freemantechnology OFFLINE CONSOLIDATION TO MEASURE THE uUYS OF POWDERS

Assessing and ranking powder flowability under high stress conditions by quantifying uniaxial Unconfined Yield Strength (uUYS) has
proven application in many powder processing industries including Chemicals, Food, Cement, Detergents, Ceramics and Pharmaceuticals.
In this study, the offline Consolidation Station accessory for the Uniaxial Powder Tester (UPT) has been used to measure the uUYS of
CRM116 Limestone Powder over a range of Major Principal Stress (MPS) levels.

THE UNIAXIAL POWDER TESTER

The Uniaxial Powder Tester (UPT) measures the uniaxial Unconfined Yield Strength (uUYS) of a powder to
provide information on flowability under moderate to high stress conditions. Uniaxial testing first involves
the construction of a consolidated powder column, at a given MPS or σ1. The powder column is then
removed from its confining sleeve before being fractured by an externally applied force. The UPT also
enables bulk powder properties such as density and compressibility to be measured.

The Consolidation Station allows off instrument consolidation to be undertaken in order to assess a
powder’s response to a range of environmental conditions, e.g. elevated temperature, relative humidity
and/or extended storage.

CONSOLIDATION STATION

The Consolidation Station allows powder samples to be exposed to varying environmental conditions such
as low/high temperature (-20°C to +70°C) and humidity (0 to 100% RH) for extended periods under the
desired MPS (5 to 100 kPa in 5kPa increments). This allows for the simulation of many industrial processes
without compromising instrument availability for long periods. The sample can be further conditioned by
passing gas of a desired humidity, temperature and composition through the powder column, via the port
provided.

RESULTS

The uUYS of CRM116 Limestone Powder was measured via uniaxial testing
at three different MPS levels (25.5, 50.5 and 75.5 kPa) with four repeats at
each stress level. The MPS hold time, consolidation and failure speeds were
kept consistent across the range of tests. Consolidation at each MPS was
carried out for 30 minutes either on-instrument (blue squares) or using the
offline Consolidation Station (grey circles).

The test methods are easy to use and the intuitive results show a high level
of repeatability (<5% RSD). Whether the powder was consolidated on-
instrument or offline using the Consolidation Station, the data was shown to
be repeatable, reproducible and consistent across the two methods.

CONCLUSIONS

When constructing the free-standing powder column, both on instrument and using the offline Consolidation Station, a uniform density
and stress throughout the column is ensured by use of a novel double-ended compaction method. This helps ensure highly repeatable
and accurate data allowing operators to reliably measure the uUYS of a powder under a range of process-relevant conditions.

The benefits of uniaxial powder testing can now be employed in industrial applications. A robust, reliable and simple uniaxial tester
capable of constructing consistent, free-standing powder columns from a wide range of commonly used powders, means that even
inexperienced users can achieve precise and repeatable results. The UPT provides an inexpensive option for fast and reliable
troubleshooting of process issues, or rapid screening of raw materials, intermediates and finished products.

For further information, please contact the Applications team on +44 (0)1684 851 551 or via support@freemantech.co.uk.

Offline Consolidation to measure

02-10-2018 Issue A Page 1 of 1
the uUYS of Powders