The effect of fabric movement on washing performance in a front-loading washer V: Focusing on the role and shape of the lifter

Abstract

When washing clothes in a front-loading washer, the lifter affects fabric movement and detergency by lifting up the fabric and then making it fall. In order to clarify the role of the lifter in a front-loading washer, fabric movement, and detergency were examined with or without a lifter. Seven factors are involved in the lifter shape, namely back width ( Wb), middle width ( Wm), front width ( Wf), the ratio between the top and bottom width ( c), back height ( Hb), front height ( Hf), and length ( L), which were altered to identify the most effective factors in the lifter shape and how fabric movement and detergency were changed according to lifter shape. When the middle width ( Wm), length ( L), and gap between the back height ( Hb) and the front height ( Hf) were increased, fabric movement became more complex and detergency was also increased. A new lifter developed by optimizing these shape factors showed 6.8% higher detergency than a conventional lifter.