The present application is directed to a laundry appliance, and more particularly, to insulation materials or composites applied to the drum of the laundry appliance.
Laundry appliances, such as clothes washers, dryers, refreshers, and non-aqueous systems, may include a rotating drum (or basket) for receiving items to be laundered. The drum is housed in an appliance body, where the body has a door for providing access to the drum. The drum is rotated by a motor, to tumble the clothing items within the drum. The laundry appliance may include a controller that operates the laundry appliance based on a user-input selection of numerous pre-programmed cycles. Each pre-programmed cycle may have various adjustable parameters (e.g., time, temperature, etc.) which can be adjusted by the user. Upon loading of laundry items in the drum, and selection of the pre-programmed cycle (and any adjustments therein), the laundry appliance operates to treat the laundry items based on the type of appliance (i.e., a washer runs the selected wash cycle, the dryer runs the selected dry cycle, etc.). In conventional washers, the drum (or sometimes referred to as basket) may have opening(s) for providing water (i.e., heated or unheated water) to the drum to wash the clothing items. In conventional dryers, the drum may have a vent or opening(s) for providing air (i.e., dry, heated or unheated air) to dry the clothing items. The drum is typically made of metal, such as, but not limited to, coated steel or stainless steel.
According to one or more embodiments, a laundry appliance includes a cylindrical drum including a drum wall defining a receptacle for receiving laundry items. The drum wall includes a curved portion and a rear wall portion defining an outer surface which is susceptible to heat loss. The laundry appliance further includes an insulation composite secured to at least a portion of the outer surface to reduce the heat loss from the drum. The insulation composite includes a polyester material and an air barrier layer, with the polyester material being sandwiched between the drum wall and the air barrier layer.
According to at least one embodiment, the insulation composite may include a plurality of layers of the polyester material sandwiched between the drum wall and the air barrier layer. In certain embodiments, the air barrier layer may be a metal foil or sheet. In at least one embodiment, the polyester material may be a polyester felt. In one or more embodiments, the polyester material may have a thickness of about 1 to 5 mm. In certain embodiments, the polyester material has a surface density of about 50 to 1000 g/m2. In at least one embodiment, at least 20% of the outer surface may include the insulation composite. In certain embodiments, at least 20% of the curved portion includes the insulation composite.
According to one or more embodiments, an insulation composite for a laundry appliance includes a polyester material having a first side for securing the polyester material to a laundry drum, and a second side opposite the first side, and an air barrier layer attached to the second side and being substantially impermeable to air. The air barrier layer traps heated air within the polyester material and between an outer surface of the laundry drum and the air barrier layer to reduce the heat loss from the drum.
According to at least one embodiment, the air barrier layer may have a thickness of about barrier layer has a thickness of about 25 to 1000 μm, and the polyester material may have a thickness of about 1 to 5 mm. In one or more embodiments, the polyester material may include a plurality of layers of polyester sheets. In certain embodiments, the polyester material may be a polyester felt, and the air barrier layer may be a metal foil or sheet. In further embodiments, the metal foil or sheet may be aluminum, tin, stainless steel, or steel. In at least one embodiment, a thermal conductivity of the polyester material may be about 0.02 to 0.06 W/(m-K).
According to one or more embodiments, a method of providing a laundry appliance includes providing a drum having a receptacle for receiving laundry items, the drum being configured to be mounted within an appliance body having a door providing access to the receptacle; and attaching a polyester material to at least a portion of an outer surface of the drum. The polyester material is positioned on the outer surface to reduce convective heat loss from the drum.
According to at least one embodiment, the polyester material may include an air barrier layer secured on an opposite side of the polyester material from the outer surface. In further embodiments, the polyester material may be a polyester felt and the air barrier layer may be a metal foil or sheet. In some embodiments, the polyester material may have a thickness of about 1 to 5 mm, and the air barrier layer may have a thickness of about 25 to 1000 μm. In one or more embodiments, the method may further comprise attaching an air barrier layer on an opposite side of the polyester material from the outer surface after attaching the polyester material to the outer surface. In other embodiments, the method may further comprise attaching an air barrier layer to the polyester material on an opposite side of the polyester material from the outer surface prior to securing the polyester material to the outer surface.
As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.
Laundry appliances, such as washers and dryers, are often used together to wash and dry clothing, linens, towels, and other items, collectively “laundry items.” Washers are appliances that use water, along with detergent, to clean the items under agitation (e.g., rotation). After washing, the wet laundry items are transferred to the dryer. Dryers use air to remove moisture from the clean laundry items which came from the washer, or from other damp or wet laundry items. Dryers include an air supply and an exhaust for supplying air to a drum to aid in the drying of the laundry items within the drum of the laundry appliance. In various examples, the air enters the body of the dryer, passes over a heating element to warm the air, and the warm air is provided into the drum (sometimes referred to as a tumbler). The air circulates through the drum as the drum is rotated, such that the laundry items are dried. The air then exits the drum through an exhaust duct, which may include a lint screen to remove lint or other debris from the airflow. The air flow through the dryer is supplied and aided by a blower system to force the air out the dryer and pull new air in to be heated.
In certain examples, the drum of the laundry appliance may be made of stainless steel. Stainless steel may be used for the drum in certain appliances, such as washers and dryers, to impart advantageous properties, including resistance to rust and stains, and no need for a protective coating. In other examples, the drum may be made of porcelain-coated steel, which can be produced at a reduced cost relative to stainless. When compared with other metals, such as copper or aluminum, steel is a relatively poor conductor of heat. Nevertheless, the drum of the laundry appliance may be susceptible to conductive heat loss through the drum wall. Additionally, convective heat loss may occur due to the presence of air on the outer surface of the drum wall. These heat loss factors may affect the overall efficiency of the laundry appliance, as additional energy is used by the dryer not only to generate more heat for the air, but to blow more air into the drum to dry the laundry items, in order to counter heat lost through the drum. Thus, according to one or more embodiments, features and methods for reducing heat loss from the drum are disclosed.
According to one or more embodiments, a laundry appliance having drum insulation on the outside surface of the wall of the drum is provided. The drum insulation includes a polyester material (e.g., polyester felt) and an air barrier layer (e.g., aluminum sheet), cooperating to form an insulation composite. The presence of the polyester material may reduce the conductive heat loss through the drum, and the air barrier layer prevents air from flowing away from the polyester material, and therefore, the drum wall, effectively sealing heated air from going past the air barrier layer. The polyester material is secured to at least a portion of the drum wall, and is sandwiched between the drum wall and the air barrier layer. The drum insulation, in certain embodiments, includes the fibrous polyester felt and the aluminum sheet to reduce convective heat loss by reducing the drum wall's exposure to air. Also described are methods of applying the drum insulation to the wall of the drum.
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The insulation composite 200 is provided to cover at least 20% of the outer surface 126 in some embodiments, 25 to 95% of the outer surface 126 in other embodiments, and 30 to 90% of the outer surface 126 in yet other embodiments. In some embodiments, the insulation composite 200 is provided to cover at least 20% of the curved portion 123 in some embodiments, 25 to 95% of the outer surface 126 in other embodiments, and 30 to 90% of the curved portion 123 in yet other embodiments. The insulation composite 200 is further provided, in certain embodiments, on the rear wall surface of the drum 120, and may cover at least 20% of the rear surface, in other embodiments 25 to 95%, and in yet other embodiments 30 to 90% of the rear base wall 125 of the drum 120. The insulation composite 200 may be included on the drum 120 in any suitable configuration or combination of on the outer surface 126 (i.e., on the curved surface and/or the rear base wall) of the drum, and in any suitable number of pieces. In some embodiments, the insulation composite 200 is one unitary piece, and in other embodiments, the insulation composite 200 comprises 2 to 10 discrete components. In embodiments where the insulation composite 200 is one unitary piece on the curved surface portion of the outer surface 126, the insulation composite 200 may have a width of 125 to 145 mm, and a length of 145 to 165 mm. In some embodiments, the insulation composite 200 may be included on the drum 120 in configurations based on belt tolerance and space available as to not be worn or damaged against the drive belt.
By including the insulation composite 200 on the drum 120, the convective heat loss from the drum 120 can be reduced by at least 50% when compared with laundry drums without an insulation composite. As such, the inclusion of the insulation composite 200 can reduce heat loss from the drum 120, thus improving the efficiency of the laundry appliance 100.
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In one or more embodiments, the polyester material 210 is a fibrous substrate having a suitable density to reduce convective heat loss from the drum 120. The surface density of the polyester material 210 may be 50 to 1000 g/m2 in at least one embodiment, 150 to 700 g/m2 in some embodiments, 200 to 650 g/m2 in other embodiments, and 250 to 600 g/m2 in yet other embodiments. In at least one embodiment, the surface density of the polyester material 210 is 300 to 400 g/m2. The polyester material 210 may be any suitable polyester material for reducing convective heat loss from the drum 120, including, but not limited to, a polyester felt material (e.g., needle punched polyester felt). The polyester material 210 may have any suitable thickness, and in certain embodiments, has a thickness of 1 to 5 mm, in other embodiments, 2 to 4 mm, and in yet other embodiments 3 mm. The thickness of the polyester material 210 is substantially uniform throughout the insulation composite 200, such that any variations in thickness are within 0.01 to 0.05 mm. In certain embodiments, each layer of the polyester material 210 may has a suitable thickness not to obstruct efficiency of the motor by addition of weight, and also be of sufficient weight to be secured to the drum based on the weight tolerance of the securing mechanism. Furthermore, the polyester material 210 has sufficient heat tolerance to be directly adhered on the drum 120, and has structural integrity and flexibility to be wrapped about the drum 120. In one or more embodiments the polyester material has a thermal conductivity of 0.02 to 0.06 W/(m-K), in other embodiments 0.03 to 0.055 W/(m-K), and in yet other embodiments 0.04 to 0.05 W/(m-K) (at atmospheric pressure and 25° C.).
The air barrier layer 220 is positioned toward the outer body 110 of the appliance 100 when compared with the polyester material 210. As such, the polyester material 210 is sandwiched between the outer surface 126 and the air barrier layer 220. The air barrier layer 220 is substantially impermeable to air, and may be any suitable material, including, but not limited to, a metal foil (e.g., aluminum or tin), or a sheet of aluminum, steel, stainless steel, or other suitable substantially air-impermeable or non-porous layer. The air barrier layer 220 has sufficient heat tolerance (for example, in some embodiments, up to 125 to 150° F.) to be attached to the polyester material 210 and be located within the cavity of body 110, and has structural integrity and flexibility to be wrapped about the drum 120. As such, the air barrier layer 220 traps air within the thickness of the polyester material 210, thus reducing the amount of heat lost via convection in the air surrounding the drum 120. The air barrier layer 220 has a thickness of 25 to 1000 μm in certain embodiments, 35 to 750 μm in other embodiments, and 40 to 500 μm in yet other embodiments. In one or more embodiments the air barrier layer 220 has a thermal conductivity of 200 to 210 W/(m-K), in other embodiments 202 to 208 W/(m-K), and in yet other embodiments 203 to 207 W/(m-K) (at atmospheric pressure and 25° C.). The volumetric density of air barrier layer 220 may be 2 to 3.5 g/cm3 in some embodiments, 2.25 to 3.25 g/cm3 in other embodiments, 2.5 to 3.0 g/cm3.
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According to one or more embodiments, a laundry appliance includes an insulation composite on the drum. The outer surface of the drum wall includes the insulation composite adhered thereon to reduce convective heat loss from the drum. The insulation composite includes a polyester material and an air barrier layer, with the polyester material reducing heat loss adjacent the outer surface of the drum, and the air barrier layer is substantially impermeable to air such that the heat remains trapped adjacent to the outer surface. The polyester material may be adhered to the drum wall, with the air barrier layer attached to the opposite surface of the polyester material from the drum wall. The polyester material may be a polyester felt, and the air barrier layer may be a metal foil or sheet (e.g., aluminum). As such, the insulation composite reduces the convective heat loss from the drum due to the properties of the insulation composite provided thereon.
Except where otherwise expressly indicated, all numerical quantities in this description and in the claims are to be understood as modified by the word “about” in describing the broader scope of this invention. The term “substantially,” “generally,” or “about” may be used herein and may modify a value or relative characteristic disclosed or claimed. In such instances, “substantially,” “generally,” or “about” may signify that the value or relative characteristic it modifies is within ±0%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5% or 10% of the value or relative characteristic. Practice within the numerical limits stated is generally preferred. Also, unless expressly stated to the contrary, the description of a group or class of materials by suitable or preferred for a given purpose in connection with the invention implies that mixtures of any two or more members of the group or class may be equally suitable or preferred.
While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention.