10 Kala Sarovar ISSN: 0975-4520 (UGC Care Group-I Journal) Vol-24 No. 04 October-December 2021 DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF COTTON BALL LOOSENING AND CLEANING MACHINE-A PRE GINNING PROCESS Anil R Sahu 1 ; Nandkishor Sawai 2 ; Himadri Majumder 3* ; Adik Yadao 4 1 Professor, 2, 3, 4 Associate Professor 1, 3, 4 Mechanical Engineering Department; G H Raisoni College of Engineering and Management, Pune, India- 412207 2 Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department; Tulshiram Gaikwad-Patil College of Engineering & Technology, Nagpur, India- 440018 himu.nita@gmail.com ABSTRACT In this paper, authors have explained the new and innovative pre Ginning process, its need, and its benefits to the farmers. Traditionally in India, the raw cotton is collected by handpicking from the farm and kept in the storage or owners house before taking to market for sale. It has been observed that raw collected cotton from the field contains nearly 10-15% cotton bolls which are hard and it is very difficult in ginning process to take out seeds from such cotton bolls. Also, raw collected cotton contains dry sticks and dry leaf sticks and different impurities. It is necessary to remove all these impurities before ginning or before taking them to market for sale. Therefore, a pre ginning cotton boll loosening and cleaning machine is designed and proposed, which provide a good quality of cotton not only for ginning but it also helps in getting better grade (rates) in the market. The machine is designed and fabricated for 55-60 kg/hr production capacity. The experimentation and trial give very encouraging result; the machine is processing raw cotton more than the design capacity, impurities like sticks, husk, and dust are removed 100% but the dry leaf which is firmly stuck to the cotton bolls removed only 50% to 60%. It is not possible to beat the cotton very rigorously as it hampered the quality of fiber. KEYWORDS: Cotton Boll loosening, Cotton Boll cleaning, Mechanization, Defoliation, Cotton Spike, Roller Drum. INTRODUCTION Cotton is a soft white fibrous substance that surrounds the seeds of the cotton plant and is made into textile fiber and thread for sewing. It is a natural fiber harvested from the cotton plant. It is one of the oldest fibers under human cultivation, with traces over 7000 years old recovered from archaeological sites. Cotton is known for its versatility, performance, and natural comfort. Cotton is used to make several textile products. It is used to make fishing nets, tents, cotton paper, and bookbinding. The cottonseed which remains after the cotton is ginned is used to produce cottonseed oil. It has been observed from the literature survey that India placed first for planting land of cotton and in third place for the cotton producers in the world. It is one of the world’s most important agriculturally produced raw materials and about 70% of cotton production contributed by four major countries which include China, India, USA, and Pakistan. India has the largest cotton cultivated area and also second-largest exporter after USA. Five million Indian cotton farmers have made India the world’s second-largest producer and second-largest exporter of cotton (1). In India cotton is cultivated on a large scale About 170 kilograms of cotton is produced in India as per the 2018-2019 report (2). International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) Survey 2019 regarding cotton contamination shows that the level of contamination of raw cotton by foreign matters and the appearance of seed-coat fragments have increased compared with 2016, underscoring the importance of clean cotton to spinners. Cotton cleaning before ginning is an important unit operation to retain the quality of lint. The market value of cotton is decided by the quality and purity of its fibers. To fetch a good price in the market, the baled cotton should contain minimal trash and be free from contamination (3). In India, cotton is widely grown in the Vidharbha region of Maharashtra, and its harvested by handpick method by local labor and stored in the owner house or a collection center before selling to ginning mills or in the market. It has been observed that raw collected cotton from the field contains nearly 10-15% cotton bolls which are hard and is