EFFECT OF DIMENSIONS ON COMPACTION PROPERTIES OF SODIUM CHLORIDE

Using a tablet press instrumented with strain gauges, anhydrous particulate sodium chloride was compressed to form compacts of different lengths in three dies of different diameters. For the limited range of dimensions applicable to most pharmaceutical tablets, there was a common linear relation between the applied compaction pressure and the force lost to the die wall per unit area of apparent die wall contact, during compression. Ejection forces were correlated using a similar expression. The mechanical strength of compacts was determined by diametrical compression. A relation was proposed to express the strength (Fe), of the compacts of different sizes in terms of the diametrical cross‐sectional area at zero porosity (D.Lo), the relative volume (Vr) and the mean compaction pressure (Pm): , where k and c are constants. 1969 Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain