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Granular dynamics simulations of the effect of grain size dispersity on uniaxially compacted powder blends

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Abstract

We investigate, via granular dynamics simulations, the influence of particle size dispersity on the packing characteristics of uniaxially compacted pharmaceutical blends. We employ reduced models of representative pharmaceutical excipient blends comprised of one, two, four and six components of different size, where the grain size in each component is distinct. We investigate the particle dynamics and reorganization during the compaction phase after the blend has been poured into a tablet die. For small strains, we demonstrate the packing fraction of the powder blends to scale linearly with the axial strain. We do not observe any significant variation in the stress response of the blend with particle size dispersity at small strains, but the mixtures with greater particle size dispersity remain compactible up to higher strains than the less polydisperse mixtures.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge Pfizer Inc. for providing financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA

    Meenakshi Dutt

  2. Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge, CB3 0FS, UK

    James A. Elliott

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  1. Meenakshi Dutt
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  2. James A. Elliott
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Correspondence to Meenakshi Dutt.

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Dutt, M., Elliott, J.A. Granular dynamics simulations of the effect of grain size dispersity on uniaxially compacted powder blends. Granular Matter 16, 243–248 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10035-013-0463-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10035-013-0463-3

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