Powder Flowability Testers

Welcome to the Powder Flowability Tester section of our web site.

Shear Cell

Shear cell methodology is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry to determine the flow properties of fine grained powders and bulk solids and how they will behave in bins, hoppers, feeders and other handling equipment.

The test is based on measuring the force required to shear a circular disk through a prepared sample of bulk material. The sample is first subjected to a consolidated load such that the bulk density of the material can be determined – ideally, this should be similar to the loads experienced by the material in practice.

Angle of Repose

The angle of repose is the angle (relative to the horizontal base) of the conical pile produced when a granular material is poured on to a horizontal surface. It is related to the density, surface area and coefficient of friction of the material concerned.

The angle of repose attachment comprises a 100 mm diameter circular test platform together with a digital height gauge having a range of 0-300 mm.

Flow through an Orifice

Measuring the ability and the time taken for a powder to flow through an orifice of known size is a useful method of quantifying powder flow.

The cylinder attachment comprises a stainless steel cylinder having a capacity of 200 mL and comes complete with a set of 20 interchangeable stainless steel disks (each having a precision drilled hole in the centre covering the following sizes: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 and 36 mm) each of which can be secured to the bottom of the cylinder by means of a collar provided for this purpose.