A Newly Advanced Anti-Vibration Pad With a Phase Balancer Designed by Analysis of Washing Machine Behaviors

Abstract This study proposed an anti-vibration pad with a phase balancer that helps reduce wood floor vibrations from a washing machine as well as the vibrations of the machine itself. When a washing machine is installed just on anti-vibration pads, the floor vibrations can be reduced, but consequently the machine’s left–right vibrations become more violent. Accordingly, in order to identify the mechanism by which anti-vibration pads generate left-right vibrations in washing machines, the present study proposed a two-point measurement method that can determine vertical washing machine vibrations and phase differences. In addition, we proposed an optimal phase balancer designed by a finite element analysis-based response surface method for reducing vibrations using a phase difference. As a result, the anti-vibration pad with a phase balancer, when applied to washing machines, greatly contributed to simultaneously reducing the actual vibrations of washing machines and the vibration transfer to the floor.