Examination of Accelerated Method for Evaluation of Caking Characteristics of Various Common Salt

Abstract

An accelerated test method to evaluate the caking of salt products in a short time by controlling the fluctuation cycle of relative humidity was considered. Caking phenomenon is caused by dissolving and re-crystallizing due to moisture adsorption and release, and is affected not only by the amount of moisture intake but also by the rate of moisture adsorption. Specifically, a correlation between the amount of change in moisture content during adsorption and release accumulated over time and the caking strength was observed. Accordingly, by re-setting the relative humidity fluctuation cycle, methods that increase the rate of caking strength to three times that of standard conditions were created. As a result, the conventional testing time of 56 days could be shortened to 20 days. Using this method, an evaluation of caking characteristics for various common salt samples is thought to be possible in the future.