Development and application of a novel cake strength tester

Abstract

Caking can cause many problems in industries during processing or storage of particulate materials. Caking magnitude depends on several factors, for instance temperature, consolidation stress and storage time. In this research paper, a novel force displacement and easy-to-use caking tester for measuring quantitatively cake strength as a result of elevated temperature, consolidation stress and storage time is introduced. The developed tester outweighed the conventional uniaxial unconfined failure caking tester due to the defined location of the failure plane to maximise repeatability, the necessity for a lower quantity of powder, maximised exposed surface and lower wall friction as well as production costs. The experimental design has been conducted by changing the temperature, consolidation stress and storage duration. The results showed that the tester could distinguish cake strength between different experimental conditions. A statistical model has been successfully developed to study the effect of each variable on the cake strength.

Time of Consolidation and Humidity Influence on Properties of Food Powders

“…It is worth noting that the storage conditions of the powder significantly influence these parameters. Among the most critical physical factors influencing changes in the properties of bulk materials, particularly those of technological importance such as flowability, moisture content stands out [7][8][9][10][11]. Storing bulk materials like wheat flour and potato starch poses significant challenges for food manufacturers and suppliers.…”

Determination of the Strength of Consolidated Powder Materials with a Pull-Based Tester

“…A similar technique has been used by Stasiak et al [10], where the breaking strength of a column of consolidated starches was determined in a divided cylinder. Salehi et al [19] have developed a new Greenwich Caking Tester for powders characterized by low lumps and low hardness. It is characterized by a low ratio of the chamber height to its diameter, and the measurement method is based on the displacement of the probe at a constant speed.…”

Temperature and Time Consolidation Effect on the Bulk Flow Properties and Arching Tendency of a Detergent Powder

“…Powder flow properties are mainly dependent on the magnitude of cohesive forces between particles, such as van der Waals' force and capillary forces, as well as forces between particles and the storage container surface [3]. When these forces increase because of changes in temperature or consolidation stress the powder flowability deteriorates and, therefore, becomes more difficult to handle [4,5]. A reduction in flowability of powder at an industrial facility could for example decrease the production rate as a result erratic or unreliable discharge from storage hoppers or even stop production for extreme cases such the formation of stable arch over the outlet.…”