Vibration damping system

Abstract

Clothes driers include a cabinet, a rotatable drum mounted inside the cabinet, and one or more vibration dumpers mounted to the rotatable drum. The vibration dampers may be mounted inside the drum, between baffles and the drum. The vibration dampers may be attached to the rotatable drum, such that a largest dimension of the vibration dampers extends in a direction of length of the rotatable drum. The vibration dumpers may be configured to shift acoustic energy generated at the front of the drum toward the rear of the drum.

1 . A clothes dryer comprising:
 a cabinet;   a rotatable drum mounted within the cabinet;   a plurality of baffles mounted inside the rotatable drum;   a plurality of vibration dampers mounted between the baffles and the rotatable drum.   
     
     
         2 . The clothes dryer of  claim 1  wherein the baffles are secured to the drum with fasteners and the vibration dampers are also secured to the drum with said fasteners. 
     
     
         3 . The clothes dryer of  claim 1  wherein the vibration dampers are constrained layer vibration dampers. 
     
     
         4 . The clothes dryer of  claim 1  wherein the vibration dampers include at least one acoustic shifting feature. 
     
     
         5 . The clothes dryer of  claim 4  wherein the acoustic shifting feature is configured to shift acoustic energy generated at the front of the drum toward the rear of the drum. 
     
     
         6 . A clothes dryer comprising:
 a cabinet;   a rotatable drum mounted within the cabinet;   a plurality of baffles mounted inside the rotatable drum;   a plurality of vibration dampers attached to the rotatable drum such that a largest dimension of the vibration dampers extends in a direction of a length of the rotatable drum.   
     
     
         7 . The clothes dryer of  claim 6  wherein the vibration dampers are attached between the baffles and the rotatable drum. 
     
     
         8 . The clothes dryer of  claim 6  wherein the vibration dampers are mounted to an outside surface of the rotatable drum. 
     
     
         9 . The clothes dryer of  claim 6  wherein the baffles are secured to the drum with fasteners and the vibration dampers are also secured to the drum with said fasteners. 
     
     
         10 . The clothes dryer of  claim 6  wherein the vibration dampers are constrained layer vibration dampers. 
     
     
         11 . The clothes dryer of  claim 6  wherein the vibration dampers include at least one acoustic shifting feature. 
     
     
         12 . The clothes dryer of  claim 11  wherein the acoustic shifting feature is configured to shift acoustic energy generated at the front of the drum toward the rear of the drum. 
     
     
         13 . A clothes dryer comprising:
 a cabinet;   a rotatable drum mounted within the cabinet;   a plurality of vibration dampers mounted to the rotatable drum; wherein the vibration dampers include acoustic shifting features configured to shift acoustic energy generated at the front of the drum toward the rear of the drum.   
     
     
         14 . The clothes dryer of  claim 13  wherein the vibration dampers are mounted between the baffles and the rotatable drum. 
     
     
         15 . The clothes dryer of  claim 13  wherein the vibration dampers are mounted to an outside surface of the rotatable drum. 
     
     
         16 . The clothes dryer of  claim 13  wherein the baffles are secured to the drum with fasteners and the vibration dampers are also secured to the drum with said fasteners. 
     
     
         17 . The clothes dryer of  claim 13  wherein the vibration dampers are constrained layer vibration dampers. 
     
     
         18 . The clothes dryer of  claim 13  wherein the vibration dampers include at least one acoustic shifting feature.