Numerical simulation of the drop impact response of a portable electronic product

The ability of portable electronic products like cellular phones and personal digital assistants to withstand accidental impacts and shock is a valuable attribute consumers expect and manufacturers desire. Usually, manufacturers conduct expensive experimental drop tests to determine the fragility of such products during the product design cycle. An alternative to conducting drop tests is to perform numerical simulation. This paper examines the feasibility of studying the drop impact response of an electronic pager using a finite element software, ABAQUS/Explicit. Experimental drop test results are then used to compare with that of numerical simulation. Parameters examined include surface strains on pager housing and impact force. Comparisons show good correlation between experimental and numerical results. Finite element computation allows critical impact orientations and drop heights to be identified so that selective experimental drop tests can be performed to determine the actual physical robustness of these products.