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Title:
A BEARING HOUSING FOR DRUM SHAFT AND PRODUCTION METHOD THEREOF
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2017/155493
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
A bearing assembly for a laundry machine wherein a drum shaft is supported with at least two roller bearing mounted at a front opening and a rear opening inside a rear wall channel comprising a rotary drum having a loading opening, a tub surrounding the drum such that allowing access to the loading opening wherein the tub is having a rear wall on which the rear wall channel is formed. The invention subject bearing housing (300) coaxial with and deep drawn inside the rear wall channel such that covering inner wall in a contacting manner that clutching as united by plastering method and extending inside made of an inverse tapering sheet wherein the diameter of front and rear openings (301, 304) are arranged such that the roller bearings are fitting properly.

Inventors:
AVCI MUCAHIT (TR)
TURKOGLU ISMAIL (TR)
TAYSI MURAT (TR)
SERBET TURGAY (TR)
Application Number:
PCT/TR2017/050095
Publication Date:
September 14, 2017
Filing Date:
March 09, 2017
Export Citation:
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Assignee:
LANG YUZER OTOMOTIV YAN SAN VE TIC A S (TR)
AL-KOR MAKINA KALIP SAN VE TIC A S (TR)
International Classes:
F16C35/077; D06F37/26
Foreign References:
DE3512137A11985-10-24
DE838237C1952-05-05
DE102005009721B32006-10-12
US1420497A1922-06-20
US20110302741A12011-12-15
TR201107340A22012-01-23
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
SOYLU PATENT ANONIM SIRKETI (TR)
Download PDF:
Claims:
CLAIMS

1. A bearing assembly (30) for a laundry machine wherein a drum shaft (20) is supported with at least two roller bearing (40) mounted at a front opening (32) and a rear opening (34) inside a rear wall channel (176) comprising a rotary drum (13) having a loading opening (1 1), a tub (13) surrounding the drum (13) such that allowing access to the loading opening wherein the tub (13) is having a rear wall (170) on which the rear wall channel (176) is formed characterized in that at least one bearing housing (300) coaxial with and deep drawn inside the rear wall channel (176) such that covering inner wall in a contacting manner and that in a hollow form surrounding the drum shaft (20) extending inside made of an inverse tapering sheet wherein the diameter of front and rear openings (32, 34) are arranged such that the roller bearings (40) are fitting properly.

2. A bearing assembly (30) according to claim 1 , wherein at least one holding protrusion (305) is being formed to provide a recess on the different points at a predetermined distance along the periphery of the side wall (304) of the bearing housing (300) against a channel side wall (178) of the rear wall channel (176).

3. A bearing assembly (30) according to claim 1 , wherein housing middle part (302) forming a recess towards the gap in the bearing housing (300) narrowing so as to correspond to the smaller diameter than the diameter of each of the rollers (40) between housing front part (301) and the housing rear part (303)

4. A bearing assembly (30) according to claim 2, wherein multiple holding protrusions (305) with rounded hemisphere-like form corners forming recesses in the radial form to the rear wall (170) from the longitudinal axis of the tubular bearing housing (300)

5. A bearing assembly (30) according to claim 2, wherein a protrusion array (306) consisting of at least 2 holding protrusions (305) surrounding the circumference of the housing lateral surface (304) from end to end.

6. A bearing assembly (30) according to claim 2, wherein at least two holding protrusions (305) formed by protrusions extending from the end to the end of the circumference of the housing lateral surface (304) of the housing, and a fixing channel (307) between each of these 2 protrusion arrays (306).

7. A bearing assembly (30) according to any of the previous claims, wherein sheet thickness of the bearing housing (300) is selected between 0.6 mm and 6 mm and especially at least 2 mm and greater than it and less than 4 mm or 4 mm. 8. A bearing assembly (30) according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that bearing housing is in the form of stitched pipe structure.

9. A production method for obtaining a bearing assembly (300) according to any of the previous claims, the bearing housing comprises at least one of the steps of the followings or combinations of them

• placing the tub fitted in the plastering mold into the drum (13) mold so as to be shaped in a form suitable for the axial diameter of the bearing housing (300) rear wall channel (176)

· in the eccentric press pressing the bearing housing (300) against the ball rollers (46) as shrinkage fit bearing the drum shaft (20) in the tub (17) body made of plastic in accordance with the plaster metal molding process

• and injecting into the injection process, as well as performing a sandblasting operation which will increase the effective adherence of the housing lateral surface (304) to the plastic raw material on the pipe.

10. A production method for obtaining a bearing assembly (30) according to claim 9, wherein formation and/or surface treatment performed to increase the housing lateral surface (304) of the bearing housing (300).

11. A production method for obtaining a bearing assembly (30) according to claim 9-10, wherein a sandblasting is performed to increase the surface area of the bearing housing (300). 12. A production method for obtaining a bearing assembly (30) according to claim 9-11 , wherein the sandblasting process is applied by having to the metal surface of the bearing housing crashed with high pressure air and/or is applied in the sandblasting vessel and/or the sandblasting cabin and/or is applied in the turbine automatic sandblasting machine 13. A bearing assembly (30) obtained by claim 11-12, wherein the surface abrasive materials used in the sandblasting process of the bearing housing (300) are selected based on metal and / or glass based and / or mineral based and/or the consumable materials referred to in the invention used in the sandblasting process are selected anything from the group consisting of stainless steel balls, glass beads, aluminum oxide balls, steel grid, basalt, silica and quartz, and / or as combinations of these.

14. A washing machine (1) or dryer machine comprising the bearing housing (300) according to any of the previous claims.

Description:
A BEARING HOUSING FOR DRUM SHAFT AND PRODUCTION METHOD THEREOF

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to bearing roller of a drum that is suitable for use in washing machines or washing dryers nowadays, and relates to an economic, resistance increased, environmentally sensitive roller embodiment.

THE PRIOR ART

At the front loading washing machines, the washing operation is carried out according to the type and pollution of the laundry with the help of a control knob located on the machine.

Constituent parts of the washing machine can be sorted as tub, drum, shaft, roller recess, drum metal sheets, balance weight, motor. There are bearing elements in the bearing area where a shaft is connected to a tub in a drum for the drum movement, the drum shaft which is rotattably attached to the drum, and the other ends are free to rotate the attached tub in the machine housing and connects the drum to the tub in front-loading washing machines where it is mounted. In TR201107340 patent publication, a two-piece plastic housing for the rollers that mount the drum shafts of the washing machines and the coaxiality of the rollers with the drum shaft and the positioning at a certain distance from each other are provided.

It is aimed to reduce material weight processing, assembly and material costs by using plastic housing.

The improvement explained in the claims in the invention is said to be provided by two pieces of plastic which are injected onto the rollers so that the roller surfaces coincide with the axis of rotation of the drum without the need for machining of the roller surfaces and that the distance between the rollers can be determined. That the roller bearing produced from the casting material used in the present case is heavy creates a cost resulting from the much use of the material. In order to provide coaxiality with the mentioned method, a new bearing housing is presented. However, due to the two-piece construction, desired performance will not be achieved during assembly

Moreover, the fact that manufacturers are now always launching washing machines with higher rotational speeds to the market causes mechanical bending and torsional load to increase every time the shaft on the drum bearing in the washing machine tub. This results in high costs in the washing machine drum, in the parts used in the shaft bearing and in their materials by causing faulty settings, reduced life of the parts, etc. In some of these applications, pinching the shaft with a product that takes up extra space instead of strengthening the structure of the shaft brings both extra cost and design difficulty. The bushings used in the drum shaft bearings of washing machines are made from brass or cast iron and they are not economical and lightweight. Cost improvements made in the bearing and the shaft are generally geometrical changes such as diameter changes on the metal part of the shaft, height measurements or profile changes on the outer surface. The material of the tub is made of plastic metal and the drum shaft and the elements in the bearing are made of metal. The operation of washing machines leads to different fatigue of the two different materials, and distortion torsions take place over time. According to that, there is a need for a new bearing element or bearing assembly bearing the shaft providing motion to the drum in the opening on the tub to reduce the effect of fatigue occuring in the technical, economic and present situation, it is expected that the new structure will prevent especially the corrosion, fatigue and strength reductions that may occur over time. At the same time, it is important to reduce the cost of production.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a more economical bearing housing than the existing applications. The topic of the invention is that a new roller bearing housing will be able to produced from recycled material. The use of lighter materials than the present structures used in the washing machine bearings will reduce the logistical costs and / or reduce the parts costs and operations, thus environmentally friendly washing machine production will be provided. With the invention, the product is aimed to be a more robust due to the fact that the washing machine drum shaft is covered with plastic is the same basic material as the tub body to be joined, to be more economical due to the fact that the coating is plastic, to be a more energy- efficient due to being lightweight.

The invention relates to a tub with a loading opening surrounding a rotary drum having a loading opening and a bearing assembly comprising at least two rollers positioned in a front opening and a rear opening bearing the drum shaft rotating the drum in this hole in washing machines having a connecting groove on the rear wall of this tub and followed by a rear wall channel in order to accomplish the above objectives.

The invention comprises that at least one bearing housing coaxial with and deep drawn inside the rear wall channel such that covering inner wall in a contacting manner and that in a hollow form surrounding the drum shaft extending inside made of an inverse tapering sheet wherein the diameter of front and rear openings are arranged such that the roller bearings are fitting properly.

Therefore, the contact of the surfaces with each other will be most effective with lighter material. In order to achieve the above objects, the lateral surface of said housing is provided with at least one holding protrusion is being formed to provide a recess on the different points at a predetermined distance along the periphery of the side wall of the bearing housing against a channel side wall of the rear wall channel. Thus, a strong and stable contact will be ensured even in the working operating conditions.

The invention comprises a housing middle part forming a recess towards the gap in the bearing housing narrowing so as to correspond to the smaller diameter than the diameter of each of the rollers between housing front part and the housing rear part in order to accomplish above objectives. This structure also creates material saving. The invention comprises multiple holding protrusions with rounded hemisphere-like form corners forming recesses in the radial form to the rear wall from the longitudinal axis of the tubular bearing housing. The multiple numbers of holding protrusions entering the rear wall are in radial form or its corners are rounded in hemispherical shape form. Radial forms will maximize manufacturability and eliminate the cracks and the connection difficulties that will occur at the corners.

The invention comprises a protrusion array consisting of at least 2 or 4 holding protrusions surrounding the circumference of the housing lateral surface from end to end. The number of said holding protrusions is optimally calculated in the experiments conducted and can be increased.

In the invention, two holding protrusions extending from the end to the end of the circumference of the housing lateral surface of the bearing housing, and a fixing channel between these 2 holding protrusion arrays are formed. This channel allows the material to hold well between the holding protrusions forming the vertical columns in the same direction.

The invention is also exposed to a treatment that will increase the surface area of the bearing housing. The rough surface provides convenience for the connection of two materials. Preferably, the bearing housing is exposed to sandblasting to increase the surface area for good bonding. The sanding process referred in the invention is applied by having to the metal surface crashed with high pressure air and/or in the sandblasting vessel and / or the sandblasting cabin and / or in the turbine automatic sandblasting machine

The surface abrasive materials said in the invention used in the sandblasting process of the bearing housing are selected based on metal and / or glass based and / or mineral based and/or the consumable materials referred to in the invention used in the sandblasting process are selected anything from the group consisting of stainless steel balls, glass beads, aluminum oxide balls, steel grid, basalt, silica and quartz, and / or as combinations of these.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, sheet thickness of the bearing housing is selected between 0.6 mm and 6 mm and especially at least 2 mm and greater than it and less than 4 mm or 4 mm. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, bearing housing is in the form of stitched pipe structure.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a production method for obtaining a bearing housing, the bearing housing comprises at least one of the steps of the followings or combinations of them, which are placing the tub fitted in the plastering mold into the drum mold so as to be shaped in a form suitable for the axial diameter of the rear wall channel, in the eccentric press the bearing housing is pressed against the ball bearings as shrinkage fit bearing the drum shaft in the tub body made of plastic in accordance with the plaster metal molding process and is injected into the injection process, as well as performing a sandblasting operation to increase the adhesion to the plastic raw material on the pipe better and more effectively. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a washing machine or dryer machine comprising the bearing housing is applied.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

This invention is anymore explained in more detail with attached drawings and preferred embodiments given in the detailed description, in these drawings;

Figure 1 A side elevational view of a known application of a bear to which an oscillation group shown in the schematic drawing of a front load washing machine is connected.

Figure 2 A perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a roller bearing outer bushing that is the invention subject in which a known drum shaft is positioned, which is connected to the tub rear body to bear the drum shaft. Figure 3 A top view of a roller bearing outer bushing that is the invention subject which is mounted in the bearing housing which is mounted on the washing machine tub rear wall.

Figure 4 A sectional view from the axis A-A of the Figure 3 of a roller outer bushing that is the invention subject in which roller bearings are mounted and in which the sealing is mounted, is mounted on the tub rear wall hole of the washing machine.

Figure 5 A disassembled view of a bearing housing that is the front roller bearing is located at the drum shaft front endpiece and the invention subject which provides more durable holding to tub of bear and also a coaxial shape is formed, with the sealing will be connected at the bearing housing front opening.

REFERANCE NUMBERS

1 Washing machine

1 1 Laundry loading opening

12 Detergent dispenser

13 Drum

14 Motor

15 Motor shaft

16 Pulley

17 Tub

170 Rear Wall

172 Back wall recess

174 Rear wal rib

176 Rear wall channel

178 Channel lateral surface

18 Fixing element

19 Clamp nut

20 Drum shaft

24 Drum shaft front endpiece

26 Drum shaft rear endpiece

30 Bearing assembly

32 Bearing front opening

34 Bearing rear opening

36 Housing part

40 Roller

42 Front roller

44 Rear roller

46 Roller ball

300 Bearing housing

301 Housing front part

302 Housing middle part

303 Housing rear part

304 Housing lateral surface 305 Holding protrusion

306 Protrusion array

307 Fixing channel

50 Sealing

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In figure 1 invention subject the known solution in the present invention of the bearing assembly (30) is preferably schematically shown as a horizontal axis washing machine (1) drum (13) visible. The washing machine (1) body has a laundry loading opening (11) accessible from the front. The inside of the drum (13) can be accessed from the laundry loading opening (1 1). A plastic tub surrounds the drum (13 ) and is placed in the body. A laundry loading opening (1 1) that allows laundry to be placed in it and removed after it has been installed includes a detergent dispenser (12) into which the cleaning material is placed in the dashboard area where the control group is placed. The washing machine (1) includes a tub having a back wall (170) with a back wall recess (172) and a rear wall rib (174) on it to provide mechanical stability and to decrease the material cost during operation.

The present tub (17) comprises a cylindrical drum (13) which is placed in such a way that its axis of rotation is coaxial with the concentrically aligned tub (17) and in which items to be washed are placed, a drum shaft (20) bearing to the tub (17) in the middle of the rear part of the drum and transferring the motion to the drum (13), a tub rear wall channel (176) in the middle portion of the rear wall (170) for connecting this shaft (20) in the tub (17) rear wall, a bearing housing extending into the center of the drum, in the middle of the tub rear wall, lying still with the tub, in which the drum shaft is mounted and a bearing element comprising two rollers concentric to each other and two bushes located in the bearing housing.

There is a pulley (16) connected to the shaft (20) on the back of the drum(13). This shaft (20) passes through the center of the bearing assembly (30). The drum moves by moving the pulley shaft of the pulley mechanism which the motor which drives the pulleys drives by means of a motor shaft. The pulley mechanism (16) includes a fixing element (18) and a tightening nut (19) at the points of connection of the motor shaft and drum shaft (20) to the pulley (16) to ensure that the said moving system shown in figure 1 operates in a stable and undisturbed manner. In figure. 2, the application of the subject invention is shown in which the drum shaft (20) portion is enlarged in perspective by taking a section. A bearing housing (300) made of metal material surrounding the rollers (40) extends from the back of the the rear wall chanel (1 6). The bearing housing (300) comprises a large housing front part (301) and a housing middle part (302) that gradually narrows therefrom. A housing rear part (303) extends gradually from the housing middle part (302). The bearing housing (300) is aligned at its front and rear parts (301 ,303) with the corresponding ends of the rear wall channel (176). The bearing housing (300) completely surrounds the channel lateral surface (178) of the rear wall (176). Radial outward holding protrusions (305) are formed in the housing middle part (302). The holding protrusions (305) are arranged one after the other in a radial distance. Thus, the holding protrusions (305) are arranged in such a way that the rear wall will form columns within the back wall channel (176). The holding protrusions (305) are in the form of an extended dome. Radiuses were provided on the ends. Holding protrusions (305) form one by one in a sequential order protrusion array (306). The holding protrusions (305) in each column forms a circumferential protrusion array (306) with the corresponding holding protrusions (305) in the adjacent column. A fixing channel (307) is formed between the adjacent two protrusion arrays (306). The columns that the connection hole has formed along its extending axis provide the bearing housing (300) to fit securely in the back wall channel (176) in both the forward and reverse directions. The housing front part (301) has a narrower diameter than the housing rear (303). The bearing housing (300) is generally a graduated structure.

In Figure 3, the rear wall (170) of the tub (17) is shown with the axis A-A. On the rear wall (170) there are radially spaced triangular-shaped spaced apart rear wall ribs (172) and rear wall recesses (174) between them. In the middle center part of the tub (17), circularly shaped bearing housings (300) and rollers (40) are located. The rollers (40) are located coaxially with the bearing housing (300). In figure 4 the tub rear wall (170) is shown as a section taken from axis A-A. The cylindrical drum shaft (20) extends from the drum shaft front endpiece (24) toward the inside of the drum. On the other hand, the drum shaft rear endpiece (26) extends out of the drum. Here, as shown in Figure 1 , the motor (14) is connected to the pulley (16) to receive drive. The bearing housing (300) is fixed by plastering into the rear wall channel (176) opened longitudinally from the center of the tub (17). The structure of the bearing (300) housing is preferably in the form of a thin wall and in conformity with the rear wall channel (176). Bearing housing (300) middle part (302) is located with radial channels extended to the channel lateral surface (178) of the rear wall (170). The front roller (42) and the rear roller (44) spaced apart from it are mounted in the bearing housing (300). Thus, the drum shaft (20) rotates freely in the rotation axis in the bearing housing (300). Bearing housing (300) protrusion arrays (306) pass through the connection hole (176) lateral surface. Thus, the plastering bearing housing is fixed to the rear wall channel where it is plastered. In figure 5, the condition prior to being placed inside the bearing housing (300) front part is shown. Into the bearing housing (300) in the form of stepped pipe structure, the sealing (50) is closed on the front roller.

This invention is based on the fact that, thanks to the fact that it is lighter instead of cast castings in the known state of the art by means of metal molding technology which is close to the existing part, obtaining by hammering as shrink fit onto the ball bearings on the drum shaft (20) in the plastic tub (17).

The material used is preferably a welded pipe or pipe profile and thanks to the plaster metal molding technology, the bearing housing (300) of the form shown in the figure in the eccentric press will occur. The pipe attached to the plaster mold is shaped into the desired figure and placed in the drum (13) mold and will cause to be held firmer in the injection. In addition, a sandblasting operation will be made to increase better adhesion to the plastic raw material on the pipe. This will occur according to the tensile tests performed because the part is better gripped by the plastic tub (17). For this reason, the invention will also assist to environmental waste management. The diameter of the pipe used will be the same inside diameter as the cast iron bearing hosing (300) used in the present case, and the thickness of the sheet will be preferably 2-4 mm in thickness which is enough for stress and buckling tests. The holding protrusions, which are constructed in the form of a rib on it, are provided to prevent the slippage from the tub during rotation. In addition, the sandblasting will be applied to outer surface of the sheet, and thus, the surface area will be aimed to increase.

Sandblasting is a method applied to remove metal, dirt, rust and corrosion on the surface due to rust and corrosion of the metal over time and to prolong the life of the metal by painting. The sandblasting is made with a variety of abrasive materials specially manufactured, preferably called grit. Sandblasting reveals the metal itself, along with removing rust and corrosion in visible on the metal surface or micronized sizes. A metal that is yet to be sandblasted is at its the most vulnerable time to rust and corrosion. If a metal is left in the humid atmosphere after the sandblasting process, it is observed that it is exposed to the self-evident oxidation by color change within a few hours. With zinc dyeing, the metal is cut off from the air.

It is not possible to adhere the paint applied to the metal surface by any chemical reaction. The sandblasting process provides a roughness just as it is on the sandpaper. The surface must be roughened with the appropriate abrasives in order for the surface to be complete. It is ensured that the sand is sprayed to the metal surface with high pressure air. Sandblasting of very large parts with sandblasting rubs is also carried out with this machine type. It uses sanding cabins for manual / automatic sanding of medium parts. It is used for sandblasting parts with very intricate / complex geometric structure, for sandblasting of special and sensitive parts. Since the cabins are small and closed systems, they are ideal for companies with space problems.

Turbine automatic sandblasting machines are used for the sanding of steel materials, profiles, sheet metal elements which are not usually cut or welded or for the sanding of steel material welded in certain dimensions, for the sanding of small and large number of metal parts

Turbine automatic sandblasting machines work with semi-automatic systems. The advantage of this system is that a large piece of material that can enter the machine can be swiftly and economically sandblasted. Various sanding abrasive materials are used in sandblasting machines. They can be metal based, glass and mineral based. It is very important that the abrasives used in the sand are chosen correctly. The abrasive type that can be used in all kinds of sanding machines is different. A variety of sanding materials such as nozzles, nozzle holders, sanding masks, sanding gloves are used in the sanding process. These materials are used in order to ensure the safety of the sandblasting applicator and to increase the efficiency of the sandblasting process. As abrasive consumables, abrasives such as stainless steel ball, glass sphere, aluminum oxide ball, steel grid, basalt, silica, quartz are used. Silica sand, which is a very thin variety of silica, is usually used when light sanding is gentle on thin sheets. Basalt which can be called as dusty is used in places where sand can be used recycled in closed environments. Grit is also the sand variety with the least dusting and the best sandblasting power. The material is not sand and it is iron surplus. The surface cleanliness values according to ISO 8501-1 are as follows. Sa 1 <80% Lightly cleaned, Sa 2 80% Well cleaned, Sa 2.5% 96 Very well cleaned Sa 3% 99 Cleaned completely. In Industrial Pipes, internal deburring and B surface products are produced in special order. In the preferred embodiment, said surface cleaning is undesirable, resulting in a rougher surface. The pipe wall thickness preferably is between 0.60 mm and 6.00 mm. The thickness according to the profile dimensions, the minimum and maximum values of the production are taken as basis. EC tested products are made upon request in industrial pipes. Since the standard length of Industrial Pipes is 6 meters and they are cut to the desired length, the production cost to be done in serial conditions will be more cost effective than cast iron forming.