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Vibration reduction in vertical washing machine using a rotating dynamic absorber

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Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Most of the vibration problems in vertical washing machines occur during the water extraction process (spinning stage), when high unbalance forces act on the system. The unbalance forces result from the combination of high rotating velocities and the uneven, and unpredictable, mass distribution of the clothing in the machine basket. Hence, reducing system response to unbalance is a way of improving not only the vibration performance of the washing machine, but also customer satisfaction. One of the ways of reducing system response is via dynamic absorbers which work in a passive way, thus not requiring a control system, but excitation frequency must be constant and known. In this work, a rotating vibration absorber is tested for reducing lateral vibration during the spinning process of an 8-kg capacity washing machine. The vibration absorber is mounted on the rotating basket of the machine, whirling at the same velocity of the basket. A model for the rotating dynamic absorber is proposed and coupled to the model of the washing machine. Numerical and experimental results are obtained concerning unbalance response in the conditions of the spinning process. A comparison between the systems with and without the rotating dynamic absorber shows significant reduction in the lateral vibration of the machine basket when the absorber is used. Because the efficiency of vibration absorbers does not depend on the amplitude of excitation forces, vibration reduction occurs irrespective of the unbalance condition.

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Abbreviations

a :

Absolute acceleration vector, m/s2

d :

Suspension linear damping coefficient, N s/m

d a :

Damping coefficient of the absorber, N s/m

d t :

Suspension angular damping coefficient, N m s/rad

e D :

Unbalance eccentricity, m

E :

Young modulus, N/m2

f :

Force vector, N

h A :

Angular momentum vector in respect to A, kg m2/s

i, j, k :

Unitary vectors of reference frame

I :

Area moment of inertia, m4

I T :

Lateral mass moment of inertia, kg m2

I P :

Polar mass momento of inertia, kg m2

I A :

Inertia tensor in respect to A, kg m2

m :

Total mass of the system, kg

m a :

Mass of the dynamic absorber, kg

m D :

Unbalance mass, kg

m :

Moment vector, N m

k :

Suspension linear stiffness coefficient, N/m

k a :

Stiffness coefficient of the absorber, N/m

k t :

Suspension angular stiffness coefficient, N m/rad

L :

Distance between points A and CG, m

L D :

Distance between points A and unbalance, m

r :

Displacement vector, m

T β :

Transformation matrix for reference I to reference B1

T γ :

Transformation matrix for reference B1 to reference B2

v :

Absolute velocity vector, m/s

w :

Weight vector, N

x, y :

Coordinates of point A, m

x a , y a :

Coordinates of absorber center of gravity, m

β :

Rotation about axis X, rad

γ :

Rotation about axis Y 1

\(\dot\phi\) :

Basket whirling velocity, rad/s

ω a :

Natural frequency of the absorber, rad/s

ω :

Absolute angular velocity vector of the basket, rad/s

Ω 2 :

Absolute angular velocity of reference B2, rad/s

a :

Relative to rotating dynamic absorber

A :

Relative to point A

B :

Relative to point B

B1 :

Relative to first auxiliary reference frame

B2 :

Relative to second auxiliary reference frame

C :

Relative to point C

CG:

Relative to center of gravity

D :

Relative to unbalance

I :

Relative to inertial reference frame

S :

Relative to suspension

W :

Relative to weight

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Acknowledgments

The Brazilian national research council CNPq and Whirlpool S.A. are gratefully acknowledged for the support given to this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Engineering of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, São Carlos, SP, 13566-590, Brazil

    Rafael Onohara Campos & Rodrigo Nicoletti

Authors
  1. Rafael Onohara Campos
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  2. Rodrigo Nicoletti
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Correspondence to Rodrigo Nicoletti.

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Technical Editor: Paulo Varoto.

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Campos, R.O., Nicoletti, R. Vibration reduction in vertical washing machine using a rotating dynamic absorber. J Braz. Soc. Mech. Sci. Eng. 37, 339–348 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40430-014-0151-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40430-014-0151-1

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