Phenomenological Modeling of Carpeted Surface for Drop Simulation of Portable Electronics

Using finite element (FE) analysis to simulate drop impact is widely adopted by the consumer electronics industry in the design process of portable devices. Most of such simulations model impact surface as a rigid or simple elastic surface. While this approach is valid for many common hard surfaces such as wood, tile, or concrete, it often does not provide a realistic risk assessment if the impact surface is a soft surface such as carpet. This paper describes a methodology to create a material model for carpeted impact surface that is suited for FE drop simulation. A multilayer hyperelastic–viscoelastic material model is used to model the mechanical response of the carpet under mechanical impact. Quasi-static and impact testing on the industrial carpet were performed to calibrate the model parameters with the help of optimization. Validation of the model was done by comparing the simulation predictions with measurements from the impact tests performed at different heights. Much better correlation between experimental measurements and simulation predictions were observed when using the multilayer hyper-viscoelastic model for carpet than using a single layer homogenous model. This approach can provide a better estimate and a more accurate representation for device drop risk on carpeted surfaces for design and development of portable products. The methodology can also be used to derive material models for other similar impact surfaces.