Alternate Drying Washing Machine

Inflatable air bag

Alternate drying mechanism in automatic washing machine

Product Design Lab 1
Group 5

Pre-requisites
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Easy operation
Safe
Greater power and water efficiency
Reasonably priced
Substantial drying of clothes
Minimal wear of clothes

Patented in 1957, the mechanism alongside uses a mechanical piston to squeeze water out of the clothes

Brainstorming & categorization of modules
Mechanical

Thermal

Chemical

Electrical

Mechanism similar to iron pressing

Blasting hot air on the clothes Reducing surface tension of water to enable faster drying

Electrostatic attraction of water molecules

Using vacuum (or low pressure) for suction of water

Blowing a vortex of warm dry air

Using deliquescent materials for absorption of water

Rotation at higher rpm Using inward mechanical pressure on clothes in the form of plates

Concept Screening
Idea

Spatial feasibility (fitting)

Financial feasibility Feasibility with energy

Theoretical feasibility Manufacturing feasibility Efficiency

Summing
Up

Iron pressing

(-)

(-)

(-)

(-)

(-)

(-)

-6

Electrostatic attraction (+)

(0)

(+)

(-)

(0)

(0)

+1

Reducing surface tension

(+)

(0)

(+)

(0)

(-)

(0)

+1

Vacuum

(-)

(-)

(-)

(-)

(0)

(0)

-4

Deliquescent materials (+)

(0)

(0)

(-)

(0)

(0)

0

Hot air blast

(0)

(0)

(0)

(+)

(+)

(+)

+3

Rotation at higher rpm

(+)

(0)

(0)

(-)

(+)

(+)

+2

Mechanical pressure by plates (0)

(+)

(+)

(0)

(-)

(-)

0

Vortex of warm dry air

(+)

(-)

(0)

(-)

(0)

(+)

0

Concept Selection
• Mimicking squeezing action using
Mechanical Pressure
• Hot Dry Compressed Air to absorb moisture content (provided via compressor) Higher
RPM

Applying pressure Dry hot air

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