History of the washing machine

In 1858, an American named Hamilton Smith made the world's first washing machine in Pittsburgh. The main part of the washing machine was a drum with a straight shaft with paddle-shaped leaves inside. It is turned by shaking the crank connected to it. In the same year, Smith patented the washing machine. The washing machine was laborious and damaged clothes, so it was not widely used, but it marked the beginning of machine laundry. In the following year, a washing machine using a pestle as an agitator appeared in Germany. When the pestle moved up and down, the wooden nails equipped with springs would continuously act on the clothes. The washing machine at the end of the 19th century has developed into an octagonal laundry tub that is rotated by a handle. Hot soapy water is put into the tub during laundry. After the clothes are washed, the clothes are squeezed dry by the liquid squeeze device.

In 1874, the "Hand Washing Era" was challenged unprecedentedly, and the American Bill Blakes invented the wooden hand washing machine. The structure of Blakes washing machine is very simple. It is to install 6 blades in the wooden barrel, and use the handle and gear transmission to make the clothes turn over in the barrel, so as to achieve the purpose of "cleaning clothes". The advent of this set of devices has greatly inspired those who are thinking hard about improving life efficiency, and the improvement process of washing machines has begun to be greatly accelerated.

In 1880, steam washing machines appeared in the United States, and steam power began to replace manpower. After hundreds of years of development and improvement, modern steam washing machines have made unparalleled improvements earlier, but the principle is the same. The functions of the modern steam washing machine include steam washing and steam drying. It adopts an intelligent water circulation system, which can double-spray the clothes with high-concentration washing liquid and high-temperature steam at the same time, throughout the entire washing process, and realizes the world's original "steam washing". "A new way of washing. Unlike ordinary drum washing machines that need to heat the water in the entire drum during washing, steam washing is for the purpose of deep cleaning clothes. When a small amount of water enters the steam generating box and is converted into steam, the clothes stains are decomposed by high-temperature jets. Steam washing is fast, thorough, requires little water and saves time. For winter clothes that have been placed in the closet for a long time and have wrinkles and odors, they can be stretched naturally and the wrinkles smoothed. The working principle of "steam drying" is to spray constant steam on the clothes, stretch the clothes, and then perform constant temperature condensation drying. In this way, heavy laundry not only dries faster, but also has a stretch and ironing effect.

After steam washing machines, hydraulic washing machines and internal combustion engine washing machines also appeared one after another. The hydraulic washing machine includes a washing drum, a power source and a connecting piece connected to the ship. The washing machine is provided with inlet and outlet holes, the shell of the washing machine is provided with a power source, and the washing drum is provided with a clothing inlet hole, and the inlet is provided with a sealing cover. , the washing machine is connected to the boat through a connecting piece. It does not require any electricity, and only needs natural river water power to wash clothes, freeing the boat people from the trouble of washing clothes on board, saving time and reducing the intensity of housework.

In 1910, Fisher of the United States successfully trial-produced the world's first electric washing machine in Chicago. The advent of the electric washing machine marks the beginning of the automation of human housework.

In 1922, the American Matayge Company transformed the washing structure of the washing machine, changing the drag type to the stirring type, so that the structure of the washing machine was fixed, and this was the birth of the first stirring washing machine. This kind of washing machine is equipped with a vertical shaft in the center of the drum, and a stirring wing is installed at the lower end of the vertical shaft. The motor drives the vertical shaft to perform periodic positive and negative swings, so that the clothes and the water flow are constantly tumbling and rubbing against each other to clean the dirt. The stirring type washing machine is scientific and reasonable in structure, and is generally welcomed by people.

In 1932, American Bendex Airlines announced that they had successfully developed the first front-loading drum washing machine. Washing, rinsing, and dehydration were completed in the same drum. This means that the type of electric washing machine has jumped to a new level, and it has taken another big step towards automation.

The first automatic washing machine was introduced in 1937. This is a "front-loading" automatic washing machine. The cylinder, driven by a horizontal shaft, holds 4000 grams of clothing. Clothes are constantly rolled up and down in a water-filled tank to remove dirt and scale. In the 1940s, the modern "top-loading" automatic washing machine appeared.

With the acceleration of industrialization, countries all over the world have also accelerated the pace of washing machine development. First, a jet-flow washing machine was developed and introduced by the United Kingdom. It relies on the strong eddy current generated by the running pulsator on one side of the cylinder, so that the clothes and washing liquid are continuously rolled in the cylinder to wash the clothes.

In 1955, on the basis of the introduction of the British jet-flow washing machine, Japan developed a unique pulsator washing machine that is still popular today. So far, the wave wheel type, the drum type, and the agitator type have initially formed a three-point situation in the field of washing machine production.

In the 1960s, a double-tub washing machine with a dry bucket appeared in Japan, which was called a "semi-automatic washing machine".

In the 1970s, a pulsator-type fully automatic washing machine was produced.

In the late 1970s, fully automatic washing machines controlled by computers (actually microprocessors) came out in Japan, creating a new stage in the history of washing machine development.

In the 1980s, the application of "fuzzy control" made the washing machine easy to operate and fully functional...

In the 1990s, due to the improvement of motor speed regulation technology, the washing machine realized a wide range of speed conversion and adjustment, and many new water flow washing machines were born. Since then, with the development and improvement of motor drive technology, Japan has produced a washing machine directly driven by a motor, eliminating the need for gear transmission and speed change mechanisms, which has triggered a huge revolution in the driving mode of washing machines. Later, with the further development of science and technology, the drum washing machine has become a product that everyone has been familiar with.

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