The impact of rotational speed and water volume on textile translational motion in a front-loading washer

Textile motion in a front-loading washer has been characterized via video capturing, and a processing system developed based on image geometric moment. Textile motion significantly contributes to the mass transfer of the wash solution in porous materials, particularly in the radial direction (perpendicular to the rotational axis of the inner drum). In this paper, the velocity profiles and residence time distributions of tracer textiles have been investigated to characterize the textile dynamics in a front-loading washer. The results show that the textile motion varies significantly with the water volume and rotational speed, and that the motion path follows certain patterns. Two regions are observed in the velocity plots: a passive region where the textile moves up with low velocity and an active region where the textile falls down with relatively high speed. A stagnant area in the residence time profile is observed. This corresponds to the passive region in the velocity profile. The stagnant area affects the mechanical action, thus influencing washing efficiency and textile performance. The findings on textile dynamics will help in the development of better front-loading washers.