Wig wag (washing machines)

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Wig wag solenoid in a washing machine Wig wag solenoid in a washing machine.jpg
Wig wag solenoid in a washing machine

The wig-wag is the common name for the unusual solenoid mechanism used in belt-drive washing machines made by Whirlpool, Kenmore (manufactured by Whirlpool) and many others, from approximately 1950 to 1987 in the United States. It was used in belt-drive Brastemp and Consul models built in Brazil from 1959 to 1990.

Solenoid Invention by André-Marie Ampère

A solenoid is a type of electromagnet, the purpose of which is to generate a controlled magnetic field through a coil wound into a tightly packed helix. The term was invented in 1823 by André-Marie Ampère to designate a helical coil.

Whirlpool Corporation American multinational manufacturer and marketer of home appliances

The Whirlpool Corporation is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of home appliances, headquartered in Benton Charter Township, Michigan, United States. The Fortune 500 company has annual revenue of approximately $21 billion, 92,000 employees, and more than 70 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world.

Kenmore (brand) brand of household appliances sold by Sears

Kenmore is a brand of household appliances sold by Sears. The brand is owned by Transform Holdco, an affiliate of ESL Investments.

Contents

They were common in US-style top-loading vertical-axis machines, not used in European front-loading horizontal-axis machines. Horizontal-axis machines rotate the drum to both agitate the clothes during washing and to spin them dry. A multi-speed motor is used instead of clutches.

Operation

A vertical axis washing machine has two mechanisms: a central agitator for washing and a drum for spinning, both driven by the same motor and controlled independently by clutches to the belt drive.

The wig-wag is mounted atop the washing machine's transmission, where it oscillates back and forth like a railroad signaling wigwag (hence the name). When either solenoid is engaged, a rod catches and engages the transmission in the desired mode. A wig-wag is a form of servomechanism; the coils are not powerful enough to engage the belt clutch themselves, but they can move their pins within the cam bar, then the mechanical oscillation of the wig-wag provides the force to push the cam bar and engage the belt clutch. When a solenoid is de-energized, the pin drops due to gravity.

Transmission (mechanics) machine in a power transmission system for controlled application of the power;gearbox,uses gears/gear trains to provide speed,torque conversions from a rotating power source to another device;reduces the higher engine speed to the slower wheel speed

A transmission is a machine in a power transmission system, which provides controlled application of the power. Often the term transmission refers simply to the gearbox that uses gears and gear trains to provide speed and torque conversions from a rotating power source to another device.

Wigwag (railroad)

Wigwag is the nickname given to a type of railroad grade crossing signal once common in North America, named for the pendulum-like motion it used to signal the approach of a train. It is generally credited to Albert Hunt, a mechanical engineer at Southern California's Pacific Electric (PE) interurban streetcar railroad, who invented it in 1909 for safer railroad grade crossings. The term should not be confused with its usage in Britain, where wigwag is generally used to refer to alternate flashing lights, such as those found at modern level crossings.

In control engineering a servomechanism, sometimes shortened to servo, is an automatic device that uses error-sensing negative feedback to correct the action of a mechanism. It usually includes a built-in encoder or other position feedback mechanism to ensure the output is achieving the desired effect.

One of the wig-wag's solenoids is turned on to engage agitation during wash mode; the other solenoid is turned on to engage the spin-dry mode. The motor must be turned on before the solenoids are powered. Only one solenoid may be operated at a time. When neither solenoid is engaged, the transmission is in neutral and only the pump is operating to drain water out of the tub.

An agitator is a device or mechanism to put something into motion by shaking or stirring. There are several types of agitation machines, including washing machine agitators and magnetic agitators. Agitators can come in many sizes and varieties, depending on the application.

During a normal cycle, most Whirlpool-built wig-wag equipped washers will fill, start the motor, then engage the wash solenoid. Upon completion of the wash mode, the wash (agitate) solenoid will be turned off, which will allow the pump to drain the tub. After a minute or two, the timer will then engage the spin wig-wag which will cause the rotation of the tub. This is in contrast to most other top-load washing machines which start spinning and draining simultaneously. There are no pauses between cycles in these machines.

Electric motor electromechanical device

An electric motor is an electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a wire winding to generate force in the form of rotation of a shaft. Electric motors can be powered by direct current (DC) sources, such as from batteries, motor vehicles or rectifiers, or by alternating current (AC) sources, such as a power grid, inverters or electrical generators. An electric generator is mechanically identical to an electric motor, but operates in the reverse direction, converting mechanical energy into electrical energy.

Pump Device that moves fluids by mechanical action

A pump is a device that moves fluids, or sometimes slurries, by mechanical action. Pumps can be classified into three major groups according to the method they use to move the fluid: direct lift, displacement, and gravity pumps.

Problems with the wig-wag mechanism

There are three failures with the wig-wag mechanism. The first is that a solenoid tends to jam, often due to corrosion from operating in a damp environment or grease/dirt getting into the solenoid and preventing gravity from making the pin drop. The second common failure is peculiar to the wig-wag - since the wires which operate the solenoids are constantly being flexed by the motion of the wig-wag, they tend to break causing the wash or spin cycle not to engage. The third typical failure is a short inside a solenoid's coil, which will eventually burn out the coil itself and create a discontinuity within it.

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Corrosion is a natural process that converts a refined metal into a more chemically-stable form such as oxide, hydroxide, or sulfide. It is the gradual destruction of materials by chemical and/or electrochemical reaction with their environment. Corrosion engineering is the field dedicated to controlling and preventing corrosion.

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