FEM Analysis of Tablet Hardness and Punch Strength Using ANSYS Software

Abstract

Tablets are the most common dosage forms found in the market today. They come in many different shapes, colors and flavors. People sometimes find it difficult to swallow tablets, and we have reported that tablets with a smaller radius of curvature are easier to swallow. However, a small radius of curvature tends to result in decreased tablet hardness. On the other hand, a lot of stress occurring on the tablet press may break the punch head. There are simple design manuals of punch strength, however no computational method has been described in detail. We performed an FEM analysis of tablet hardness and punch strength using ANSYS software. The punch reaction force was then transcribed as the tablet Young's modulus (the transcription model). The result of ANSYS simulation in a tablet made from dry yeast was consistent with the experimental result. In addition, the relation between punch shape and allowable load was studied employing the Response Surface Method and the punch shape contribution for allowable load was calculated.