Design and Experimental Evaluation of a Pulsating Rubbing-Based Banana Fiber Extractor

Banana fiber, as a naturally biodegradable material, exhibits excellent mechanical properties and considerable application potential. However, conventional rotary blade scraping extractors often cause significant fiber damage during extraction, thereby reducing fiber quality. To enhance fiber integrity and extraction efficiency, this study developed a pulsating rubbing-based banana fiber extractor. The device comprises a rubbing device with two grass-textured belts and a pulsating pressing device driven by a cam mechanism. Through the synergistic action of periodic pressing and rubbing, flexible fracture of banana stems and efficient fiber separation are achieved. The fiber extraction process was simulated using the RecurDyn rigid–flexible coupling analysis method to verify the dynamic behavior of stem slices during rubbing. Structural parameters were optimized based on the Box–Behnken experimental design, with 17 groups of tests conducted, each repeated three times and averaged. The results indicated that, when the spring outer diameter was 30 mm, the feeding interval of stem slices was 4 s, and the clamping angle between the stem slices and the rubbing belts was 90°, the fiber extraction rate reached 61.35%, the impurity rate was 9.01%, and the integrity rate was 96.22%. These findings verify the feasibility of the equipment structure and process parameters, achieve a favorable balance between extraction efficiency and fiber quality, and provide a novel technical pathway and equipment support for the high-value utilization of banana stem resources.