An instrument for rapid powder flow measurement and temporal fractal analysis

An instrument enabling the measurement, at a high sampling rate, of the mass of a powder flowing from a vibrating spatula has been constructed. Semiconductor strain gauges were used in the instrument as sensitive and rapid-response transducers facilitating mass measurement in these studies. Data collection and processing was performed automatically by computer. Computer software was developed for analysis of fractal dimension as a component of the instrument, to automate an established method for determination of the temporal fractal dimension of mass flow data. The rise time response of the instrument was an order of magnitude faster than instrumentation used previously [1]. Fractal dimensions determined using this instrument in a study of lactose powders on a vibrating spatula were approximately an order of magnitude larger than those reported previously.