CONSOLIDATION OF ETHYLCELLULOSE - EFFECT OF PARTICLE-SIZE, PRESS SPEED, AND LUBRICANTS

The effect of particle size, press speed, and the presence of lubricants on the tableting properties of ethylcellulose were studied using an instrumented single punch tablet press. Four different data collection and analysis techniques were used: tablet hardness-compression force profiles, ejected tablet Heckel analysis, work calculations from force-displacement data, and force-time profile analysis. Mean yield pressure was derived from the Heckel analysis. Net work and elastic work were derived from force-displacement data and the Area-to-height ratio (A/H ratio) was derived from force-time data. These techniques indicated that plastic deformation is the predominant consolidation mechanism for ethylcellulose under the conditions employed in this study.