d The mechanical strength of three carbonate tablets constructed by uniaxial compaction is evaluated using a simple tester, specially designed, as a comparative method, to classify and establish correlations between the measured resistance and the physical and flow properties of each carbonate. The net compression work required to construct the tablets is also compared with the strength of the samples in order to relate it to powder's ability to convert the force applied into effective solid-solid bonds. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.