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arXiv · 2508.02767

Mechanical characterization of pharmaceutical powders and correlation with their behavior during grinding

Laura Baraldi·Davide De Angelis·Roberto Bosi·Roberto Pennini·Irene Bassanetti·Andrea Benassi·Guido Enrico Bellazzi
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Abstract

Controlling the size of powder particles is pivotal in the design of many pharmaceutical forms and the related manufacturing processes and plants. One of the most common techniques for particle size reduction in process industry is powder milling, whose efficiency relates to the mechanical properties of powder particles themselves. In this work, we first characterize the elastic and plastic response of different pharmaceutical powders by measuring their Young modulus, the hardness and the brittleness index via nano-indentation. Subsequently, we analyze the behavior of those powder samples during comminution via jet-mill at different process conditions. Finally, the correlation between single particle mechanical properties and milling process results is illustrated; the possibility to build a predictive model for powder grindability, based on nano-indentation data, is critically discussed

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Laura Baraldi, Davide De Angelis, Roberto Bosi, Roberto Pennini, Irene Bassanetti, Andrea Benassi, Guido Enrico Bellazzi. 2025-08-04. Mechanical characterization of pharmaceutical powders and correlation with their behavior during grinding. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14061146

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