Document Text Contents
Page 1
Development of a Sustainable Dishwasher for
Compact Living
Master of Science Thesis in the Master Degree Programs, Industrial Design Engineering and
Product Development
SOFIE ANDERSSON
JOHAN HAGEJÄRD
Department of Product- and Production Development
Division of Design & Human Factors
CHALMERS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
Gothenburg, Sweden 2016
Page 72
60
When deciding on the height of the
dishwasher, a trade-off had to be made
considering the other components of the unit
as well. It could either be prioritised to be
able to run large plates in the dishwasher, get
more room for the recycling drawer or a
deeper sink. Inspiration was taken from the
existing DishDrawer from Fisher & Paykel
that uses a total height of 41 cm. This height
seemed reasonable for being able to run
plates of normal size. With some space
available behind the dishwasher in the
concept it was also discussed that some of
the components that are usually placed at the
bottom of the dishwasher actually could be
moved to the back of the dishwasher to give
more height to the interior. It can be
assumed that around 10 cm of the bottom
would need to be dedicated for water
circulation components, leaving around 31
cm of height inside the dishwasher.
8.2.3. The sink
With a large sink, the concept aims at giving
a more roomy feeling of the kitchen and a
better ability to handle large dishes such as
baking trays and ovenware. Therefore, it was
decided to maximise its area. The inner
width of the sink was set to 54 cm, leaving 3
cm on each side to make the installation
possible within the boundaries of the unit.
The horizontal depth of the inner sink area
was set to 40 cm, which is a common
measurement of existing sinks that would
give enough room for the faucet behind the
sink.
After having built a physical model with
these dimensions, shown in Figure 8.4, it
was found that the area would be adequate to
hold a baking tray of 37.5 x 46.5 cm for a
standard 60 cm oven. The size of baking
trays varies depending on brand and model
of the oven, but after a quick research, the
project team did not find any baking tray
larger than 38.5 x 46.6 cm on the Swedish
market, which would still be able to fit in this
sink concept. The large area of the sink will
also help prevent water splashes which is
extra important given that the sink will be
more shallow than conventional sinks.
Figure 8.4 – Simple physical model in foam board of
the sink
With the physical model it was possible to
evaluate different measurements of the
vertical inner sink depth. As the purpose of
the sink is not mainly to be filled with water
but rather to act as a workspace giving the
flexibility of handling many different items,
the goal was to find a depth that would be
suitable for handling a variety of items and
enough to prevent water splashes. It was
concluded that a depth of around 9-10 cm
would be adequate while going down to as
little as 8 cm did not give the feeling of a sink
any more but rather an immersed surface.
Given the height limitation of the complete
unit, it was decided to set the sink depth to 9
cm. With a countertop of at least 3 cm and a
distance of 10 cm between the countertop
and the dishwasher, there would be 4 cm
saved beneath the sink for placement of the
water outflow.
To enable placement of large items at the
bottom of the sink and save as much of the
height as possible, the bottom surface was
decided to have only a slight fall of 1.5 cm,
leading the water towards the outflow.
Page 73
61
8.2.4. The recycling drawer
The remaining height of the unit after the
sink and the dishwasher have been
subtracted leaves 29 cm for the recycling
drawer. Subtracting also the bottom wall
thickness of the unit and the drawer leaves
about 26.5 cm to the inner height of the
recycling drawer. This allows bins of 25 cm
in height to be placed in it. The usual height
of kitchen recycling bins is commonly
slightly above 30 cm, which is suitable to
hold compost bags measuring 30 cm in
height when unfolded. Therefore, this
concept will give a slightly lower height of
each bin, requiring the bags to be folded over
the edges. It is reasonable, however, to
assume that small households generate less
waste than larger households and that the
bins holding waste should be downsized
accordingly to encourage a more frequent
emptying of the trash to prevent unpleasant
odours.
The inside volume of the recycling drawer,
measuring approximately 52 litres, is to be
distributed between several bins to sort the
different wastes and recyclables. Given the
inner area of 55 x 36 cm, it was discussed
whether to divide the space between four or
six equally sized bins. Alternatively, the
space could be distributed unevenly between
the different bins, depending on type of
waste. The final decision was to use two
equally sized bins of 24 x 17 cm in the front
row of the drawer for the most common
types of waste and three equally sized bins of
17 x 17 cm in the back row of the drawer, all
with a height of 25 cm. That leaves enough
space between the bins for being able to lift
them up and the users can determine
themselves which type of waste that should
be stored in each bin. Wastes that are
generated in small quantities such as lamps
and batteries either have to share one bin to
get sorted later, or be stored somewhere else.
The reason to why some bins were not made
even smaller was that the shape would then
get a very narrow and deep, which is not very
easy to handle.
8.2.5. The faucet
Investigation of technical principle
and construction
To get a better understanding of the
construction and how the mechanism works,
a kitchen faucet of basic model was
purchased at Ikea and disassembled. The
design and functionality of the product is
typical for basic models among other brands
but can be seen at other high end models as
well. Water pressure and temperature are
both regulated by the faucet handle.
Temperature is regulated between warm
and cold by rotating the handle horizontally
at a range of approximately 90 degrees.
Water pressure is regulated by lifting the
faucet handle vertically. The faucet are
turned fully on and off at a range of
approximately 30 degrees.
*
The valve mechanism consists of two
ceramic disks that slide against each other to
regulate both flow and temperature. By
sliding and rotating the two disks, this
expose two openings which hot and cold
water can flow through. The water is then
mixed and by varying the openings and
proportion between the two, temperature
and flow can be regulated. Water will not
flow between the two disks due to the fine
surface that form a waterproof sealing. This
type of mechanism does not include a
thermostatic regulator that could be seen on
for example shower mixing unit. If pressure
drops in one of the two water supplies, both
flow and temperature will be affected.
Evaluation and development of
faucet configuration
The purpose of the faucet is to support the
dishwasher by handling the tasks that the
dishwasher cannot handle. Six different
scenarios was created to describe different
Page 144
Phone: + 46 (0)31 772 10 00
Web: www.tekniskdesign.se
CHALMERS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
SE 412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
Development of a Sustainable Dishwasher for
Compact Living
Master of Science Thesis in the Master Degree Programs, Industrial Design Engineering and
Product Development
SOFIE ANDERSSON
JOHAN HAGEJÄRD
Department of Product- and Production Development
Division of Design & Human Factors
CHALMERS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
Gothenburg, Sweden 2016
Page 72
60
When deciding on the height of the
dishwasher, a trade-off had to be made
considering the other components of the unit
as well. It could either be prioritised to be
able to run large plates in the dishwasher, get
more room for the recycling drawer or a
deeper sink. Inspiration was taken from the
existing DishDrawer from Fisher & Paykel
that uses a total height of 41 cm. This height
seemed reasonable for being able to run
plates of normal size. With some space
available behind the dishwasher in the
concept it was also discussed that some of
the components that are usually placed at the
bottom of the dishwasher actually could be
moved to the back of the dishwasher to give
more height to the interior. It can be
assumed that around 10 cm of the bottom
would need to be dedicated for water
circulation components, leaving around 31
cm of height inside the dishwasher.
8.2.3. The sink
With a large sink, the concept aims at giving
a more roomy feeling of the kitchen and a
better ability to handle large dishes such as
baking trays and ovenware. Therefore, it was
decided to maximise its area. The inner
width of the sink was set to 54 cm, leaving 3
cm on each side to make the installation
possible within the boundaries of the unit.
The horizontal depth of the inner sink area
was set to 40 cm, which is a common
measurement of existing sinks that would
give enough room for the faucet behind the
sink.
After having built a physical model with
these dimensions, shown in Figure 8.4, it
was found that the area would be adequate to
hold a baking tray of 37.5 x 46.5 cm for a
standard 60 cm oven. The size of baking
trays varies depending on brand and model
of the oven, but after a quick research, the
project team did not find any baking tray
larger than 38.5 x 46.6 cm on the Swedish
market, which would still be able to fit in this
sink concept. The large area of the sink will
also help prevent water splashes which is
extra important given that the sink will be
more shallow than conventional sinks.
Figure 8.4 – Simple physical model in foam board of
the sink
With the physical model it was possible to
evaluate different measurements of the
vertical inner sink depth. As the purpose of
the sink is not mainly to be filled with water
but rather to act as a workspace giving the
flexibility of handling many different items,
the goal was to find a depth that would be
suitable for handling a variety of items and
enough to prevent water splashes. It was
concluded that a depth of around 9-10 cm
would be adequate while going down to as
little as 8 cm did not give the feeling of a sink
any more but rather an immersed surface.
Given the height limitation of the complete
unit, it was decided to set the sink depth to 9
cm. With a countertop of at least 3 cm and a
distance of 10 cm between the countertop
and the dishwasher, there would be 4 cm
saved beneath the sink for placement of the
water outflow.
To enable placement of large items at the
bottom of the sink and save as much of the
height as possible, the bottom surface was
decided to have only a slight fall of 1.5 cm,
leading the water towards the outflow.
Page 73
61
8.2.4. The recycling drawer
The remaining height of the unit after the
sink and the dishwasher have been
subtracted leaves 29 cm for the recycling
drawer. Subtracting also the bottom wall
thickness of the unit and the drawer leaves
about 26.5 cm to the inner height of the
recycling drawer. This allows bins of 25 cm
in height to be placed in it. The usual height
of kitchen recycling bins is commonly
slightly above 30 cm, which is suitable to
hold compost bags measuring 30 cm in
height when unfolded. Therefore, this
concept will give a slightly lower height of
each bin, requiring the bags to be folded over
the edges. It is reasonable, however, to
assume that small households generate less
waste than larger households and that the
bins holding waste should be downsized
accordingly to encourage a more frequent
emptying of the trash to prevent unpleasant
odours.
The inside volume of the recycling drawer,
measuring approximately 52 litres, is to be
distributed between several bins to sort the
different wastes and recyclables. Given the
inner area of 55 x 36 cm, it was discussed
whether to divide the space between four or
six equally sized bins. Alternatively, the
space could be distributed unevenly between
the different bins, depending on type of
waste. The final decision was to use two
equally sized bins of 24 x 17 cm in the front
row of the drawer for the most common
types of waste and three equally sized bins of
17 x 17 cm in the back row of the drawer, all
with a height of 25 cm. That leaves enough
space between the bins for being able to lift
them up and the users can determine
themselves which type of waste that should
be stored in each bin. Wastes that are
generated in small quantities such as lamps
and batteries either have to share one bin to
get sorted later, or be stored somewhere else.
The reason to why some bins were not made
even smaller was that the shape would then
get a very narrow and deep, which is not very
easy to handle.
8.2.5. The faucet
Investigation of technical principle
and construction
To get a better understanding of the
construction and how the mechanism works,
a kitchen faucet of basic model was
purchased at Ikea and disassembled. The
design and functionality of the product is
typical for basic models among other brands
but can be seen at other high end models as
well. Water pressure and temperature are
both regulated by the faucet handle.
Temperature is regulated between warm
and cold by rotating the handle horizontally
at a range of approximately 90 degrees.
Water pressure is regulated by lifting the
faucet handle vertically. The faucet are
turned fully on and off at a range of
approximately 30 degrees.
*
The valve mechanism consists of two
ceramic disks that slide against each other to
regulate both flow and temperature. By
sliding and rotating the two disks, this
expose two openings which hot and cold
water can flow through. The water is then
mixed and by varying the openings and
proportion between the two, temperature
and flow can be regulated. Water will not
flow between the two disks due to the fine
surface that form a waterproof sealing. This
type of mechanism does not include a
thermostatic regulator that could be seen on
for example shower mixing unit. If pressure
drops in one of the two water supplies, both
flow and temperature will be affected.
Evaluation and development of
faucet configuration
The purpose of the faucet is to support the
dishwasher by handling the tasks that the
dishwasher cannot handle. Six different
scenarios was created to describe different
Page 144
Phone: + 46 (0)31 772 10 00
Web: www.tekniskdesign.se
CHALMERS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
SE 412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
