Dynamic analysis of an automatic washing machine with a hydraulic balancer

A mathematical model of a hydraulic balancer in steady state condition was derived from a whirling model of a vertical axis washing machine, with the aim of implementing a dynamic analysis of an automatic washing machine during spin drying mode. The centrifugal force acting on the hydraulic balancer depends on the centroidal distance of the fluid in the hydraulic balancer, and the centroidal distance is a function of an eccentricity of the geometric center of the hydraulic balancer from the axis of rotation. A mathematical model of the hydraulic balancer in steady state is validated by the experimental result of the centrifugal force. Experiments were performed on a washing machine during spin drying mode, and results were compared with the simulation result. The parameters affecting the vibration of the washing machine were investigated by the parameter study. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.