Washing machine Drums with holes missing in them!

[andyr12345]

My minds been working overtime again - here is a pic of our Hotpoint 8kg washing machine drum , look at the front of the drum and see all that blank park with no holes in it: 




2 questions really if anyone has any answers (or Guesses LOL) - 1st question is I wonder why in manufacturing did they leave that front bit blank without any holes in it? and Number2 if some clothes were spinning in that area where there is no holes how does the water extract from the clothes to the outer plastic tub and then drain out from the pump if there are no holes in that part of the drum? - because the way I thought clothes spun was that at high speed the clothes are thrown out by centrifugal force to the outer edges of the drum and then water gets extracted by centrifugal force through the holes in the drum , but as I say  (and show in the pic) there are no holes in that area at the front part of the drum ,

so does that mean that the garments that have spun where the holes are in the drum theoretically should be 'drier' of water content that the clothes that have spun in the machine drum where there is no holes? 

hotpoint are not the only ones that have blank parts with no holes in the drum , I have looked at other makes and model washing machines in electrical shops and some of them have done the same , have blank areas with no holes in the drum - not all of them but some have. 

Here's my take , and i dont know if it holds any water (pardon the pun LOL) - if maybe they had holes all throughout the drum it would A.) either un-balance the drum or B.) the more holes you get the less strength the drum becomes and if you have something spinning up to 1600 revolutions per minute you want the drum to be as strong as possible? 

Any other ideas anyone?

 

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Yes, I think you've hit on the reason, strength. The drum is weakened by the holes. There will be an optimum percentage of holes allowed before it compromises the strength.