On Thu, 25 Jun 2009 06:03:06 -0700 (PDT), Andy Dingley wrote:

On 25 June, 13:40, "Calvin Sambrook" wrote:

(Apart from dismantling it all out of interest).

Foreign object (pocket junk / detached machine part - check the drum
rear spider is all still there) decided to jam between the drums, and
for once it did this when spinning, not washing.

A machine trying to spin whilst still full of water might shake itself
apart. I've seen the start of this a couple of times - it's frighteneing -
but it might not happen with a modern m/c.
--
Peter.
The head of a pin will hold more angels if
it's been flattened with an angel-grinder.

In article , PeterC
writes
On Thu, 25 Jun 2009 06:03:06 -0700 (PDT), Andy Dingley wrote:

On 25 June, 13:40, "Calvin Sambrook" wrote:

(Apart from dismantling it all out of interest).

Foreign object (pocket junk / detached machine part - check the drum
rear spider is all still there) decided to jam between the drums, and
for once it did this when spinning, not washing.

A machine trying to spin whilst still full of water might shake itself
apart. I've seen the start of this a couple of times - it's frighteneing -
but it might not happen with a modern m/c.

Old Philips Whirlpools deliberately initiated the spin cycle when full
of water to try and distribute the clothes more evenly while spinning.
The idea was to balance the drum better and reduce the need for large
counterweights.

To the o/p, please do report back with the forensic analysis and photos
(including the blushing guilty party if a culprit is found ;-).
--
fred
BBC3, ITV2/3/4, channels going to the DOGs

In article ,
fred writes:
To the o/p, please do report back with the forensic analysis and photos
(including the blushing guilty party if a culprit is found ;-).

My guess is the inner drum became loose on the spider, or the
spider broke, either of which would cause it to suddenly jam
in the outer drum. (The spider is the bracket on the end of
the shaft to which the drum is fixed.)

Something solid getting caught between the inner and outer drum
when spinning usually just punches a hole through the outer
drum through which it is ejected, without stopping the machine
from running (except for water pouring out of the hole next wash;-).

One other thought is if the motor speed control failed and spun
the drum fast enough for it fly to pieces. Off-load and without
speed control, these motors can spin fast enough to
self-destruct/explode, and might be able to do this with the
drum too.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On 25 June, 18:56, Andrew Gabriel wrote:

One other thought is if the motor speed control failed and spun
the drum fast enough for it fly to pieces. Off-load and without
speed control, these motors can spin fast enough to
self-destruct/explode, and might be able to do this with the
drum too.

One of my brother's friends at school got his hands on a (working)
washing machine motor.
Google is a dangerous thing when they just looked up which two
connections needed power to be applied for it to spin flat-out without
a control circuit (and not geared down like a washing machine!)
They ripped the blades from a desk fan, gaffer taped the assembly to a
stool and the unguarded propeller almost got it to take off! The story
I heard was they let the blades come into contact with something solid
and it shattered, one guy getting a piece to his forehead. At least is
wasn't his eyes.