Tablet evaluation mechanical strength

In order to produce an adequate tablet formulation, certain requirements, such as sufficient mechanical strength and desired drug release profile, must be met. At times this may be a difficult task for the formulator to achieve, due to poor flow and compactibility characteristics of the powdered drug. This is of particular importance when one only has a small amount of active material to work with and cannot afford to make use of trial-and-error methods. The study of the physics of tablet compaction through the use of instrumented tableting machines (ITMs) enables the formulator to systematically evaluate his formula and make any necessary changes. 

Olsson H, Mattsson S, Nystrom C. Evaluation of the effects of polyethylene glycols of differing molecular weights on the mechanical strength of sodium chloride and sodium bicarbonate tablets. Int Pharm 1998 171(1) 31-44. 

Adolfsson, A., Gustafsson, C., and Nystrom, C. (1999), Use of tablet tensile strength adjusted to surface area and mean interparticulate distance to evaluate dominating bonding mechanism, Drug Dev. Ind. Pharm., 25,753-764. 

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