Mechanical strength of tablets

1.3. Mechanical strength of tablets

The mechanical strength of a tablet provides a measure of the bonding potential of the material concerned and this information is useful in the selection of excipients. An excessively strong bond may prevent rapid disintegration and subsequent dissolution of a drug. Weak bonding characteristics may limit the selection and/or proportion of excipients, such as lubricants, that would be added to the formulation.

The mechanical properties of pharmaceutical tablets are quantifiable by the friability ⁵ , hardness or crushing strength ^6-8 , crushing strength-friability values ^7-8 , tensile strength ^9-11 and brittle fracture Index ^{9, 12} .