Finite Element Analysis of Ball Drop on LCD Panels.

A ball drop test is amongst the tests used to assess the response of an LCD device under impact conditions. Two different glass thicknesses − 0.5 mm and 0.7 mm - were submitted to this test in consideration for this paper. The result of the testing demonstrated that when a ball is dropped onto the outside surface of color-filter glass, the peak stress occurs on the bottom of color-filter glass, and not on the bottom of the TFT glass. In addition to this, we studied an extreme case where the back plate is rigid, since most LCD displays have a diffuser plate or back plate behind the panel. The rigid plate restricts the panel deflection when impacted by a ball. The findings from this study can be used as guidelines to go for thinner panels by balancing panel thickness, diffuser / back plate stiffness and the distance between the panel and the back plate. When appropriately implemented, panels made with 0.5 mm glass substrates may experience lower stress when compared to those made with 0.7 mm glass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]