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4 European LS-DYNA Users Conference Drop Test / Impact II

Structural Design Review of LCD-TV Module

by Impact Analysis

Authors:

Seong-Sik Choi, Jeoung-Gwen Lee

Mechanical Development Team.
AMLCD Division, Samsung Electronics, Korea

Correspondence:

Seong-Sik Choi
San #24, Nongseo-Ri, Giheung-Eup, Yongin-City
Gyeonggi-Do, Korea

Tel: +82-(31)209-3741
Fax: +82-(31)209-2228
e-mail: sschoi@samsung.com

Keywords:
LCD-TV, impact analysis, LS-DYNA, reliability

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ABSTRACT

Display performance of LCD is going to be continuously high definition, high bright-

ness, wide viewing angle. On the other hand, outline dimensions are demanded to
be slimer and lighter. As the result of above demand, the space of each part be-
comes gradually narrow and tight. Therefore, the importance of design to prevent
weakness for impact is embossed greatly. LCD products have to be subjected to
various impact test for consumer's using environments. During the design, tool-
correction or modification caused by damage or large deformation of weak part give
rise to time consumption and cost-up. For development of LCD-TV module, these
problems become more important because of its large size and heavy weight.
To improve these problems, we performed impact analysis of 40 inch LCD-TV mod-
ule using LS-DYNA and applied the results to the development. In this analysis, we
found out the weak regions and obtained improved reliability after design modifica-
tion.
Impact analysis using LS-DYNA is going to be applied in the all of LCD product de-
velopments hereafter, and development period reduction and reliability improvement
are highly expected.

INTRODUCTION

As the importance of external appearance design of the recent TFT-LCD is em-

bossed, thin thickness and light weight charateristics are observed greatly as com-
petitive power of product. Research on new design and development on materials for
parts to correspond on such request are progressing but it is difficult to satisfy shock
reliability because of many limitations in part design and arrangement in confined
space.

Also, higher adjustments of LCD's shock limit is required recently by customer’s reli-
ability reinforcement. Shock reliability problem is becoming more and more serious in
development and mass production of LCD. LCD's shock reliabilty until the latest was
obtained by method of trial and error through shock test and design correction when
problem was found.
However, because durability of LCD is weakened as its characteristics are becoming
thiner and lighter, such tentative correspondance consumes much tool correction
expenses and period of time in short development term.

Design of product through systematic CAE Process can improve such problem.
In the meantime, it is very hard to get effective results through CAE method for LCD
which has structure that small thin parts are assembled and such parts affects in
reliability seriously. In this research, we have built systematic CAE process for LCD
product which progresses simutaneously with design of LCD. Also verified analysis
accuracy and applied this process to 40-inch LCD TV module development. We re-
solved design problems and improved shock reliability before tool ordering and con-
firmed that we could enhance quality competitive power of LCD products.

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Application
4 European LS-DYNA Users of impact analysis
Conference Drop Test / Impact II

In early stage of LCD development, the most important thing is to accomplish shock
reliability. Therefore we developed and applied following analysis process for effecti-
ve and efficient analysis for LCD product. LCD's 3D design data is converted to finite
element data for impact analysis through modelling work. After inputing material pro-
perties of each parts here, such data are changed to LS-DYNA format via universal
file format conversion. After inputing contact condition between each parts and shock
test condition, LS-DYNA computation is executed. Computation result is applied im-
mediately to design and tools are ordered after problem of early design is modified.

Obtain material properties of each parts

To achieve exact material properties for LCD analysis, we executed tension test us-
ing specimens of each parts. Also, we got bending modulus of LCD-Panel in the
bending test. Such data applied to finite element model so as to embody mechanical
characteristics in the model.

Load condition in analysis

We composed following process to input G’ value of shock reliability estimation test

to finite element model. LCD module is threaded to product basically, and shock
force supposes to be inputed through User-hole which is combined with product.
G’ value which is used in shock test is inputed to User-holes as presented in Figure 1.
Shock acceleration is inputed in half-sine waveform as Figure 2. Also, we considered
LCD’ motion before shocked as free-fall action.

Figure 1. Acceleration input through User-holes

Figure 2. Half-sine shock acceleration in the case of 220G’-2msec

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Computation and analysis of results

If finite element model's creation and input of boundary condition are completed,
impact analysis is performed. If computation ends, results are analyzed immediatly
and analysis of stress distribution, deformation state, displacement amount and weak
region are available. For analysis accuracy, as appeared in Figure 3, detail experi-
ments about LCD basis model attaching strain gauge and accelerometer have been
executed. We applied this experiment data to enhance analysis reliability.

Figure 3. Strain gauges attached to LCD model for detail experiment

Application to 40” LCD-TV development

We applied impact analysis process to investigate mechanical behavior of each parts,

contact/crack possibility, stress/displacement and executed shock reliability/design
evaluation in 40 inch LCD-TV development. With this result, we have found problem
of early design and corrected before tooling ordering. Shock reliability improvement
of product in early stage was accomplished as the result of the analysis.

EXAMINATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF LAMP BREAKAGE

In the case of TV, to achieve high brightness, lamp is arranged justly below LCD-
Panel. It is one of important problems to be considered necessarily that the lamp
breakage possibility is raised seriously by contact with other parts in shock test. Fig-
ure 4 shows analysis result of lamp-assembly which was proposed at early design
step. Central area of lamp where not fixed is deformed maximum 24mm to +Z direc-
tion and it was found that high stress happens thereby.
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Its stress distribution is displayed in Figure 5. Lamp breakage is expected where not
fixed by lamp supporter because stress maximum 110MPa that passes over ultimate
stress of glass (70MPa) happens there by large deformation in +Z direction shock.
Therefore, it is necessary to prevent breakage of lamp central part through lamp
supporter's addition and rearrangement.

Figure 4. Deformation of lamp central area

Figure 5. Stress distribution in maximum deformation area of lamp

Also, as appeared in Figure 6, it happened that electrode department of lamp's left

and right side which is combined with PCB is broken by lamp's large deformation.
Such phenomenon happens because electrode department comes to have inflection
point being combined strongly to PCB while there is a large deformation in the central
area of lamp where not fixed by supporters.
Stress distribution at electrode department is presented in Figure 7. Because of
maximum 200MPa high stress, electrode department's breakage is expected before
lamp central area hangs. Therefore, design should be modified to reduce deforma-
tion of lamp central area through addition and rearrangement of supporters so as to
prevent lamp electrode department's breakdown.

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Figure 6. Deformation of lamp electrode department

Figure 7. Stress distribution in maximum deformation area of electrode department

Assembly structure of lamp was improved as Figure 8 among various kinds of pro-
posed design modification according to analysis result about lamp-assembly such as
preceeding descriptions. Accordingly, Reflector-sheet and Chassis-bottom's hole
position were modified also because they are assembled with lamp-suppoter.

Figure 8. Design improvement of lamp assembly

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EXAMINATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF LCD-PANEL BREAKAGE

LCD-Panel that dominate LCD's display performance is keeping structural hardness

by Backlight-assembly which is located in lower position of it and It is very important
to know LCD-Panel's deformation limit. As stress distribution range of Panel edge is
50 ~ 250Mpa as Figure 9 ~ Figure 10 and Panel's crack was expected because its
maximum value passed over Panel's ultimate stress value (70Mpa). The reason of
the high stress is that the Panel edges collide with chassis-top's inner side at the
impact moment.

Figure 9. Selected locations in LCD-Panel for stress distribution analysis

Figure 10. Stress distribution at LCD-Panel edge ( A ~ L )

In the meantime, stress at active area adjacent to edge is comparatively stable as

presented in Figure 11 (20 ~ 55MPa). Therefore, it is necessary to prevent crack at
panel edge by addition of cushions on inner side of chassis-top. According to above,
cushions were attached as design modification.
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Figure 11. Stress distribution at active area adjacent to edge ( 1 ~ 12 )

OTHER DESIGN EVALUATION AND IMPROVEMENT ITEM SUMMARY

Improvement items of other important parts according to analysis result are explained
in Table 1. Further details are omitted for want of space.

Table 1. Design evaluation and improvement of other important parts

Drop direc- Analysis
Investigation item Improvement
tion result
Permanent deformation
OK -
of chassis-top
+Z
Frame-mold crack OK -

Crack at LCD panel edge NG Add ribs to support panel

-Y
Add and rearrange
Lamp breakage NG
lamp suppoters

After tooling sample was manufactured, formal shock test was performed. In the test,
issued matters were O.K and we confirmed that shock reliability was accomplished
through impact analysis.

Comparison with existing impact analysis example

In first half of 2000, impact analysis of LCD module for 17" monitor has been exe-
cuted, but this achieved asking to outside institute because there was no technical
resource to do it. (Period : 6 months, Expense : $70,000)
This CAE Process is to make it applicable to short development period of LCD prod-
uct and we have accomplished remarkable enhancement of CAE execution period
within 14 days.

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CONCLUSION

We have built mechanical CAE Process for LCD product proceeding simultaneously
with product design in order to get impact reliability. That is, we constructed series of
process with breaking of existing empirical designing and problem improvement ac-
tivity and overcome various problems in applying CAE to LCD product development.
We applied it in 40" LCD-TV module development to found design problems in early
stage and acquired design correction, development period shortening by improving.
Also, obtained analysis technique which has been executed by outside research
institute and it has been applied to all new product development since first half year
of 2002. We can get delivery period reduction, reliability improvement of product
through this and accomplish quality competitive power elevation as a result.

Reference

1. Y.Y. Nam, "An impact reliability limit estimation experiment of LCD module",
Experiment Report of Korea Mechanical Research Institute, May 2001

2. S.W. Boo, "Drop impact analysis report", SAIT research report, August 2000

3. JOHN O HALLQUIST, "LS-DYNA Theoretical Manual", Livermore Software

Technology Corporation, July 1993

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