Assessment of the influence of model powder characteristics on their flowability using correlation matrices

Abstract

This study focuses on the use of correlation matrices as a tool to investigate the relationship between the physical characteristics of powders and their flowability. The correlation coefficients are calculated for a dataset containing various types of powders, allowing the study of the influence of particle size, morphology and density on flow properties. Flowability is estimated through various tests such as the shear test, density ratio, powder rheometer and rotating drum. The analysis revealed that correlations between flowability indices are not strictly associated with specific flow regimes (quasi-static and dense regimes). Instead, the physical mechanisms of interparticle cohesion and friction appear to play a determinant role in these correlations. Further analysis involving the division of the dataset into fine and coarse powders provided additional insights, underscoring the different mechanisms governing the flow behavior of cohesive and non-cohesive powders. In a second step, this research work also incorporated data from existing literature, confirming the general trends observed with the initial dataset. Future research should focus on developing more sophisticated models that can account for multiple input parameters simultaneously and consider non-linear relationships, for example, through semi-empirical models or machine learning techniques.