Characterisation of Water Uptake and swelling Force of pharmaceutical Tablets

Tablets are the most common dosage form in the pharmaceutical industry. Rapid drug release is ensured by quick tablet disintegration which is caused by the absorption of water into the tablet. Therefore, water uptake and subsequent volume expansion are necessary requirements for tablet disintegration. In this work, binary mixtures of excipients were compacted to tablets with varying structural and mechanical properties to determine the influence of formulation and process parameters on water uptake and resulting swelling force of tablets. Results showed strong influences of disintegrant concentration as well as tablet porosity on both absorbed amount of water and acting swelling force. Obtained results revealed that water uptake and swelling force measurements are useful tools for an improved understanding of tablet disintegration.