Application of thermal effusivity as a process analytical technology tool for monitoring and control of the roller compaction process

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between physical characteristics of compacted ribbons and their thermal effusivity in an attempt to evaluate the feasibility of using effusivity for in-process monitoring of roller compaction. In this study, thermal effusivity, solid fraction, tensile strength, and Young's modulus of ribbons of microcrystal-line cellulose (MCC), anhydrous lactose, and placebo (PBO) formulations containing various ratios of MCC to anhydrous lactose (75∶20, 55∶40, 40∶55, and 20∶75) were determined at various compaction pressures (25–150 bars). The effusivity-square root of solid fraction relationship was linear for MCC and all the PBO formulations but was a second-order polynomial function for lactose. This could be due to the predominant deformation of lactose by brittle fracture, which might have significantly increased the number and size of contact points between particles, causing a change in thermal conductivity along with a density change. The effusivitytensile strength and effusivity-Young's modulus relationships were best described by logarithmic functions for MCC but were linear for lactose up to a compaction pressure of 65 bars. There were similar relationships for effusivity with tensile strength and Young's modulus for all PBO formulations except PBO IV, which might have been due to the deformation of lactose, the largest component in this formulation. Strong correlations between effusivity and physical properties of ribbons were established. Although these correlations were formulation-dependent, they demonstrate the possibility of using effusivity as a tool in monitoring roller compaction

A Quantitative Correlation of the Effect of Density Distributions in Roller-Compacted Ribbons on the Mechanical Properties of Tablets Using Ultrasonics and X-ray Tomography

Enabling the paradigm of quality by design requires the ability to quantitatively correlate material properties and process variables to measureable product performance attributes. In this study, we show how heterogeneities in compacted ribbon densities quantitatively correlate to tablet mechanical properties. These density variations, which have been purposely modulated by internal and external lubrications, are characterized longitudinally and transversally by nondestructive ultrasonic and X-ray micro-computed tomography measurements. Subsequently, different transversal regions of the compacted ribbon are milled under the same conditions, and granules with nominally the same particle size distribution are utilized to manufacture cylindrical tablets, whose mechanical properties are further analyzed by ultrasonic measurements. We consider three different ribbon conditions: no lubrication (case 1); lubricated powder (case 2); and lubricated tooling (hopper, side sealing plates, feed screws, and rolls) (case 3). This study quantitatively reveals that variation in local densities in ribbons (for case 1) and process conditions (i.e., internal case 2 and external lubrication case 3) during roller compaction significantly affect the mechanical properties of tablets even for granules with the same particle size distribution. For case 1, the mechanical properties of tablets depend on the spatial location where granules are produced. For cases 2 and 3, the ribbon density homogeneity was improved by the use of a lubricant. It is demonstrated that the mechanical performances of tablets are decreased due to applied lubricant and work-hardening phenomenon. Moreover, we extended our study to correlate the speed of sound to the tensile strength of the tablet. It is found that the speed of sound increases with the tensile strength for the tested tablets