598A 1970-03-09 1970-03-09 Apparatus and method of oscillating a flex-vane type agitator Expired - Lifetime US3608110A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

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US1759870A 1970-03-09 1970-03-09

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US3608110A true US3608110A (en) 1971-09-28

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US (1) US3608110A (ja)
JP (1) JPS5122745B1 (ja)
BR (1) BR7100552D0 (ja)
CA (1) CA924120A (ja)
GB (1) GB1309024A (ja)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20050284196A1 (en) * 2004-06-29 2005-12-29 Kopyrin Viktor N Washing machine agitator assembly

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20050284196A1 (en) * 2004-06-29 2005-12-29 Kopyrin Viktor N Washing machine agitator assembly
US20050284197A1 (en) * 2004-06-29 2005-12-29 Pinkowski Robert J Washing machine agitator assembly
US7757522B2 (en) 2004-06-29 2010-07-20 Whirlpool Corporation Washing machine agitator assembly
US7793525B2 (en) 2004-06-29 2010-09-14 Whirlpool Corporation Washing machine agitator assembly

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JPS5122745B1 (ja) 1976-07-12
BR7100552D0 (pt) 1973-04-12
CA924120A (en) 1973-04-10
GB1309024A (en) 1973-03-07

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