MECHANICAL RESEARCH AND OPTIMIZATION OF BANANA STALK FIBER EXTRACTION

ABSTRACT

Banana stalk production for fiber is an important crop activity in southern China. The fiber extraction technology used has a great impact on the effectiveness and quality of the fiber from banana stalks. A mechanical model of the process for banana stalk fiber extraction was developed through theoretical analysis. The existing problems of machines for banana stalk fiber extraction include high rates of fiber impurity and damaged fibers. A 3-factor 3-horizon orthogonal rotation combination test was established. The rates of fiber impurity and damaged fibers were the evaluation indices. The significant order of the factors determining the rate of fiber impurity, from largest to smallest, was the gap between the scraper and the holding plate, the number of scrapers, and the rotational speed of the scraping knives roller. The significant order of factors for the rate of damaged fiber was the gap between the scraper, the rotational speed of the scraping knives roller, and the number of scrapers. The optimized banana straw fiber extraction machine was tested in the field. The results show that the development of this model can provide valuable experience and references for understanding and improving other similar agricultural machinery and equipment.

KEYWORDS
banana stalk; fiber extraction; mechanical research; parameter optimization; orthogonal test