Rationale
Narrow-leaf cattail is a kind of weed growing in marsh, swamp and wild and deserted areas. It is easy to find and is a short-lived plant that lives for several years. Apart from its use in wicker, it has been found that narrow-leaf cattail contain cellulose fibers which can be separated and spun to produce yarns and woven into a fabric. This fabric can replace linen, cotton, and synthetic fabric. This would be a way of making the most of natural resources and could reduce importation of raw material yarns and fabrics from abroad. To separate fiber form the leaf, chemicals are used to remove the peel covering the fiber to leave only the fiber. Then the fiber will be separated by a needle. By this method the fiber obtained is not very strong due to its exposure to chemicals. Besides, this fiber separation process is slow; it takes a long time and the cost of fiber extraction is high.
Our study indicates that the fiber of cattail is inside the leaves. It is impossible to rasp the outer surface the separate the fiber as the surface of cattail leaves is delicate and breaks easily. As for the methods of peeling it by hand and extracting fiber with a needle, it takes a lot of time and money. The conclusion for the design is to cut the leaves vertically in two pieces, thus opening the surface for fiber extraction. The cut leaves are conveyed to the fiber carding set, which consists of rollers for gathering the fiber. There are several sets of rolling brushes moving at different speed. Apart from gathering fiber, they also serve as a conveyor. The carding brushes have been designed specifically so that the fiber left on the brushes can be easily removed after carding. Most importantly, the processes must be synchronized and can run uninterruptedly.
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