Materials engineered for aerospace and defense related structural applications must be capable of absorbing rapidly applied impact forces. Externally during the course of normal operation, commercial or military aircraft can be hit by runway debris, hail or maintenance tools. Internally low power, high resolution liquid crystal displays are also at risk. Impacts from crew members or loose objects can strike sensitive navigation and control equipment during turbulent operating conditions.
Cockpits and dashboards containing Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) instrumentation can be hit repeatedly by boots, knees, elbows or other objects during operating conditions. Damaged LCD’s can leave crew members without a critical piece of equipment necessary to pilot or defend the vehicle. To avoid such complications, manufacturers rely on suppliers to design and test their LCD products for impact performance. LCD manufacturers want to experiment with different materials and layer configurations to determine resistance to common impacts.
We were asked recently to provide a testing solution for large panel LCD’s. To identify any design features of the LCD most likely to fail a test set up on a CEAST 9350 with High Energy option to simulate impact conditions was developed. A custom fixture was assembled to support the LCD and a 20 mm diameter flat faced tup insert to mimic a boot heel was used. The Anti-Rebound Device was installed to prevent any secondary impacts on the display.
By using our DAS (Data Acquisition system) and Visual Impact to perform instrumented impact testing on their liquid crystal displays the customer was able to gather information not only on how well an existing design performs, but data and insight into how existing designs can be improved. Our solution allows the manufacturer a way to methodically and consistently simulate the energy level, frequency, quantity and geometry of impacts delivered to the end product. This then enables them to improve both the design and quality of the product offered.