Replacing the shock-absorbing unit in a modern washing machine takes about half an hour, even for users without experience in repairing household appliances. However, this element of the “home assistant” does not always need to be changed, because sometimes it can simply be repaired and thus save the family budget. We will study in detail the principle of operation of a washing machine shock absorber, which will help you better understand the device and independently make a decision about restoration in case of damage to the dampers.
How does a damper work?
It is dampers today that are most often responsible for handling excessive vibration that occurs during washing and spinning the washing machine. This shock absorption system works in conjunction with suspension springs. This unit looks like the same steel cylinder, only without a rod with a piston inside, because it is itself a piston with holes on the sides necessary to eliminate air locks.
This piston device contains one or a pair of friction pads, the number of which varies in washing machines of different models and manufacturers. These gaskets are made of porous polymer coated with a special non-drying lubricant, which allows creating additional friction during movement. In this case, rubber bushings located at the edges of the cylinder and the damper installed in it act as fasteners for shock-absorbing elements with the bottom of the automatic SM on one side, as well as with the bottom of the washing tank on the other side. There are two types of dampers:
Collapsible.They have a replaceable gasket installed, so usually the element can be repaired by simply replacing an outdated friction gasket.
Non-separable. These parts are treated with metal at the edges, so it will not be possible to remove the deformed gasket from them, which means you will have to buy new dampers and install them in place of the dismantled ones.
Try to purchase only original spare parts so that they not only fit your “home assistant” perfectly, but also serve for a long time.
When replacing, you also need to take into account the impact force, which has its own limits, which can be found on the element body. Most often, the load is measured in the range from 50 to 150 Newton. It is these indicators that you need to focus on when purchasing a new damper - purchase products with the same maximum load as the failed damper. If you follow the manufacturer's recommendations and install the correct damper, your washing machine will not exceed its load limits.
How does a shock absorber work?
We have studied the principle of operation of modern dampers, all that remains is to find out how the shock absorber works in a washing machine. This spring-piston design can also often be found in household appliances. It looks like a metal cylinder with a polymer bushing mounted on top that guides the rod into the cylinder cavity.
The element is fixed on the washing drum with polymer gaskets or inserts, which are installed in the upper part of the shock absorber rod. In this case, the piston with a gasket is fixed to the base of the rod. The gasket in this design is also very generously treated with a special lubricant, which creates additional friction and does not dry out over time.What exactly does a shock absorber like this do in a system?
When the SM body oscillates, the rod moves linearly.
This pushes the piston, which begins to move in a metal cylinder.
The lubricant slows down the piston, preventing it from sliding freely.
When the pressure becomes weaker, the rod returns to its original position and stops.
When the oscillation returns, all the described actions occur again.
Preparing the holes in the piston walls allows you to avoid creating air pockets with additional resistance, because when pressing on the piston, all the air freely exits through the holes, without slowing down or stopping the movement of the piston.
Since the depreciation of the “home assistant” is tied to the constant friction of the elements against each other, over time they will wear out and fail. When a given system consists of several spring devices, they usually deform at the same time, so they all need to be changed at once so as not to create a difference in the vibration damping of the device. The final wear of the element occurs after a gap appears between the elements. The problem can also be identified by the appearance of excessive vibration during washing and spinning, as well as by the uncharacteristic knocking of the washing tub on the internal surfaces of the washing machine.
Often the problem can be eliminated by simply replacing the gasket, but occasionally the shock absorber fails after deformation or even separation into several parts, after which the drive belt comes off and other problems arise. In this situation, it will not be possible to avoid purchasing new shock absorbers.
It is noteworthy that the operation of shock absorbers in washing machines does not depend on the design of the damper, because devices often differ not only in the design of the element, but also in the location of its installation. For example, not every shock absorber has a spring system that holds the washing machine tank on top.
As for dampers, they also differ in size, location and angle of inclination. In some machines you will find not two suspensions that hold the tank on top, but one large counterweight that is connected to the tank using a pair of small springs. In this case, the standard shock-absorbing system is a double tank supported by a damper from below.
Replacing the shock-absorbing unit in a modern washing machine takes about half an hour, even for users without experience in repairing household appliances. However, this element of the “home assistant” does not always need to be changed, because sometimes it can simply be repaired and thus save the family budget. We will study in detail the principle of operation of a washing machine shock absorber, which will help you better understand the device and independently make a decision about restoration in case of damage to the dampers.
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