Washing Machine Outlet Hose Analysis in Full Water Condition

Abstract

Outlet hose is a flexible connection between washtub outlet and drain pump inlet in front-load washing machine. Its purpose is to carry water, keep a constant connection during machine operation, avoid water leakage, and reduce force transmission. Rib pattern provided on hose introduces flexibility in hose allows it to remain intact without transferring forces to the machine structure. But the excessive flexibility of hose may cause over-bending, and it may also lead to collapse due to water load which leads to air clogging or self-rubbing issues. The hose may also hit surrounding components like metal brackets continuously during washing cycle which causes wear and in turn, leads to water leakage over a period of time. To avoid the above circumstances, it is necessary to study the behavior and movement of the outlet hose in full water condition for static and dynamic cases and provide design solutions. Using various simulation tools, the hose design is developed and further analyzed to have an improvised and efficient design. In the present study, the finite element method is used for the analysis of the outlet hose due to its complex material and loading conditions. Explicit finite element code LS-DYNA is used to generate static and dynamic loading environment in the simulation. Smoothed-particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method is used for water modeling and fluid–structure interaction study. Using this technique, different hose design concepts are evaluated and refined to improve the design.