CPC D06F 37/40 (2013.01) [D06F 23/04 (2013.01); D06F 37/12 (2013.01); D06F 37/262 (2013.01); D06F 37/264 (2013.01)] | 20 Claims |
1. A laundry appliance comprising:
a rotating drum that receives laundry to be treated;
a drive shaft that operates about a rotational axis and is operationally coupled to the rotating drum at a base;
a coupler disposed within an upper portion of the base and that rests upon the drive shaft in a rotationally fixed engagement to transfer rotational forces from the drive shaft to the rotating drum;
a lower portion of the base; and
a lower plate that is spaced apart from the coupler and disposed within the lower portion of the base to form a hollow space between the base and the drive shaft, wherein the lower plate includes a central bore having a smooth circular inner bore that engages a smooth outer surface of the drive shaft in surface-to-surface engagement to resist only moment forces that are exerted against the drive shaft in an off-axis direction relative to the rotational axis, and wherein the coupler provides rotational and axial support to the base relative to the drive shaft.
|