SOLIDWORKS™ Design, fabrication and performance analysis of a banana fiber extraction machine and its components

Abstract

Banana cultivation is a prominent agricultural activity in Pakistan, particularly in the lower Sindh districts such as Tando Muhammad Khan, Hyderabad, Sanghar, and Mirpur Khas. Each banana plant bears fruit only once in its lifetime, resulting in a significant amount of waste biomass from the pseudo stems after harvest. Utilizing these waste stems can enhance environmental sustainability and increase economic benefits for farmers. Traditional methods of extracting banana Fiber are plagued by inefficiencies, including lengthy processing times and subpar Fiber quality. This study possesses the design and development of a mechanized solution to extract high quality banana Fiber efficiently. The process encompasses the selection of suitable material, detailed design, mathematical analysis, and the assembly of machine components, aiming to address the shortcomings of conventional extraction methods. The performance analysis was conducted for the machine successfully handled banana stems up to 155mm in width and 22mm in thickness, demonstrating its robust capacity and versatility in processing various sizes. The positive simulation results provide a theoretical validation of the design before physical testing, suggesting the machine components are well designed and capable of enduring typical operational stresses. This study addressed Sustainable development goal 8 Decent work and economic growth, 9 industry innovation and infrastructure, 12 Responsible consumption and production and 13 climate action.