Understanding the flow of powders is essential in many industrial applications. Anyone working with powdered materials has once experienced processability problems like a lack of flowability, heavy sticking on pipes and machine surfaces, or variability in dosage among many other examples.

The macroscopic behavior of powders is a direct consequence of the diverse microscopic interactions taking place at the scale of the particles. The flow of powders is the result of a complex multi-parameter interplay of these interactions. Therefore, a good understanding of the properties of the particles and the cohesive interactions is necessary to better predict the resulting behavior, as well as its sensibility to environmental parameters like relative humidity or process temperature.

We will explore the properties of powders at different scales, from the interactions between the particles at the micro-scale to the consequence on the powder processability. The presentation aims to provide the required fundamental background on the physics of powders. Then, the audience will learn how this new knowledge can be used to better understand the processability of powders through detailed case studies.