Effects of true density, compacted mass, compression speed, and punch deformation on the mean yield pressure

Compressibility properties of pharmaceutical materials are widely characterized by measuring the volume reduction of a powder column under pressure. Experimental data are commonly analyzed using the Heckel model from which powder deformation mechanisms are determined using mean yield pressure (P-y). Several studies from the literature have shown the effects of operating conditions on the determination of P-y and have pointed out the limitations of this model. The Heckel model requires true density and compacted mass values to determine P-y from force-displacement data. It is likely that experimental errors will be introduced when measuring the true density and compacted mass. This study investigates the effects of true density and compacted mass on P-y. Materials having different particle deformation mechanisms are studied. Punch displacement and applied pressure are measured for each material at two compression speeds. For each material, three different true density and compacted mass values are utilized to evaluate their effect on P-y. The calculated variation of P-y reaches 20%. This study demonstrates that the errors in measuring true density and compacted mass have a greater effect on P-y than the errors incurred from not correcting the displacement measurements due to punch elasticity.