Microsoft Word - 17-DRP21870排板.docx


Academic Journal of Science and Technology 
ISSN: 2771-3032 | Vol. 15, No. 1, 2025 

 

97 

Research	on	Design	and	Performance	Improvement	of	
Washing	Machine	Based	on	Structural	Optimization	
Wenzhuang Liu1, *, Ziyue Chen2, Jiarun Cui1, Zhenying Zhang1 

1Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, North China University of Science and Technology, Hebei, China 
2Department of Materials Science and Engineering, North China University of Science and Technology, Hebei, China 
*Corresponding author: liuwenzhuang@stu.ncst.edu.cn 

 

Abstract: Introduction This paper investigates the structural optimization and performance enhancement of washing machines, 
focusing on the lightweight design of the outer drum flange structure and the rigidity enhancement of the box structure of the 
washing machine. The study adopted SolidWorks software for modeling and simulation analysis, and used finite element analysis 
to optimize the design of the outer drum flange structure and box structure of the washing machine. The performance of the 
different design alternatives was evaluated by simulating stress clouds, displacement clouds and fatigue analysis. It is shown that 
the optimized washing machine outer drum flange structure not only reduces the weight but also improves the structural strength, 
and the reliability of the design is verified by fatigue analysis. In addition, the optimization of the box structure improves the 
rigidity and overall performance. The study in this paper provides a valuable reference for the structural optimization of washing 
machines, and more efficient and environmentally friendly design solutions can be further explored in the future. 

Keywords: Structural optimization, Lightweight design, Finite element analysis, Performance enhancement，  Rigidity 
improvement. 

 

1. Introduction 
As people's living standards improve, consumers' 

expectations of washing machines are no longer limited to 
basic washing functions, but are increasingly concerned about 
their healthy washing functions, water-saving performance, 
and impact on the environment. 

At present, domestic and foreign scholars have studied 
energy-saving washing machines in terms of drainage [1-2], 
washing methods and detergent types [3-4], and optimization 
of washing machine structure [5], etc. Parida, D [6] et al. 
studied the effect of temperature on the production of 
microfibers in washing machines by taking into account three 
temperatures ranging from high to low, and the results of the 
study showed that the higher the temperature, the more fibers 
were released. Sheraz, M [7] et al. developed a specialized 
microfiber capturing “barb filter” and showed that this filter 
can effectively capture and retain microfibers of different 
lengths and outperforms conventional control filters, and the 
study provides a promising solution to reduce the release of 
microfibers from laundry and textile industry wastewater. 
solution. Kim, S[8] et al. investigated ceramic membranes as 
a potential high-performance alternative to microplastic 
filters for domestic washing machines. The results of the 
study indicated the need for easy cleaning of mountable 
ceramic membranes before they can be widely used as filters 
in external washing machines in the long term. Cummins, 
AM[9] et al. evaluated the effects of vented and condensing 
tumble dryers on aquatic and airborne microfiber 
contamination and showed that vented tumble dryers were a 
significant contributor to aquatic microfiber contamination 
from lint filters, condensers and condensate. Masselter, T[10] 
et al. improved the microfiber filters for domestic washing 
machines and showed that there is great promise for 
integrating them into an easy to make and cost-effective filter 
concept. 

Based on the above research, this paper carries out certain 

optimization of the washing machine for the problems of large 
drainage capacity and structural optimization. Aiming at the 
problem of large drainage capacity, this paper carries out a 
lightweight design of the outer drum flange structure of the 
washing machine, which reduces the weight of the flange 
structure and improves the strength of the flange at the same 
time. For the problem of structural optimization, this paper 
investigates the effect of different compression depths of the 
box on rigidity and stability through simulation analysis, and 
the results show that increasing the compression depth of the 
side of the box can significantly improve the rigidity and 
reduce the deformation. In addition, the drop simulation 
analysis shows that the optimized box structure has better 
impact resistance and durability. 

2. Lightweight Design of Washing 
Machine Outer Drum Flange 
Structure 

2.1. Modeling pre-processing 
The pre-modeling process mainly includes the 

establishment of the geometric model of the outer drum 
flange structure, mesh delineation and the setting of related 
materials. The structural model of the outer drum wall flange 
of the washing machine was established in SW modeling 
software, and before the finite element analysis of the model, 
the meshing process was simplified in order to improve the 
speed of operation, and the simplified model was divided into 
meshes of the smallest 1.5 mm and the largest cell of 5.5 mm. 

The corresponding material properties are given to the 
structural model of the outer drum wall flange of the washing 
machine, and 5052-0 aluminum alloy is selected, which has a 
modulus of elasticity of 7e4Mpa, Poisson's ratio of 0.33, 
density of 2680kg/m3, and a material yield strength of 90Mpa. 

According to the operation of the washing machine and the 
outer cylinder flange force, analyze the two working 
conditions, add torque and bending moment at the outer ring 



 

98 

and the bearing out respectively, and play a certain constraint 
on the bolt air and flange outer ring. 

2.2. Boundary condition 
When the washing machine is washing, under the influence 

of centrifugal force, the force on the clothes acts on the inner 
cylinder, which leads to the vibration of the inner drum, and 
the flange will accordingly bear some torque when the 
rotating shaft is rotating. Therefore, this question selects two 
different working conditions to analyze the actual operation 
of the washing machine and the flange force condition, this 

paper sets two working conditions, working condition one is 
to add the corresponding torque outside the flange to fix the 
four bolt holes. Working condition two is to fix the outer ring 
of the flange and add bearing torque. 

2.3. Analysis of results 
The stress cloud, displacement cloud and fatigue analysis 

are analyzed to obtain two working conditions, the stress 
cloud for the two conditions is shown in Fig. 1, the 
displacement cloud is shown in Fig. 2 and the fatigue analysis 
is shown in 3. 

 

  
(a) Stress maps for Case 1 (b) Stress map for Case 2 

Figure 1. Stress cloud analysis for two working conditions 
 

  

(a) Displacement map for Case 1 (b) Displacement maps for Case 2 

Figure 2. Displacement cloud analysis for two working conditions 
 

  
(a) Fatigue analysis for Case 1 (b) Fatigue analysis for Case 2 

Figure 3. Fatigue analysis for two working conditions 
 

According to the static strength analysis, it can be seen 
from Fig. 1, Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 that the maximum stress in Case 
1 is 114.6Mpa, and the maximum displacement is 0.04244mm; 
while in Case 2 the maximum stress is 1653Mpa, and the 
maximum displacement is 0.2280mm, which indicates that 

both Case 1 and Case 2 have greater mechanical strength. 
After fatigue analysis, it can be seen that the damage occurs 
after 100,000 times of operation in Case I, while the damage 
occurs after 2,504,000 times of operation. In summary, the 
structure of the outer drum flange of the washing machine can 



 

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be designed for lightweighting. 

2.4. Lightweight design 
Based on the manufacturing and assembly requirements, 

the finite element model of the outer drum flange of a washing 
machine was partitioned into regions to separate the design 
and non-design regions, where the main surface of the flange 
was defined as the design region, while the rest of it was 
considered as the non-design region. The design constraints 
are based on the maximum displacement of the model, while 
the optimization objective is to achieve the minimization of 
the model volume. In order to guarantee the fabrication 
feasibility of the optimized structure, fabrication constraints 
including minimum size limits, symmetry requirements and 

demolding directions are set. 
Based on the results of the topology optimization, the 3D 

model of the washing machine outer drum flange structure is 
redrawn, and the mass of the established new model is the 
original mass of the model is 616.773g, which is about 30% 
weight reduction compared with the original 801.8159g. 

The division of the optimized mesh and the setting of the 
related materials as well as the boundary conditions are 
exactly the same as those before optimization, and the stress 
cloud, displacement cloud and fatigue analysis under two 
working conditions are reanalyzed and obtained, and the 
optimized stress cloud is shown in Fig. 4, the optimized 
displacement cloud is shown in Fig. 5, and the optimized 
fatigue analysis is shown in Fig. 6. 

 

  
(a) Stress maps for Case 1 (b) Stress map for Case 2 
Figure 4. Stress cloud analysis under two operating conditions after optimization 

 

  
(a) Displacement maps for Case 1 (b) Displacement maps for Case 2 

Figure 5. Displacement cloud analysis for two operating conditions after optimization 
 

  
(a) Fatigue analysis for Case 1 (b) Fatigue analysis for Case 2 

Figure 6. Fatigue analysis under two operating conditions after optimization 
 

From the fatigue analysis of two working conditions after 
optimization in Fig. 6, it can be seen that the optimized 
structure of the outer drum flange of the washing machine has 

a maximum stress of 1046Mpa and a maximum displacement 
of 3.751mm under working condition 1, while the maximum 
stress of 998.7Mpa and the maximum displacement of 



 

100 

1.236mm in working condition 2, both of which are larger 
than the original model of the outer drum flange before 
optimization in the two working conditions, indicating that 
the strength of the structure after optimization has been 
improved somewhat. The strength of the structure after 
optimization has been improved, and the number of damages 
during operation has also been improved compared with that 
before optimization. Therefore, the optimized model achieves 
a lightweight structural design. 

3. Simulation and Optimization Study 
of Washing Machine Cabinet 
Structure 

3.1. Determination of loads and boundary 
conditions 

When the washing machine dehydration, the center 

position of the side of the box body has the largest amplitude, 
which can best reflect the overall stiffness of the box body. 
The thickness of the box is 0.6mm, and there are two options 
of 2.0mm and 3.0mm compression depth on the side of the 
box. A pressure load of 0.02MPa is applied at the center 
position of the box, and the area of the action is 
150mm×150mm in order to check the amount of deformation. 
And static analysis and fall simulation analysis and modal 
analysis. 

3.2. Static analysis 
The two different box structure schemes are analyzed 

statically, and the deformation distribution of the box is 
obtained as shown in Fig. 7. From Fig. 7, it can be seen that 
the deformation is maximum when the load is applied at the 
center of the box, and the deformation gradually decreases 
from the center. 

 

 
(a) Pressing depth 2mm 

 
(b) Pressing depth 3mm 

Figure 7. Box center deformation distribution 
 

The results of the static analysis of the box are shown in 
Table 1, with the increase of the depth of compression 
molding, the lateral deformation of the box is gradually 
reduced, the deformation corresponding to the compression 
molding of 2.0 mm is 2.452 mm, and the compression 
molding is deepened to 3.0 mm, and the deformation is 

reduced by 1.009 mm, which is an improvement of 41.2%. 
The results show that increasing the depth of compression 
molding on the side of the box can significantly improve the 
rigidity of the box, and reduce the deformation of its side, and 
improve the overall stiffness. 

 
Table 1. Static analysis results of the box 

Depth of box press molding 2.0mm 3.0mm 
Static analysis deformation 2.452mm 1.009mm 

 

3.3. Drop Simulation Analysis 
For the two different box structures, the decay analysis and 

fall simulation analysis were carried out, and the equivalent 
plastic strain distribution cloud diagrams of the two different 
box structures were obtained as shown in Figures 8 and 9. 

 

(a) Decay strain diagram for a box thickness of 
0.7 and a compression pattern of 2 mm 

 
(b) Decay displacement diagram for a box 

thickness of 0.7 and a compression pattern of 3 
mm 

Figure 8. Decay strain 
 



 

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(a) Decay strain diagram for a box thickness of 
0.7 and a compression pattern of 2 mm 

(b) Decay displacement diagram for a box 
thickness of 0.7 and a compression pattern of 3 

mm 
Figure 9. Drop simulation analysis 

 
From Fig. 8 and Fig. 9, it can be seen that the edge of the 

box presents curved deformation, and the location of the 
maximum equivalent plastic strain occurs on the side of the 

box. 
The drop simulation comparison is shown in Table 2. 

 
Table 2. Drop Simulation Comparison 

Box structure program 
Scenario A Option B 

Case thickness 0.7, compression 
molding 2mm 

Box thickness 0.7, compression 
molding 3mm 

Static analysis deformation 0.0712 0.0644 
 

Scheme B relative to Scheme A, the box thickness degree 
are 1.5mm, while the compression type are 2mm and 3mm, 
respectively, the equivalent plastic strain is reduced by 0.9%, 
and the area that produces plastic strain is significantly 
reduced, the improvement effect is obvious. The static 
analysis deformation of scheme B is smaller than that of 
scheme A, which indicates that the deformation of scheme B 
under force is smaller, implying that scheme B is better in 
terms of structural stability or rigidity. 

3.4. Modal analysis 
Modal analysis of different box structure scheme to obtain 

the first-order and second-order intrinsic frequency, box 
modal vibration pattern as shown in Figure 10 and Figure 11, 
the vibration pattern embodied in the box side of the center of 
the vibration, and the actual vibration test box side of the 

center of the amplitude of the largest coincides with. 
From Fig. 10 and Fig. 11, comparing the structural scheme 

of each box compression molding depth, the corresponding 
first-order intrinsic frequency and second-order intrinsic 
frequency are not much different; however, with the increase 
of the compression molding depth, the first-order intrinsic 
frequency and second-order intrinsic frequency are obviously 
increased; the first-order intrinsic frequency corresponding to 
the compression molding of 2 mm is 14.2 Hz, and the 
deepening of compression molding to 3 mm improves the 
first-order intrinsic frequency by 18.6 Hz. The results show 
that deepening the box compression molding depth can 
significantly improve the box modal state. The results show 
that the deepening of the side compression molding depth can 
obviously improve the box modal and increase the first-order 
intrinsic frequency. 

 

(a) Inherent frequency of 14.2 Hz 
 

(b) Inherent frequency of 14.3 Hz 
Figure 10. Box thickness 0.7, pressing depth 2mm 



 

102 

(a) Inherent frequency of 18.6 Hz 
 

(b) Inherent frequency of 18.9 Hz 
Figure 11. Box thickness 0.7, pressing depth 3mm 

 

4. Conclusions 
In this paper, the flange structure of the washing machine 

outer drum and the structure of the drying duct blade of the 
washing machine are optimized and simulated using 
SolidWorks software by establishing the relevant model 
molds, simulating the stress and displacement clouds of the 
flange structure of the washing machine outer drum, as well 
as performing the corresponding fatigue analysis of the flange 
structure of the washing machine outer drum, and according 
to the results of the flange structure of the drum, the design of 
the outer drum flange structure for lightweighting is carried 
out. In addition, a simulation and optimization study of the 
washing machine box structure was conducted to improve the 
overall performance and durability. 

The results show that the optimized washing machine outer 
drum flange structure enhances the structural strength while 
reducing the weight, and the reliability of the design is 
verified by fatigue analysis. Meanwhile, the washing machine 
box structure is optimized through simulation to improve its 
rigidity and overall performance. 

In this paper, the optimized design of the washing machine 
outer drum flange and box structure not only successfully 
reduces the weight, but also improves the strength and 
durability of the structure. The optimized structure has a more 
stable performance in actual operation and has a longer 
service life. The study provides an effective optimization idea 
for the design of washing machines, and more 
environmentally friendly and efficient design solutions can be 
explored in the future. 

Acknowledgments 
This work was financially supported by the Hebei Province 

Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program, North China 
University of Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship 
Program (X2023157X), and the North China University of 
Technology Educational and Teaching Reform Research and 
Practice Program (L2324). 

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