Modeling and simulation of multiple impacts of falling rigid bodies

When an electronic device drops at an inclination angle to the floor, the rapid successions of clattering sequence are important for their shock response to circuits, displays and disk drives. This article deals with both analytical and numerical analysis of multiple impacts. A three-dimensional computational dynamics code with a continuous contact impact model has been developed to simulate the multiple impacts of a falling rigid body with the ground. Results from the computational model as well as analytic analysis from a discrete contact impact model indicate that subsequent impacts might be larger than the initial impact in some situations. The differential equation based three-dimensional model is shown to be realistic in simulating a multiple-impact sequence and laid a foundation for detailed finite element analysis of the interior impact response of an electronic device.