Simulation by order of Dräger
Sector: Consumer goods/durable goods, Medical technologySpecialist field: Structural mechanicsDräger commissioned CADFEM with the explicit simulation of a drop test in Ansys LS-Dyna for a thermal imaging camera used by the fire department.
Summary
Task
A thermal imaging camera from Dräger, which was developed for use by firefighters, is exposed to frequent impact loads. The explicit simulation of a drop test is intended to show the loads in order to improve robustness.
Solution
In order to check whether the camera can meet the high requirements, a drop from a height of two meters was simulated with the ANSYS LS-DYNA software (drop test).
Customer benefits
Simulation enabled rapid and cost-effective prediction of deformation behavior, identification of highly stressed areas, and creation of a load-adapted geometry based on variance studies.
Project Details
Task
The thermal imaging camera from Dräger, which was developed for use by firefighters, makes it easier to find your way around and locate people at the scene of an emergency. This is especially true in difficult visibility conditions due to fire, smoke and darkness. During use, the camera is frequently subjected to impact loads. Despite a protective rubber jacket, the plastic housing of the thermal imaging camera has to withstand strong mechanical loads.
Customer Benefit
By means of the explicit simulation of a drop test, the following advantages could be achieved:
- a simple and cost-effective prediction of the deformation behavior for various impact positions,
- the rapid identification of highly stressed areas, and
- the creation of a load-adapted geometry based on easy-to-implement variant studies.
Solution
In order to check whether the camera can meet the high requirements, a drop from a height of two meters was simulated with the ANSYS LS-DYNA software (drop test). The load in the housing determined with explicit simulation during the impact period was analyzed for five different drop positions. The modeling of the complex interior of the camera was done with rigid bodies, taking into account the real centers of gravity, mass inertias and the possible contact situations. For the rubber casing, a hyperelastic material model was used to represent large deformations. The plastic casing was meshed using tetrahedra with rotational degrees of freedom, which provide a good approximation of the stiffness and at the same time allow the meshing of complex injection-molded components.
Images: © Dräger