FACULTY OF CHEMICAL AND PROCESS ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

PHARMACEUTICAL FORMULATION METHOD

(BTF2153 )
Semester I 2023/2024
Title of Experiment : Angle Of Repose
Date of Experiment : 7 November 2023
Lecturer’s Name : En. Razhan Bin Hassan

Group Number: 6

NO NAME NO. ID

1 NUR IZZAIDAH BINTI ZAIRUL FAMI TJ22054

2 WAN ANIS 'AQILAH BINTI WAN KHAIRULAMIN TJ22044

3 NAZHIRATUL FARHANAH BINTI RUSDI TJ22045

4 ZULAIKA BINTI ZAINAL ABIDIN TJ22046

5 MUHAMMAD NAQIUDDIN BIN KHAMISAN TJ22047

6 NURUL AIN NABILA BINTI MOHD JIDI TJ22048

MARKS
TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT 2

INTRODUCTION 3-4

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES 5

DATA PROCESSING AND ANALYSIS 6

RESULT 6

DISCUSSION 7- 8

CONCLUSION 9

REFERENCES 10

APPENDICES 11

1
ABSTRACT

The angle of repose is the maximum angle at which a pile of granular material can
remain stable without sliding. The stability of the pile is determined by a measurement of the
frictional forces and interactions between the particles. The angle of repose is greatly
influenced by interparticle interactions, which are influenced by a number of variables
including moisture content, surface roughness, particle size, and shape. The angle of repose
is about the estimation of the flow properties of the powder based on the biases of their
inter-particle interaction. The inter-particle interaction refers to the forces or interactions
between individual particles of a granular material (such as sand, grains, or powder) that
affect the overall behaviour of the material when it is allowed to flow and come to rest. Good
flowability is indicated by a less inter-particle interaction , whereas poor flowability is
indicated by more inter-particle interaction. The "poured angle" or fixed funnel approach is
the easiest way to calculate the angle of repose. A piece of paper is put exactly beneath a
funnel that has a large exit that is set at a specific height above the flat bench. The funnel is
closed when the powder or granule are introduced. Following the funnel's filling, the funnel
is opened.The contents flow through and collected on the paper. The balance between the
forces of gravity pushing particles downward and the forces between particles preventing
their movement generates the degree of the angle of repose. The cone's diameter (for radius)
and the powder or granule specified height are measured.

2
INTRODUCTION

Angle of repose is the angle formed between the side of the heap and the flat surface
to measure the cohesiveness of powder. The angle of repose is a parameter commonly used
for the evaluation of interparticle force and flowability of the powders and granules. The
simplest method for determining the angle of repose is the “poured angle” or fixed funnel
method (Lau, 2001). The angle of repose is an important property of powders and granules,
as it affects their handling, storage, and processing.

The angle of repose is produced when a powder is allowed to fall on a flat surface
from a funnel positioned at a certain height, the funnel is gradually moved upward in order to
maintain a fixed height between the powder tip and the bottom of the funnel. The diameter of
the cone (for radius) and the specified height of the powder or granules are measured. The
angle produced by the powder on the surface is the angle of repose (Hadjittofis, 2017).

Figure 1.1 Angle of repose

Angle of repose related to the density, surface area and coefficient of friction of the
material concerned. The tangent of the angle of repose (in degree) can be determined by
reading off the height of the powder cone formed in mm and dividing it by the radius of the
receipt disc. The height and diameter of the resulting cone are measured and calculated from
equation 1.1.

−1 𝐻𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑑

𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑒 = 𝑡𝑎𝑛 𝑅𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑝𝑡 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑐

Equation 1.1

3
 The angle of repose for a particular powder can be used to determine the flow
characteristics of a powder. The measurement of angle of repose is an indirect method to
measure the cohesive force of a particle. A bigger angle of repose shows the particles with
greater cohesive force. Cohesive particles will have lower flowability. The relationship
between flow properties and angle of repose has been established. When the angle of repose
is less than 25 degrees, the flow is said to be excellent, on the other hand, if the angle of
repose is more than 40 degrees, the flow is considered to be poor.

Flowability expected Angle of repose

Excellent / Very free flow 25-30

Good / Free flow 31-35

Fair (discharging aid may not be required 36-40

Passable 41-45

Poor flow / Cohesive (active discharging aid required) 46-55

Very poor flow / Vey cohesive 55-56

Approximately no flow >65

Table 1.1 Showing angle of repose and expected flow properties.

4
MATERIALS & METHODOLOGY

● Material
Corn starch, sago seed, angle of repose instrument

● Methodology

1. The angle of the repose instrument was set up by placing the instrument on
the plane surface. The level of the height gauge was placed aside and the
scale reading was reset to 0.

↓
2. The corn starch was poured onto the surface plate once the slider was
pushed and the nozzle was opened.

↓
3. The height of the pile from the peak of the corn starch to the surface of the
plate was measured by using the angle of the repose instrument that has
been adjusted to 0.

↓
4. The height of the pile of corn starch was recorded. The step was repeated by
using another material which is sago seed.

↓
5. The data was calculated by using the formula angle of repose:

−1 𝐻𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑑

Repose angle =𝑡𝑎𝑛 ( 𝑅𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑝𝑡 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑐
)

5
DATA PROCESSING AND ANALYSIS

−1 𝐻𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑑

𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑒 = 𝑡𝑎𝑛 𝑅𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑝𝑡 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑐

1. SAGO SEED

height of cone formed = 22.95mm

Radius of receipt disc = 50mm
−1 22.95
𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑒 = 𝑡𝑎𝑛 50
= 24. 65°

2. CORN STARCH

height of cone formed = 51.08mm

Radius of receipt disc = 50mm
−1 51.08
𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑒 = 𝑡𝑎𝑛 50
= 45. 61°

RESULT

TYPES SAGO SEED CORN STARCH

DIAMETER OF RECEIPT DISC 100mm 100mm

RADIUS OF RECEIPT DISC 50mm 50mm

HEIGHT 22.95mm 51.08mm

ANGLE OF REPOSE 24.65° 45.61°

Table 1 : Result for angle of repose for granule (sago seed) and powder (corn starch)

6
DISCUSSION

Angle of repose clearly influences flow properties of powder or granule. In order to

identify the flow property of material, it was necessary to demonstrate angle of repose test. In
fact, lower angle of repose thus, raising the flow property of material. As a result, a smooth
flow of material could be achieved. The United State Pharmacopeia(USP) has provided
several ranges of angles of repose that indicate their flow properties as guidelines. When the
angle of repose exceeds 50°, the flow is rarely acceptable for manufacturing purposes[ ].
Based on this experiment, the angle of repose for sago seed was 25°. Based on USP
guidelines, angles of repose within range 25-30° have excellent flow properties. Since, angle
of repose for sago seed lies within 25-30° thus, sago seed has excellent flow property. On the
other hand, the angle of repose for corn starch was 46 °. According to USP guidelines, angles
of repose within 46-55° have poor flow property. Since angle of repose for corn starch lies
within 46-55° thus, corn starch was said to have poor flow properties.

Angle of repose tests were usually demonstrated during pre-formulation studies and it
was one of the methods to investigate the physical characteristics of the powder or granule. It
helps to determine and provide information about the flow property and cohesiveness of
powders or granules. Thus, from the information obtained, it was useful in the formulation
design for developing proper dosage form.

There are several factors affecting the angle of repose of the material, which is crucial for
this experiment. One of the factors is the shape and size of particles in the material, and these
play a significant role. Smaller, spherical particles have a lower angle of repose compared to
larger or irregularly shaped ones. Secondly, the surface texture of the material on which it is
piled can impact the angle of repose. A rough surface can provide additional interlocking
between particles, resulting in a larger angle of repose compared to smooth, non-porous
surfaces. Last but not least is the moisture content of the material. A moderate amount of
moisture content enhances flowability and lowers the angle of repose by influencing
interparticle friction, while excessive moisture can lead to increased cohesion, clumping, and
a higher angle of repose.

7
 There are a few approaches on how to improve the flow property of the
powder/granule and one of them is by controlling the moisture content. A moderate moisture
content can assist in improving the flowability of the powder/granule. Secondly, is by using
the granulation method to make the size of particles more uniform and larger to improve the
flowability since larger granules have better flow properties compared to fine powder.

8
CONCLUSION
The purpose of this experiment was to know the flowability of the product using angle
of repose. The angle of repose serves as a pivotal parameter in evaluating the flow properties
of materials like powders and granules. This experiment, employing corn starch and sago
seeds, highlighted how this angle directly influences material cohesion and flowability.The
correlation between the angle of repose and flow properties, outlined by the USP guidelines,
demonstrated that a lower angle correlates with better flowability. Sago seeds, with an angle
of repose falling within the range of 25-30°, exhibited excellent flow properties, while corn
starch, with an angle of repose around 46°, demonstrated poor flow properties according to
these guidelines.Factors such as particle size, shape, surface texture, and moisture content
significantly affect the angle of repose. Smaller, spherical particles with moderate moisture
content tend to display lower angles of repose, indicating better flowability. Conversely,
larger or irregularly shaped particles, along with excessive moisture, lead to higher angles of
repose, indicating poor flow properties.

9
REFERENCES

● Angle of Repose. (2021, June 16). ScienceDirect.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032591018301153#:~:text=Numerous%

20factors%2C%20such%20as%20the,angle%20of%20repose)%2C%20mass%20of

(Accessed: 2 December 2023)

● Bilal, M. (2022). LAB REPORT FOR ANGLE OF REPOSE. ResearchGate.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360654843_LAB_REPORT_FOR_ANGLE

_OF_REPOSE

● B Rie Fin G - US pharmacopeia (USP). Available at:

https://www.usp.org/sites/default/files/usp/document/harmonization/gen-chapter/g05_

pf_30_6_2004.pdf (Accessed: 01 December 2023).

● Effects of particle shape on angle of repose | 115 | Powder and grains. (2020, December 17).

Taylor & Francis.

https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.1201/9781003077497-115/effects-particle-sh

ape-angle-repose-nakagawa-miyata (Accessed: 2 December 2023).

● Developing solid oral dosage forms. (n.d.). ScienceDirect.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780128024478/developing-solid-oral-dosage-fo

rms

● Separation Science and Technology | Book series | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier.

(n.d.). https://www.sciencedirect.com/bookseries/separation-science-and-technology

10
APPENDICES

11