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Re: Laundromat



I have noticed this type of thing before in my home dryer and many others.
I have not talked to manufacturers, so this is an "educated guess," but I
have seen it enough that I think it is a design feature rather than a fluke.

For the most efficient drying we indeed want the clothes to tumble. But
when clothes are wet, this would be noisy, a strain on the motor and belt,
might wear out the bearings faster... and most of all, might make the dryer
rock back and forth and start "walking" around the room. Have you put a
sneakers in the dryer and had them clunk around? We would not want the wet
heavy clothes to do this.

So I believe the angular velocity of a clothes dryer is no accident. I
believe they make the rotation speed just right so wet heavy clothes have
sufficient "cling" that they mostly stay against the drum, initially, but
upon losing some moisture (hence losing the cling), they begin to tumble.

If this is not a design feature of dryers, it strikes me as a great
serendipitous accident.

Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D. Phone/voice-mail: 419-358-3270
Professor of Chemistry & Physics FAX: 419-358-3323
Chairman, Science Department E-Mail edmiston@bluffton.edu
Bluffton College
280 West College Avenue
Bluffton, OH 45817