Technical Challenge
Biodegradable polymers are often used for consumer product applications such as electronic devices and disposable packaging. Modeling these materials during impact is challenging due to both the complexity of the physical event and the scarcity of appropriate material models for biodegradable polymers.
Veryst Solution
Veryst used its expertise in impact modeling and the PolyUMod® user-material library (originally developed by Veryst and now available through PolymerFEM.com) to simulate the mechanical behavior of biodegradable polymers and create a finite element model of a cell phone with a PLA (polylactic acid) case. Veryst tested the case material and calibrated the Parallel Network Model to the test data. The PolyUMod material model was used in the drop test simulation of a smartphone in the protective PLA case (shown in Figure 1). The animation shows the resulting body dynamics and the time-dependent stress distribution in the structure.
