Influence of particle size distribution and contact models on tablet compaction: a DEM micromechanical study

The tableting process relies on understanding how particle-scale properties influence macroscopic tablet behaviour. This study examines the effects of particle size distribution (PSD) and contact models on tablet compaction using the Discrete Element Method (DEM). The PSD analysis shows that broader distributions achieve higher final densities and reduced elastic recovery. To assess the impact of contact mechanics, two cohesive DEM models, Hertz–Mindlin with Johnson–Kendall–Roberts (JKR) adhesion and the Edinburgh Elasto-Plastic Adhesion (EEPA) model, were compared under identical compaction kinematics. While both models follow similar loading behaviour, the EEPA formulation retains more of the imposed deformation during unloading, resulting in higher final densities, lower elastic recovery, and a more persistent contact structure than the elastic–adhesive Hertz–Mindlin–JKR model. These results emphasise the importance of both PSD design and contact-model selection when predicting compaction behaviour and final tablet structure in DEM-based analysis of cohesive powders.

Subjects

Discrete element method

Edinburgh Elasto-plastic adhesion (EEPA)

Hertz–Mindlin–JKR

Particle size distribution

Tablet compaction

DDC Class

610: Medicine, Health

620.11: Engineering Materials

519: Applied Mathematics, Probabilities

Funding(s)

Training in Upscaling particle Systems: Advancing Industry across Length-scales

Lizenz

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Publication version

publishedVersion

Name

1-s2.0-S0032591026004092-main.pdf

Type

Main Article

Size

3.41 MB

Format

Adobe PDF

Options

Influence of particle size distribution and contact models on tablet compaction: a DEM micromechanical study