Stability and variable flow rate | Basic flowability energy | BFE | mJ | The energy required for the rotor to overcome the resistance of the powder to rotate |
Stability index | SI | — | Repeated measurements of powder flow energy to characterise its stability |
Flow rate index | FRI | — | Measurement of flow energy at different speeds |
Specific energy | SE | mJ/g | Data measured during the upward movement of the blade through the powder sample |
Compressibility | Conditioned bulk density | CBD | g/mL | Loose packing density of pre-treated powders |
Compressibility | CPSm | % | Compressibility at positive stress m kPa |
Shear test | Cohesion | Cm | kPa | Shear strength at zero positive stress for a pre-consolidated positive stress of m kPa |
Unconfined yield strength | UYSm | kPa | The maximum principal stress corresponding to a molar circle tangent to the yield trajectory at a pre- consolidation stress of m kPa and a minimum principal stress of 0 |
Maximum principal stress | MPSm | kPa | Maximum compressive stress calculated from the molar circle at steady state flow under a pre-consolidated positive stress of m kPa |
Flow function | FFm | — | Ratio of the above maximum principal stress to the unconfined yield strength |
Angle of internal friction | AIF | ° | The angle between the shear linear yield trajectory and the x-axis, characterizing the ease with which the powder particles can slide against each other |
Aeration test | Aerated energy | AEn | — | The energy required to move the powder sample when filling the gas at a rate of n mm/s |
Aeration ratio | AR | — | Ratio of the base flow energy to the filling energy after the powder having reached stability in the filling test |
Normalized aeration sensitivity | NAS | s/mm | Sensitivity to the effect of air introduced by the powder, normalized BFE to air velocity ratio |
Permeability | Pressure drop | PDm | 100 Pa | Pressure reduction after passing air through a powder sample when a positive stress of m kPa is applied and the air velocity is maintained at 0.5 mm/s |