Patent GB-800007-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to washing machines
IPC: D06F37/22
Filed: 1956-07-27
Abstract: 800,007. Washing machines. WESTING- HOUSE ELECTRIC INTERNATIONAL CO. July 27, 1956 [Aug. 5, 1955], No. 23231/56. Class 138 (2) . [Also in Groups XIII and XXXII] A washing and spin-drying machine comprises a unit including a tub 45 having front and rear end walls 49 and 61 and a generally cylindrical side wall 46, the axis of the tub 45 being substantially horizontal, a perforated cylindrical basket 65 rotatable within the tub 45, the tub having an access opening 34 in its front end, means carried by the tub for rotating the basket at low and high speeds, a housing 11 enclosing the tub and having vertical side walls 14, 15, a pair of rails 23 secured to the walls 14, 15 within the housing and adjacent the upper margins of these walls 14, 15, a plurality of lugs 146 fixed to the tub and carried by springs 142 suspended from the rails 23, the lugs 146 being disposed between vertical planes tangential to the side wall of the tub, and an inertial stabilizer 53 carried by the front wall 49 of the tub within the perimeter of the end walls of the tub. General arrangement.-The side walls 14, 15 of the housing 11 are preferably integral with a front wall 12, and a rear wall 13 is welded to flanges on the side walls 14, 15. The upper ends of walls 14, 15 have flanges 18, 19 to which the rails 23 are secured. Both ends of each rail 23 are provided with gussets 24, 25 which are welded to flanges 17, 21 on the walls 12, 13 respectively. The lower margins of the walls 12... 15 are provided with flanges 26 secured together at the four corners by gussets 27. A flexible bellows 33 extends between the opening 34 and a clothes receiving opening in the front wall 12. A door comprising an outer frame 35 and a transparent insert 36 is mounted on the front wall 12 by means of hinge arms 37 and is counterbalanced by a tension spring 39. A latch operated by a fingerpiece 42 maintains a watertight connection between gaskets on the door frame 35 and wall 12. The machine may be controlled by a motor-driven timer or sequence switch 137 provided with a manuallyoperated knob 139. Vibration damping and suspension means,.- Damping means for limiting the amplitude of vibration of the suspended unit comprises two pairs of spring plates 154 fixed to the tub 45, each plate 154 carrying a friction shoe 151 biased into contact with laminated plate structures 152 secured to the housing 11. The shoes 151 preferably have a universal joint connection with studs 153 secured to the spring plates 154 in order to allow limited wobbling of the shoes 151. The damping means is arranged adjacent the centre of inertia of the suspended unit. The tension springs 142 are suspended by means of bolts 143 from the rails 23. The inertia stabilizer 53 is carried by the front end wall 49 of the tub 45 and counterbalances the weight of an electric motor 85, driving mechanism and an emptying pump 125 mounted towards the rear end of the tub 45. A U-section split ring 55 encompasses flanged portions 54, 51, 48 of the stabilizer 53, front wall 49 and side wall 46 respectively, with an interposed gasket 52. A bolt 56 is provided for holding these parts together. Drive mechanism.-Slow speed drive from the motor 85 to the basket 65 is transmitted through a pulley 91 fixed on the motor shaft, a belt 92, idler pulleys 93, 94, a belt 95, and a pulley 96 connected through an over-running clutch to a shaft 64 carrying the basket 65. High-speed drive is transmitted through a pulley 102, a belt 103 and an adjustable clutch type pulley 104 including a flange 105 (not shown) fixed to the motor shaft and a second flange 106 splined to and axially movable on the motor shaft. A solenoid 107 has a movable core 108 connected by a tension spring 111 to a pivoted bell-crank lever 109 which engages the movable flange 106. When the solenoid 107 is energized the flange 106 is moved towards the fixed flange to grip the belt 103 to drive the pulley 102 and over-run the slow speed pulley 96. When the solenoid 107 is de-energized the pulley flanges 105, 106 are separated and do not drive the belt 103. Liquid supply and discharge,.-The pump 125 is secured to a bracket 129 pivoted at 131 on the motor 85. A friction wheel 132 on the shaft of the pump 125 is engageable with a second friction wheel 133 fixed to the motor shaft. An electromagnet 134 having a movable armature 135 connected by a spring 130 to the bracket 129, can be energized to bring the wheels 132, 133 into driving engagement. The pump 125 has an inlet 126 connected to a sump 127 at the bottom of the tub 45, and an outlet 128 which extends upwardly above the level of liquid in the tub. Hot and cold water supply pipes 113, 114 controlled by solenoids 116, 117 respectively are connected through a mixing valve 115 and conduit 118 to a vacuum breaker comprising a nozzle 122, air gap 123 and an opening 121 in the rear wall of the tub 45.