3.

METHODOLOGY
The method designed seeks to extract fibres from banana pseudo stems by mechanical means.

In this method, the banana stem is first cut down and separated into sheaths. The sheaths are then
crushed between a rotating scrapping roller and a stationery feed roller, squeezing out the waste
juicy part. Extracted fibres are then washed in salty water to remove the sticky tissue surrounding
it.

The scrapping roller is driven by means of belt and pulley which is connected to a motor. The
feed rollers on the other hand are connected to the frame by bushings which allow it to rotate
about its axis. The distance between the feed rollers is fixed, while the distance between the
scrapping roller and the feed rollers can be adjusted by a dovetail mechanism. The rollers
material is to be mild steel each having a length of 500mm and an approximate diameter of 40-
50mm.

Ball bearing will be preferred in use with the scrapping rollers. This is because ball bearing
allows minimal axial movements of rotary shafts compared to roller bearings. Keys and keyways
will be designed appropriately using equations commonly used in machine design. The designed
keyway will then be machined on the shaft using a milling machine.

A 1ф induction motor will drive the roller connected via a v-belt on one side of the machine. The
frame from which the main components of the extractor will be fixed will be designed using
anthropometric data to make the machine user friendly. An optimum height of 1000mm will be
considered.

For portability, the frame will be made of mild steel angle-lines. This ensures that the machine
can be moved from one farm to another during fibre extraction process in small scale production.

Appropriate sizes of bolts and nuts will be used accordingly to fix each part to the frame of the
machine. In addition, welding of parts of the frame will be performed for the cases of the
permanent joints.

Pulleys used in belt transmission will be acquired depending on the velocity ratio that will prove
feasible after the final design.
Guards made from sheet metal will be made to cover moving machine elements for safe working
conditions. These will include those used to cover the belt and pulley and the rotating scrapping
roller.

Experimental analysis will allow the choice of plane rollers or serrated rollers depending on the
test analysis. The fibre extractor performance will be conducted in terms of the number of
kilograms of fibre extracted per hour assuming standard working conditions.

Design Requirements.

1. The machine should deliver a crushing force of at least 150N. This is the force required
to crush banana pseudo stems.
2. A mechanism to vary the gap between the scrapping roller and feed roller should be
incorporated to cater for different thickness of pseudo stems.
3. The height of the machine from the ground should allow for comfortable usage by
majority of the population.
4. Waste pulpy tissue from the machine should be collected at a central point for disposal.
5. The machine should have guards for all the moving parts.
6. Each component is to be selected based on its ability to withstand the loads, torque and
frictional forces it would experience during the extraction operation.
7. Corrosion resistance: Since the pseudo stems that are to be extracted are moist and wet,
corrosion resistant materials are considered. Other important considerations are wear
resistance, use of standard part for ease of replacement, cost, and safety of operator.