Design and Development of an Eri Cocoon Opening Machine for the Eri Weavers of Assam
摘要
The Eri culture is observed in most of rural areas of Assam, and many tribal communities are involved with in this practice especially women weavers. This silk is used to create many fashionable items of attire that have strong market demand. Traditionally, the fibre extraction from eri cocoon is done manually, resulting in a time-consuming and drudgery-oriented process. There is a demand for S&T intervention in this sector to improve productivity. The purpose of this research is to develop an eri cocoon opening machine to increase the fibre extraction process and to achieve a good quality of fibre. The machine is tested with three different spike sheet patterns: straight, zig-zag, and angular for a time period of 1 h. The spike roller runs at 1680 rpm, and 500 gm of cocoon is fed into the machine. From the testing, it can be found that fibre extraction from a 45o spike in a zig-zag pattern is the most effective one from the viewpoint of wastage and fibre deposition. Qualitative analysis of the machine also indicates that it is technically and economically viable for the Eri clusters located in the region.