Performing drop test simulation via a penalty finite element method based on dynamic implicit scheme.

Drop test simulation via finite element methods can help simulate the effects of high impact and shock. It has become an indispensable tool during the virtual product design processes to reduce the cost of experimental test and to help improve the durability of products. The choice of a reliable contact method is critical for drop test simulation. Of all the contact algorithms, the penalty method has the advantage of taking the contact constraint into account without increasing the degrees of freedom while being easy to implement into existing software. The implicit analysis is generally known to be more accurate than the explicit analysis, but has convergence issues. This paper presents a penalty finite element method based on dynamic implicit scheme to implement impact planes for drop test simulation. An idea of impact element groups, which allows multiple impact planes with different normal directions, is presented. Two impact plane types are implemented: 'Full general' and 'Slide/no bounce'. The general drop process is divided into three durations with different time step sizes to efficiently and accurately capture the fast change within the microtime of the impact. Typical and interesting drop test models are simulated and discussed for the presented method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]