Moisture uptake and tensile strength of bulk solids

Abstract

An apparatus is described in which bulk solid handling properties can be examined over a wide range of humidities. It is shown that constant temperature and relative humidity can be maintained. The apparatus can also be used to study the effect of cycles of humidity changes. The rate of moisture uptake by loosely packed and tapped beds of six pharmaceutical materials was found to be dependent upon bed depth but independent of bulk density. The tensile strengths of the bulk solids changed when they were subjected to high relative humidities.