Preventing Pharmaceutical Explosions Through Powder Lubrication: The Effect of Magnesium Stearate on the Flow Properties of Lactose

The pharmaceutical industry requires the use of lubricants to prevent static electric buildup in the cohesive powders that are processed in manufacturing plants. In this report we examine the effects of common lubricant magnesium stearate on two flow properties, flow index and dynamic dilation, of lactose. We conducted two experiments using a gravitational displacement rheometer and a dynamic dilation cylinder. In order to expedite dilation data analysis, we developed an automated program to evaluate the dilation stills. Both experiments showed that increased concentrations of magnesium stearate lead to decreased cohesion of the powder blends.