Consumer/Home/Recreation
Improving Vacuum Cleaners
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to appreciate how a vacuum cleaner
operates. But a touch of space-age engineering has made a clean sweep of
the inner-workings of the house-cleaning appliance, making it far quieter
and more efficient.
Under a Space Act Agreement between the Cleveland-based Kirby company
and Lewis Research Center, NASA technology was applied to a commercial
vacuum cleaner product line.
Kirby engineers were keenly interested in advanced operational concepts,
such as particle flow behavior and vibration, critical factors to improve
vacuum cleaner performance.
Of particular importance to the company was a high-tech evaluation of
the firm's 1994 home care system, the Kirby G4™, the results of which
contributed to the refinement of the new G5™ and future models.
| The Kirby G5 incorporates design enhancements,
such as a new fan blade, made in cooperation with Lewis Research Center. |
Under the cooperative agreement, Kirby also had access to Lewis' holography
equipment. This apparatus is normally used to analyze the vibration modes
of jet engine fans. Laser beams of light can detect vibrations that cannot
be discerned with the unaided eye. Using the laser, insight was gained
into how long a vacuum cleaner's fan would perform.
Lewis proficiency in advanced computer software that can simulate the
flow of air through fans was made accessible to Kirby engineers. Computational
fluid dynamics--virtually an "electronic wind tunnel"--was employed
to figure out what happens when air or any other substance flows through
a passage such as a tube or fan.
The Lewis/Kirby collaboration resulted in several successes, such as
fan blade redesign. The new blade was constructed from a polymer that was
then configured for a substantial reduction in centrifugal force. Vacuum
cleaner blades can run as high as 18,000 spins per minute, compared to
just 7,000 to 8,000 in a jet engine. Higher spin rates translates into
more stress on the blade. The blade redesign was 300 percent to 400 percent
stronger than the previous blade used. A 75 percent noise-level reduction
in certain frequencies was also accomplished.
Put into motion was a continuing dialogue between Kirby and Lewis engineers
on improving air-flow traits in various nozzle designs. The overall goal
is to quantify both velocity fields and particle trajectories throughout
the vacuum cleaner nozzle. That information, in turn, can optimize nozzle
performance in terms of "cleanability" or ability to remove embedded
dirt and other particulates from carpeting or hard surfaces. Any future
findings would be incorporated into Kirby's G5 and upcoming models.
The relationship forged between Kirby and NASA was striking. The merger
of knowledge and need helped an American company become more competitive
in the global market by the sharing of world-class knowledge and state
-of-the-art equipment.
™ G4 and G5 are trademarks of Kirby company.
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