Structural analysis of cuboid compressed food powder using the Drucker-Prager Cap model

Powder compression molding is widely utilized as a food processing technology, and ensuring product strength is an essential issue for improving quality. The Drucker–Prager Cap (DPC) model is known as an analytical model for powder compression and can represent deformation behavior during the compression process. In this study, material properties (DPC parameters) of four types of food powders were derived using a tablet data acquisition device capable of simultaneously measuring compressive loads in both axial and radial directions. Furthermore, the DPC parameters were input into the CAE software Ansys, and compression analysis was conducted on a cuboid-shaped model. The strain characteristics obtained from the analysis were then compared with experimental data from friability test. The findings indicated that the higher the proportion of elastic strain to total strain at maximum compression, the lower the abrasion level tended to be. This study clarified the importance of the elastic properties of powder layers in determining product strength during the compression molding of food powders.