Direct drive clothes dryer? You bet! (patent document)

[mathewhebailey0]

Found a patent drawing/document on a direct drive clothes dryer from the 1960's.
The patent document mentions Frigidaire meaning GM. http://www.google.com/patents/US3167409 Even if Frigidaire doesn't make a direct drive clothes dryer,
you definitely need two motors,the direct drive motor for the drum,the second for the fan. That means like the Norge & probably some other dryer brands, you would have a no tumble feature when drying. Samsung or LG besides others would probably make a direct drive clothes dryer.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Actually several early dryers turned the drum with a drive wheel instead of using a belt, althought that is not the modern use of direct drive. There is an early 50s Westinghouse in the museum that uses a drive wheel under the drum. I have an original design Norge that drives the drum that way while turning the 21" fan at the rear of the machine with only one motor. I have a GE from the early 60s that uses a drive wheel to turn the drum, but it does have a small belt that transfers rotation from the motor to the drive mechanism. The front of the motor drives the blower. All of these require some linkage between the motor and drum and some mechanical speed reduction. Norge was able to give drying without tumbling by means of a mechanism that lifted the drum off the drive roller. Two motors were really the best solution with reversing tumble dryers although Philco tried to make it work with one, just not very well.