(60h) Contact Strength Between Powder Particles and Strength of Powder Compacts

Micromechanical models for the compaction behaviour of powders are based on understanding of the compressive and tensile stresses transmitted between particles in contact during compaction. The strength of the contacts between particles determines the strength of powder compacts.

Firstly, the tensile and compressive strength of powder compacts are characterised as functions of the relative density of the compacts for a range of pharmaceutical powders and model materials consisting of spherical particles. Using micromechanical models we relate the compact strength to the strength of contacts between particles. In effect the contact strength is inferred from macroscopic behaviour. We discuss the use of this framework as a means of specifying particle behaviour requirements to produce compacts of prescribed strength.