Heater assembly

An electric clothes dryer comprising:

• a rotating drum;
• a rear end head closing of an end of the drum and having a plurality of apertures through which air flows into the drum;
• and
• an electric heater assembly mounted in the dryer adjacent the rear end head, the heater assembly supporting at least one electrical heating element which is energized to warm air flow passing across the electrical heating element, through the apertures and into the drum, the heater assembly comprising:
• first and second overlapping arcuate shaped support plates supporting the electrical heating element and each comprising a mica material, and the first support plate has at least one series of arcuate spaced apart apertures, and the electrical heating element has portions thereof held between the first and second support plates and has zig zag portions thereof extending from the apertures, the first and second support plates comprising inner and outer concentrically curved side edge portions respectively including inner and outer notches spaced along the respective inner and outer concentric curved side edge portions;
• and
• a housing support wall for mounting vertically in the clothes dryer, the housing support wall comprising a first series of spaced apart inner tab members extending therefrom and positioned along a first arc, and a second series of spaced apart outer tab members extending from the housing support wall and positioned along a second arc concentric with and radially outward of the first arc, each of the first and second tab members comprising a flap member spaced from the housing support wall, the flap members of the inner and outer tab members being positioned to respectively align with the inner and outer notches of the support plates to permit the support plates to be positioned relative to the housing support wall and rotated relative to the housing support wall so that each of the flap members overlappingly engages at least one of the support plates so as to hold the support plates relative to the housing support wall.