PCB Vibration PDF

VIBRATION ANALYSIS OF ELECTRONIC
UNIT
VIBRATIONSANALYS AV ELEKTRONIKENHET
Hanna Fahlgren
THESIS 2013
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
This thesis has been carried out at the School of Engineering in Jönköping in
the subject area Mechanical Engineering. The work is a part of the Master of
Science program, Product Development and Materials Engineering. The author
takes full responsibility for opinions, conclusions and findings presented.
Examiner: Peter Hansbo
Supervisor: Rebal Marcos
Scope: 30 credits
Date: 02/04/2013
Abstract
Abstract
Components in Airplanes are exposed to vibrations which can cause them to fail
due to fatigue if they are not constructed for the extreme environment. High
stresses can develop in products during resonance if parts own the same natural
frequency. The acceleration induced by one component will couple to the next
and give it an even higher acceleration and thus higher inertial displacements and
stresses.
Simulations of resonant frequencies and analyses of their couplings were
conducted on electronic units developed by SAAB Electronic Defence Systems in
Jönköping. A reinforcement proposal for one of the PCBs in one of their current
electronic units was given by the author.
The result of the simulation showed that the first resonant frequency of the
investigated PCB and the current chassis was not separated enough, and coupling
of their accelerations during resonance occurred. A rib design was developed by
the author to increase the natural frequency of the PCB, which eliminated the
coupling with the current chassis at its first natural frequency.
A new chassis was being developed by SAAB, which would be produced by
casting. Simulations of the casted chassis were also preformed and evaluations
with regard to its natural frequency were made. The casted chassis first natural
frequency was well separated with the PCB. But the weight ratio between the
casted chassis and the PCB would cause high acceleration forces during resonance
which would be transmitted to the PCB which is not preferable.
When designing components it is of great importance to know the environment in
which they will work. The engineer needs to possess good skills with respect to
the phenomena acting on the product in order to find the right input values for
simulations. One must also keep in mind that simplifications need to be made so
that simulations will not be to complex and therefore evaluation of the result must
be preformed to ensure credibility.
Keywords
ANSYS
Chassis
Coupling
Printed Circuit Board
Resonance frequency
Simulation
Transmissibility
Summary
Summary
Flygplanskomponenter utsätts för vibrationer som kan leda utmattningsproblem
om de inte är konstruerade för den extrema miljö de verkar i. Höga spänningar
kan utvecklas i produkter under resonans när komponenter har samma
egenfrekvens. Accelerationer som framkallas av en komponent under resonans
kan överföras till en närliggande enhet och ge denna en ännu högre acceleration
om deras egenfrekvenser sammanfaller. Detta medför att stora förskjutningar och
spänningar i de utsatta komponenterna vilket kan leda till brott och sprickor.
Simuleringar av resonansfrekvenser och analyser av deras kopplingar utfördes på
elektronikenheter som utvecklats av SAAB Electronic Defence Systems i
Jönköping. Ett förstärkningsförslag för ett av kretskorten i deras nuvarande
elektronikenhet togs fram av författaren.
Resultatet av simuleringen visade att den första egenfrekvensen hos det
undersökta kretskortet och det nuvarande chassit inte var tillräckligt separerade,
vilket medförde koppling av deras accelerationer vid resonans. Ett
förstärkningsförslag utvecklades av författaren för att öka kretskortets
egenfrekvens, vilket eliminerade kopplingen vid det aktuella chassiets första
egenfrekvens.
Ett nytt gjutet chassi var under utveckling av SAAB och simuleringar utfördes
också av detta chassi. Utvärderingar med avseende på dess naturliga frekvens
gjordes. Den första egenfrekvensen hos det gjutna chassit var väl separerat från
kretskortets, men viktförhållandet mellan det gjutna chassit och kretskortet skulle
medföra höga accelerationskrafter under resonans. De höga krafterna skulle då
överföras till kretskortet vilket inte är fördelaktigt.
Vid produktframtagning är det av stor vikt att känna till miljön där
komponenterna ska verka. Ingenjören behöver besitta goda kunskaper om de
fenomen som verkar på produkten för kunna ta fram rätt indatavärden för sina
simuleringar. Ingenjören måste också veta vilka förenklingar som måste göras så
att simuleringar inte blir för komplexa. Förenklingarna medför att utvärderingar av
resultatet bör utföras för att säkerställa dess trovärdighet.
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements
I wish to express my sincere gratitude to everyone at the mechanics department at
SAAB Electronic Defence Systems in Jönköping. You all made me feel very
welcome and a part of your team.
I would also like to give special thanks to my supervisor at SAAB, Rebal Marcos,
for helping me with every little problem I had and to Fredrik Kroll, head of the
mechanics department, for giving me the opertunity to do the thesis at SAAB.
I would also like to gratefully acknowledge my supervisor at Jönköping University,
Peter Hansbo, for guiding me through my thesis work.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
1 Introduction ............................................................................. 9
1.1 BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................................... 9
1.1.1 SAAB ........................................................................................................................... 9
1.1.2 Problem Definition .................................................................................................... 10
1.2 PURPOSE AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS ................................................................................... 11
1.3 DELIMITATIONS ................................................................................................................... 11
1.4 OUTLINE ............................................................................................................................. 12
2 Vibration of Electronic Equipment in an Airplane.............. 13

2.1 VIBRATION .......................................................................................................................... 13
2.2 RESONANT FREQUENCY ....................................................................................................... 15
2.3 TRANSMISSIBILITY............................................................................................................... 16
2.4 DISPLACEMENT AT RESONANCE ........................................................................................... 17
2.5 CHASSIS DESIGN.................................................................................................................. 18
2.6 FASTENERS ......................................................................................................................... 18
2.7 DAMPING ............................................................................................................................ 19
2.8 STIFFENERS ......................................................................................................................... 19
2.9 SIMULATION TECHNIQUE ..................................................................................................... 20
2.9.1 PCB Simulation ......................................................................................................... 21
2.9.2 Bolted Joint Simulation .............................................................................................. 21
2.9.3 Boundary Conditions and Constraints ........................................................................ 23
2.9.4 Mesh.......................................................................................................................... 23
3 Simulation of the Electronic Unit......................................... 25
3.1 PHYSICAL TESTS.................................................................................................................. 26
3.1.1 Young’s Modulus of PCBs.......................................................................................... 26
3.1.2 Densities of Composite Components ........................................................................... 28
3.2 MESH REFINEMENT STUDY .................................................................................................. 28
3.3 SIMULATION OF THE OLD ELECTRONIC UNIT ........................................................................ 29
3.4 SIMULATION OF THE CURRENT ELECTRONIC UNIT ................................................................ 30
3.5 SIMULATION OF THE CASTED COVER ELECTRONIC UNIT ....................................................... 32
3.6 ENFORCEMENT PROPOSALS AND SIMULATION ...................................................................... 33
3.6.1 Bench Marking .......................................................................................................... 33
3.6.2 Enforcement Design ................................................................................................... 35
4 Findings and Analysis ............................................................. 43
4.1 EVALUATION OF ENFORCEMENT PROPOSAL .......................................................................... 43
4.2 VIBRATION EVALUATION OF THE CASTED ELECTRONIC UNIT ................................................ 44
5 Discussion and Conclusions .................................................. 45

5.1 DISCUSSION OF METHOD ..................................................................................................... 45
5.2 DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS..................................................................................................... 47
5.3 CONCLUSIONS ..................................................................................................................... 47
6 References .............................................................................. 48
7 Search Terms ......................................................................... 50
8 Appendices ............................................................................. 51
List of Tables
List of Tables
TABLE 1. BOLT SIMULATION TECHNIQUES....................................................22

TABLE 2. CALCULATION OF YOUNG’S MODULUS FROM THE TENSILE
TEST ................................................................................................................27
TABLE 3. COMPARISON BETWEEN THE SIMULATION AND THE PHYSICAL
TEST ................................................................................................................29
TABLE 4. FIRST NATURAL FREQUENCIES OF THE PCBS ..............................31
List of Figures
List of Figures
FIGURE 1. ELECTRONIC UNIT ............................................................................10

FIGURE 2. SINUS WAVE.......................................................................................13
FIGURE 3. RANDOM VIBRATION. ......................................................................14
FIGURE 4. MASS-SPRING SYSTEM.....................................................................14
FIGURE 5. RESPONSE OF MASS-SPRING SYSTEM ..........................................15
FIGURE 6. STIFFENING RIBS DIRECTLY TO SUPPORT...................................20
FIGURE 7. STIFFENING RIBS INDIRECTLY TO SUPPORT...............................20
FIGURE 8. ELEMENT SHAPES .............................................................................23
FIGURE 9. PULLING IN THE X-DIRECTION ......................................................26
FIGURE 10. PULLING IN THE Y-DIRECTION.....................................................27
FIGURE 11. FIRST NATURAL FREQUENCY OF THE CHASSIS. ......................30
FIGURE 12. FIRST NATURAL FREQUENCY OF BOTTOM PLATE. .................30
FIGURE 13. FIRST MOOD SHAPE OF THE CONTROLLER MODULE. .............31
FIGURE 14. COUPLING BETWEEN THE CURRENT CHASSIS AND THE
CONTROLLER MODULE. .............................................................................31
FIGURE 15. COUPLING BETWEEN THE CASTED CHASSIS AND THE
FIGURE 16. ELECTRONIC UNIT WITH PCB BOARD EDGE GUIDES ..............34
FIGURE 17. ROBUST ELECTRONIC UNIT WITH MODULAR CLAMSHELL
PCB INSERTS .................................................................................................34
FIGURE 18. CONTROLLER MODULE WITH BOARD EDGE GUIDES..............35
FIGURE 19. BOARD EDGE GUIDES WITH RIBS, FREQUENCY – RIB
THICKNESS. ...................................................................................................36
FIGURE 20. COLLISION OF PARTS WHEN TRYING TO REPOSITION THE
FIGURE 21. FOUR MIDSECTION RIBS. ...............................................................38
FIGURE 22. FOUR MIDSECTION RIBS AND SIDE SUPPORT. ..........................38
FIGURE 23. EXTRA RIBS AT THE POINT OF MAXIMUM EXCITATION. .......38
FIGURE 24. RIB DESIGNS, FREQUENCY – ADDED WEIGHT. .........................39
FIGURE 25. RIB DESIGN, INCORPORATING SOLDERED COMPONENTS. ....40
FIGURE 26. RIB DESIGN INCORPORATING COMPONENTS, FREQUENCY –
RIB THICKNESS.............................................................................................41
FIGURE 27. FIRST NATURAL FREQUENCY OF BOTTOM PLATE. .................42
List of Symbols
List of Symbols
a Acceleration (m/s²)
A Area (m²)
B Rib spacing (m)
c Damping ((Ns)/m)
C Convergence (%)
CM Controller module
CW Cross wise
EDS Electronic Defence Systems
E Young’s modulus (Pa)
f Frequency (Hz) and force with time domain (N)
F Force (N)
g Acceleration of gravity (9.81 m/s²)
G Acceleration in gravity units (dimensionless)
H PCB Horizontal PCB
HPM High power module
k Stiffness ratio (dimensionless)
m Mass (kg)
n Amount of gaps (dimensionless ratio)
LW Length wise
p Percentage (%)
PCB Printed circuit board
RBE Rigid body element
Q Transmissibility (dimensionless ratio)
R Frequency ratio (dimensionless ratio)
x Displacement (m)
x Velocity (m/s)
x Acceleration (m/s²)
t Time (s) and thickness (m)
v Velocity (m/s)
V Volume (m³)
w Width (m)
W Weight (kg)
Greek symbols
ε Strain (%)
ρ Density (kg/m³)
σ Stress (Pa)
ω Angular velocity (rad/s)
Introduction
1 Introduction
The thesis was carried out at Jönköping University, School of Engineering, in the
field of Mechanical Engineering. The work was part of the master program
Product Development and Materials Engineering.
The specification of the project was made by SAAB Electronic Defence Systems
(SAAB EDS) in Jönköping, where the work was conducted. The author was
assigned to carry out vibration analyzes and improvement investigations of an
electronic unit. The electronic unit controls the redundant system of flaps and
slats in airplanes. The project was created since vibrations in the electronic unit
needed to be investigated regarding its impact on fatigue failure.
1.1 Background
SAABs business concept is to constantly develop, adopt and improve new
technology to meet the changing customer need. Their high quality products
therefore demand thorough investigations to ensure a long life in extreme
environments. The components will be exposed to high temperature changes and
vibrations which can cause high stresses and fatigue failure if it is not taken into
account. The airplane components are also exposed to high stresses and shock,
during flight and landing.
1.1.1 SAAB
SAAB offers world-leading products, services and solutions from military defence
to civil security. Their most important markets today are Europe, South Africa,
Australia and the US. They have around 13,000 employees and the yearly sale is
approximately SEK 24 billion. Their research and development account for about
20% of the sales. SAAB consists of five different business areas, which are [1]:
 Aerodynamics
 Dynamics
 Electronic Defence Systems
 Security and Defence Solutions
 Support and Service
SAAB Electronic Defence Systems develop products in the area of radar and
electronic warfare. Their portfolio includes airborne, land based and naval radar,
electronic support measures and self-protection systems [1].
9
Introduction
1.1.2 Problem Definition
Today’s airplanes are optimized in regard to weight, which has lead to a decrease
of the size of the airplane wings. When the airplane is up in the air at its normal
speed, the lifting area of the wing can be decreased. To increase/decrease the wing
area the airplane is constructed with slats and flaps. To ensure safe take off and
landing, a redundant system is used for this action. The additional system in
SAABs airplanes is run by an electronic motor which is controlled by an electronic
unit placed inside the airplane. The electronic unit is exposed to vibrations which
could cause some components in the PCBs to fail. Vibrations in the electronics
unit therefore needed to be investigated to eliminate further component failures.
When the thesis was conducted, the casing of the electronic unit was
manufactured from aluminum sections that were held together by rivets. A new
casing manufactured by casting was being developed to reduce manufacturing
costs.
Resonant frequencies and their couplings in the electronic unit were investigated
and ways to reduce the displacements of the components were explored. The
focus of the simulations was set on the controller module (fig. 1), since it has the
most soldered components, where fatigue and tearing could be a problem in lead
wires and solder joints.
Figure 1. Electronic Unit. Large PCBs: 1) Controller module, 2) High power

module. Small PCBs: 3) Vertical PCB, 4) Horizontal PCB.
10
Introduction
1.2 Purpose and Research Questions

The purpose of the thesis was to give the author an opportunity to study failure
caused by vibration and to get a deeper knowledge about how to prevent this. The
author also learned how to simulate vibrations on a CATIA assembly in ANSYS.
The simulations were matched with vibration tests made on the electronic unit in
its initial stage to ensure credibility.
The questions to be answered in the report:
 Does coupling at resonance exist between the controller module and the
current casing?
 How can displacement of the controller module be reduced during
resonance when it is placed in the current casing?
 How does the casted casings current design affect the controller module
during vibration?
1.3 Delimitations
A product is only as strong as its weakest link and the weakest link in the
electronic unit was estimated to be the controller module since it has the most
soldered components. The two smaller PCBs have larger components that are
glued well to the PCBs. Since there have not been any noted problems with the
glued joints or cracking in the board material, the enforcement proposal will not
include these PCBs. The high power module has fewer small components than the
controller module and it has more supports holding it in place, which would make
it more tolerable. The casings and the other components in the electronic unit,
such as the transformer, the bolt in filters and the connectors are far more robust
than the PCBs, and they will not be investigated either for further enforcement.
Enforcement proposals for the electronic unit with the casted cover will not be
investigated since the design is not final. Only investigations of how it affects the
controller module will be performed.
11
Introduction
1.4 Outline
Chapter 2 will discuss how vibrations affect components in an airplane with
regard to resonant frequencies, transmissibility and displacement. It will also
discuss how the design of the chassis can affect the PCB and different fastening
technique of PCBs. Methods of decreasing displacements in PCBs, such as
dampers and stiffeners, will then be discussed. The procedure of simulation will
also be presented.
Chapter 3 will show how the gathering of input parameters and simulations of the
electronic units were performed. It will also show the method used to answer the
research questions. Analysis of the electronic units will be presented and
enforcement proposals will be stated.
Chapter 4 will show the conclusions of the simulations and evaluate the
enforcement proposal. Evaluations of the casted casing will also be presented.
Chapter 5 will discuss the method used for finding the answers to the research
questions. It will also discuss the simulation result and its reliability. The report
will be summed up and proposals for further investigations in the subject will be
presented.
12
Vibration of Electronic Equipment in an Airplane
2 Vibration of Electronic Equipment in an

Airplane
The vibrations in an airplane are mainly caused by the engines and the
aerodynamic buffering. The oscillating movement of the airplane can be
considered as random vibration since the continuous motion does not repeat itself
[2].
The vibration frequency spectrum in an airplane varies from 3 Hz to 1000 Hz.
The acceleration levels in the vertical direction range from 1 G to 5 G with a
frequency range of 100-400 Hz. The frequency range is the same in the horizontal
direction as in the vertical direction, but its acceleration level is lower and does not
exceed 1 G [2].
2.1 Vibration
Vibration is when an object is subjected to an oscillating motion that causes the
body to move back and forth. If the oscillating movement is repeating itself, the
vibration is called periodic. The simplest periodic motion is usually represented by
a sinus wave (fig. 2). If the continuous motion does not repeat itself, it is called
random vibration (fig. 3). The measurement of cycles per second is called Hertz
(Hz) and the maximum displacement is called the amplitude of the vibration [2].
1.5
0.5
Displacement (y)
Amplitude
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
-0.5
-1
Period
-1.5
Time (t)
Figure 2. Sinus wave [2].
13
1.5
0.5
Displacement (y)
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
-0.5
-1
-1.5
Time (t)
Figure 3. Random vibration.
To further understand the physics behind vibrations, consider a one degree of

freedom undamped system consisting of a mass (m) suspended from a rigid
foundation by a spring with stiffness (k) (fig. 4) [2].
Figure 4. Mass-spring system [2].
When the mass is displaced to a given position (x(t)), the force (f(t)) acting on the
system can be calculated [2]:
d 2 x(t )
f (t )  m  kx(t )
dt 2 (eq. 2.1 [2])
If the force subjected to the mass is a simple harmonic excitation with the
frequency (ω), it can be described as [2]:
14
f (t )  F sin(t ) (eq. 2.2 [2])

Putting the two equations together, the displacement of the mass can be calculated
at a given time increment [2]:
F sin(t )
x(t ) 
k  m 2 (eq. 2.3 [2])
Large displacements will cause high stresses in the material and it is therefore of
great importance to reduce the displacements. Studying the equation 2.3, it can be
seen that to reduce the displacement at a given force and frequency, the stiffness
needs to be increased and the mass needs to be decreased.
2.2 Resonant Frequency

To understand the resonant frequency phenomena, consider the system in figure 4
and equation 2.1. The equation shows that when the force generated by the
stiffness ( kx ) is equal to the inertial force generated by the mass element (  m 2 x
) the vibration amplitude builds up cycle by cycle, which makes it go towards
infinity, and in practice this causes the system to break (fig. 5) [3].
10
8
Response (kx(t)/F)
0
0 100 200 300
Frequency (Hz)
Figure 5. Response of mass-spring system [3].
15
The linearity if the spring in equation 2.1 results in a proportional displacement of

the mass to the force applied. The natural frequency of the undamped system can
therefore be calculated from the following formula [3]:
k
n  (eq. 2.4 [3])
m
If a structure has more than one degree of freedom it can have several resonant
frequencies showing different patterns of deformation called “modes of
vibration”. The first mode of vibration of a bounded object usually shows the
greatest displacement, which causes the highest stresses [2, 3].
In the vibrating environment of an airplane it is of great interest to find the
resonant frequencies for the electronic units and their components since they will
excite many resonant modes. The electronic support structure must be
dynamically tuned with the electronic components to prevent coincident
resonance, which can lead to fatigue failure in a rapid manner [3].
2.3 Transmissibility
The transmissibility (Q) of an object shows its reaction during vibration. The
greatest transmissibility occurs at the resonance frequency. The transmissibility
can be calculated if the output force ( FOut ) and the input force ( FIn ) are known as
follows [2]:
FOut
Q
FIn (eq. 2.5 [2])
For a lightly damped system the transmissibility at resonance can be calculated
from the stiffness (k), mass (m) and damping (c) using the following formula [2]:
km
Q (eq. 2.6 [2])
c
When the stiffness of an object is increased it is known that the damping is
decreased. Equation 2.6 shows that this will lead to an increased transmissibility.
Instead if the mass is increased, it is known that the damping will increase which
result in a decreased transmissibility [2].
By extensive testing it has been shown that many epoxy fiberglass PCBs, with
various edge restrains and closely spaced electronic components, have a
transmissibility at the resonance frequency ( f n ) that can be approximated by [2]:
Q fn (eq. 2.7 [2])
Equation 2.7 shows that when the natural frequency is increased, the
transmissibility is also increased.
16
2.4 Displacement at Resonance

The displacement in an object is related to the stresses induced in the material and
therefore it is of great importance to find the displacement during resonance.
When performing vibration tests the usual output data is the frequency (f) and the
acceleration force (G), which can be used to calculate the displacement. Consider
the system in figure 4, where the displacement of the mass can be represented by
the following equation [2]:
x  x0 sin(t ) (eq. 2.8 [2])
Deriving the displacement provides the velocity [2]:
dx
v  x   xo cos(t ) (eq. 2.9 [2])
dt
Deriving the velocity provides the acceleration [2]:
d 2x
a  x  2
  2 x0 sin(t ) (eq. 2.10 [2])
dt
The maximum acceleration ( a max ) will occur when sin(t ) is equal to 1 [2]:
amax   2 x0 (eq. 2.11 [2])
Extracting the maximum displacement, while changing the acceleration to
acceleration in gravity units and the frequency from radians/s to cycles/s gives the
following calculations [2]:
a max  2 f 2 x0 4 2 f 2 x0
G   (eq. 2.12 [2])
g 9.81 9.81
9.81G
x0  (eq. 2.13 [2])
4 2 f 2
The equation can be developed further by using the knowledge that the input
acceleration ( Gin ) times the transmissibility gives the acceleration at resonance [2]:
9.81GinQ
x0  (eq. 2.14 [2])
4 2 f n
2
A PCB can be approximated as a single degree of freedom system when it is

vibrating at its first resonant frequency. If the displacement in a PCB is to be
calculated, equation 2.7 can be added to equation 2.13 [2]:
9.81Gin fn 9.81Gin
x0   (eq. 2.15 [2])
4 f n 4 2 f n
2 2
fn
Equation 2.15 shows that displacement is increased when the input acceleration
force is increased. The equation also shows that the displacement is decreased
when the natural frequency is increased.
17
2.5 Chassis Design

The chassis of the electronic unit should work as a protection and a support for
the PCB. It is of great importance to find the natural frequency of the casing and
the PCB and to compare these. If the natural frequency of the chassis and the
PCB are the same or close to each other, it can lead to coupling of their
transmissibilities and cause the electronic unit to vibrate at extreme levels. The
octave rule should therefore be used when designing the chassis. The octave rule
states that the frequency of the chassis and the PCBs should be separated by at
least a ratio of two [2].
There are two different octave rules called the forward and the reverse octave rule.
The forward octave rule (eq. 2.16) states that the PCB ( f PCB ) should be have a
natural frequency twice as high as the chassis ( f cha ). The reverse octave rule (eq.
2.17) says that the chassis should have a natural frequency twice as high as the
PCB.
f PCB
Rf  2 (eq. 2.16 [2])
f cha
f PCB
Rr   0.5 (eq. 2.17 [2])
f cha
The forward octave rule works for all kind of electronic units, but the reverse
octave rule has some limitations. For the reverse octave rule to work the weight
ratio between the chassis ( WCha ) and the PCB ( WPCB ) has to be less than 0.10 [2]:
WPCB
 0.10 (eq. 2.18 [2])
WCha
If the weight ratio is higher than the recommended level, it can cause high
acceleration G levels, with a reduced PCB fatigue life.
2.6 Fasteners
If a PCB is subjected to a severe shock and vibration environment, as in an
airplane, a loosely fastened PCB will develop high acceleration loads, which will
lead to high deflection and stresses in components mounted on the PCB [2].
There exist many different types of fastening techniques such as screws, nuts,
rivets, clips and board edge guides. The methods used for ease of installation and
low cost are usually not satisfactory for severe shock and vibration environments
[2].
18
A board edge guide that grips the edge firmly is desirable since this can reduce
deflection due to edge rotation and translation, which in turn will increase the
natural frequency. Due to friction and relative motion between the PCB and the
edge guide, more energy will be dissipated during vibration, which will reduce the
transmissibility during resonance. Board edge guides are in general more costly
than other fastening techniques because of the high tolerances needed for a tight
fit and the complication of attaching the PCB to the connectors [2].
Bolted joints will experience a substantial amount of relative motion during
resonance. The relative motion may add damping to the system and reduce the
transmissibility and the natural frequency of the structure. When bolts are used to
fasten the PCB an efficient factor can be estimated. The bolted efficiency factor is
the bolts ability to hold to membranes together during vibration. For a welded
connection it is 100%, for a joint that has no connection it is 0% and for regular
screws it is usually about 25% [2].
2.7 Damping
When damping electronic equipment one must keep in mind to provide sway
space to ensure that objects do not collide. Connecting wires and couplings must
be designed to guarantee that the damped parts can move without tearing the
wires/couplings or causing them to fail due to fatigue. The design of the damping
equipment must therefore consider the specific environment where the equipment
is installed. If space is an issue, like in most airplanes, it might be more practical to
use hard mounts [2].
For low natural frequencies below 50 Hz, dampers can be quite efficient. But for
natural frequencies above 100 Hz, dampers are not very effective in reducing the
transmissibility. Most dampers are also rather sensitive to high temperature
changes because of the polymer materials that are most commonly used. At a low
temperature, the damper can become too stiff and at high temperatures, they can
become too soft. One must also keep in mind that a good vibration isolator is
often a poor shock absorber and vice versa [2].
2.8 Stiffeners
Ribs are often mounted on PCBs to increase the resonant frequency and reduce
board deflection during resonance. For high frequencies they often work better at
reducing the transmissibility than dampers. The reduced board deflection will
reduce the stresses in the electronic component lead wires [2].
Ribs are mostly fabricated from steel, aluminum or epoxy fiberglass. Caution must
be taken when using metal ribs since short circuits can occur across exposed
electrical printed circuit strips. Ribs can be bolted, riveted, soldered, cemented,
welded, or cast integrated with heat-sink plates. They can be attached around the
edges and/or on the surface in several directions depending on the type of
displacement prevented [2].
19
If the ribs are not designed properly, they will not increase the stiffness of the
PCB. The ribs should be placed so that they carry the load directly to the support
(fig. 6), if this is not possible, a secondary membrane should be added to carry the
load to the support (fig. 7) [2].
Figure 6. Stiffening ribs directly to support [2].
Figure 7. Stiffening ribs indirectly to support [2].
To estimate the spacing (B) of the stiffening ribs the thickness of the PCB (t) can
be used as follows [4]:
B  30t (eq. 2.19 [4])
The stiffness of the material used for the ribs should be at least equal or greater
than the stiffness of the PCB [4].
2.9 Simulation Technique

The main areas to take into consideration when building the simulation are the
properties of the PCB, chassis modeling and boundary conditions. It is of good
practice to model the chassis of the electronic unit, since neglecting this can
severally affect the accuracy of the simulation. When the aim of the simulation is
to find the resonant frequencies of the unit, a “smearing technique” can be used
to add the properties to the PCB [5].
20
2.9.1 PCB Simulation
A smearing technique models a highly simplified representation of the PCB by

adding summarized values of the PCB to the base board. There are different levels
of accuracy that can be used, such as global mass smearing, global mass/stiffness
smearing and local smearing. Global mass smearing adds extra mass to the base
board while global mass/stiffness smearing also adds the physically tested stiffness
of the base board. Local smearing on the other hand, adds extra stiffness and
mass to local areas of the base board [6].
To find the properties needed for the simulations physical tests can be made on
parts of the PCB or the whole, depending on the technique used. The Young’s
modulus can be calculated from a bending test and the density can be calculated
from the mass and the dimensions [6].
2.9.2 Bolted Joint Simulation
When attaching the PCB to the chassis, constraints should be carefully selected.
The translational displacement can in most cases be simulated by a fixed
constraint, but the rotational displacement needs rotational spring elements since
all fixing methods will display some flexibility. The stiffness of the spring elements
can be found using a trial and error approach, tuning the resonant frequency of
the model to that of the vibration tested prototype [5].
There are different ways of modeling bolts in a simulation, such as: no bolt,
coupled bolt, RBE bolt, spider beam bolt, hybrid bolt and solid bolt. The table
below describes the modeling technique and its pros and cons (tab.1) [7].
21
Table 1. Bolt simulation techniques [7]

Technique Pro Con
No bolt The bolt and nut are Simple approach which The load is not
replaced with a lead to short computation transferred through
pressure on the time. the bolt and the bolt
washer surface. stiffness is not taken
into account.
Coupled bolt Line elements Relatively simple Bending loads are

represents the stud approach with few not transferred.
and coupled nodes elements. Head/nut
represents the The tensile lads can be temperatures are not
head/nut. transferred through taken into account.
coupled nodes.
Ease in extracting results.
RBE bolt Line elements are Relatively few elements Head/nut

used to represent the as in the coupled bolt. temperature is not
stud and rigid body Tensile, bending and taken into account.
elements are used to thermal loads can be
represent the transferred through RBE
head/nut. nodes.
Spider beam The head and nut are Less elements than Extra work required
bolt represented by line hybrid and solid bolt. to simulate head/nut
elements in a web- Tensile, bending and stiffness.
like fashion. The stud thermal loads can be
is represented by line transferred through the
elements. spider elements.
Hybrid bolt The head and nut are Better accuracy in Stress distribution in
simulated by solid comparison to previous the stud is not
elements and the simulation techniques. accounted for.
stud is simulated by Tensile, bending and Coupling of line
line elements. thermal loads can be elements to stud is
transferred through the required which ads
line elements. model complexity.
Full stress distribution
can be calculated in head
and nut.
Simple stud section
which result in shorter
computational time in
comparison to solid bolt.
Solid bolt The head, nut and Gives the most accurate The computational
stud are modeled as results. time is greater than
solids. Tensile, bending and in the previous
thermal loads can be simulations.
transferred. Contact elements
Full stress distribution in are required between
head, nut and stud can head/nut to the
be computed. flanges.
22
When modeling bolts one must take in consideration the conditions under which
the bolt will be used such as compression, tension and shear stresses or a
combination of these. This is important since the boundary conditions and
simulation technique affects the output data, the computational time, and the
accuracy of the result [7, 8].
2.9.3 Boundary Conditions and Constraints
When performing a modal simulation in ANSYS, only linear constrains can be

used, such as bounded and no separation. Other constraints such as frictionless,
rough and frictional cannot be used since these constraints are nonlinear. The
nonlinearity of these constraints comes from the fact that the contact surfaces can
be separated during the simulation. If nonlinear constraints are used, they will be
transformed to linear constraints by ANSYS during the simulation [9, 10].
The bounded constraint does not allow any sliding or separation between faces or
edges and the contact areas can therefore be considered as glued. The no
separation boundary condition is similar to the bounded constraint, with the
exception that the contact areas can slide a small amount in relation to each other,
but the contact areas cannot separate [9].
2.9.4 Mesh
There exists several different element types that can be used when meshing an
object. When a three dimensional model is used, tetrahedral, pyramid, wedge or
hexahedral elements can be used (fig. 8). The tetrahedrally shaped element is a
good choice for complex shapes, but it causes a higher apparent (numerical)
stiffness in bending than the hexahedral element [10].
Figure 8. Element shapes [10].
23
The shape of the elements should be as close to the shape of an equilateral

triangle or square with the aspect ratio as close to one as possible to avoid errors.
It is tolerable to have some bad elements, as long as they are located in regions of
low stress gradients [11].
The sizes of the elements are also of great importance when performing a
simulation, since a too coarse mesh can produce results that are not reliable. To
ensure that the mesh used is good enough, a mesh refinement study should be
preformed. To ensure a good mesh the percentual convergence should be below
5% when computing mode frequencies according to good practice. Using a too
fine mesh will lead to high computational time which is not economic in regard to
the usage of resources [9].
If the shape of the object to be meshed is complicated and there is a risk of stress
concentration a fine mesh should be used. To improve the mesh even further and
to avoid the risk of creating a mesh with too many elements, higher order or
quadratic shape functions can be used. A higher order or quadratic shape
functions creates more nodes where the variables can be calculated [11].
24
Simulation of the Electronic Unit
3 Simulation of the Electronic Unit

The simulations of the electronic unit were computed using ANSYS Workbench,
where modal analysis was used to extract the natural frequencies.
To get the input data for the simulations, tensile tests were made on the controller
module to find its elastic modulus. The large components off the electronic units
were weighed and their densities were calculated.
A mesh refinement study was made on all components in the old and the new
electronic unit also including the casted and the casing with assembled sections.
Before the simulation process could start, some components had to be redesigned
by simplifying their shapes to make the simulation run faster. The simplifications
made were to eliminate all small components on the PCBs, adding the extra mass
using the global mass smearing method. All connecting wires, component lead
wires, washers and components attached to the heat sinks were also removed. The
shape of the screws, the chassis, the chokes on the vertical PCB, the transformer,
the connectors and the bolt in filters were simplified, while still holding their main
features.
ANSYS generates bounded constraints at all contact surfaces, these constraints
were therefore removed from all components that were connected with screws.
The bounded constraints were held at the screws contact surfaces to simulate the
contact force and friction. The parts in the electronic unit that were glued were
also bounded at their contact surfaces. The electronic unit was constrained in the
four base holes to simulate the electronic unit being bolted to a rigid foundation.
The electronic unit was meshed using the data from the mesh refinement study.
Tetrahedral elements were used for the more complex parts such as the chassis
and hexahedra elements were used for the parts with simple geometries such as
the square capacitors.
To be able to compare the results from the physical test made by SAAB, the old
electronic unit had to first be modeled. The electronic unit was then modeled
again using the current design and the casted cover. The components used in the
different simulations can be found in appendix A.
Different enforcement proposals were also investigated and there pros and cons
where weighted against each other to obtain the final design. The final design was
then simulated and the results were gathered for the comparison between the
current and the enforced electronic unit.
25
3.1 Physical Tests

The indata values needed for the simulations was Young’s modulus and density
for the components in the electronic unit. Physical tests and calculations where
preformed to find these values.
3.1.1 Young’s Modulus of PCBs
Three controller modules were used for the tensile test and two of the controller
modules were cut in half at opposite directions. To be able to attach the PCBs to
the tensile test machine, some components had to be removed around the
gripping area to ensure good contact.
The specimens were not pulled to their rupture point since only the modulus of
elasticity was needed. The stress strain curves from the test can be found in figure
9 and 10.
1.80E+01
1.60E+01
1.40E+01
Stress (MPa)
1.20E+01
1st half
1.00E+01
2nd half
8.00E+00 Whole PCB
6.00E+00
4.00E+00
2.00E+00
0.00E+00
0.00E+00 5.00E-02 1.00E-01 1.50E-01 2.00E-01 2.50E-01
Strain (%)
Figure 9. Pulling along the x-direction
26
2.00E+01
1.80E+01
1.60E+01
1.40E+01
Stress (MPa)
1.20E+01 3de half

1.00E+01 4th half
8.00E+00 Whole PCB
6.00E+00
4.00E+00
2.00E+00
0.00E+00
0.00E+00 1.00E-01 2.00E-01 3.00E-01 4.00E-01 5.00E-01
Strain (%)
Figure 10. Pulling along the y-direction
Two points on the curves straightest parts were used to calculate the elastic
modulus (E) and the result from the calculations (eq. 3.1) is shown in table 2.
1   2
E (eq. 3.1)
1   2
Table 2. Calculation of Young’s modulus from the tensile test

Part of PCB Stress 1 (MPa) Stress 2 (MPa) Strain 1 (%) Strain 2 (%) Young's Modulus (MPa)
1st half X-direction 8.2 1.6 0.094 0.014 82
2nd half X-direction 5.2 1.9 0.090 0.025 51
Whole X-direction 8.0 2.4 0.19 0.052 42
3de half Y-direction 16 3.0 0.22 0.037 69
4th half Y-direction 14 6.8 0.24 0.13 65
Whole Y-direction 11 3.0 0.26 0.067 42
The main material of the PCB is epoxy fiber glass (FR-4) which is a woven fiber
glass that has a theoretical Young’s modulus of 24.1 GPa in the LW direction and
20.7 GPa in the CW direction. The test result shows a much smaller elastic
modulus of 42-82 MPa in the LW direction (tab.2). The test values were therefore
discarded and not used for the simulations.
Since the test values of the PCBs were discarded more detailed models had to be
computed, also taking into account the copper films. The thickness of the copper
film and the percentage of copper in the different layers were considered in the
calculations (appx B).
27
3.1.2 Densities of Composite Components
The components that consisted of several different materials were weighed on a

scale that could receive values from 1g and their volumes were measured in
CATIA. Some of these components could not be removed from the electronic
unit and their weights were therefore obtained from the suppliers’ data sheets. The
density calculations can be seen in appendix C.
3.2 Mesh Refinement Study

To ensure that the result computed was accurate, a mesh refinement study was
performed on all of the parts in the simulation (appx. D). Since parts were
modeled separately, the boundary conditions used were simulating their
attachment in the electronic unit, but not taking into account the flexibility of the
connections or the flexible support from connected parts. The results of the
modal frequencies are therefore not fully reliable and can thus only be used as a
rough comparison with the actual results. The two last frequency results were
compared and the percentage of the convergence was computed which aimed at a
convergence of at least 5% (appx. E).
The mesh from the mesh refinement study was added to the electronic unit. When
studying the mesh, it could be seen that the mesh of the envelope, bottom plate,
the casted casing and its top had long thin elements around the screw holes. The
mesh of these parts was therefore changed to obtain evenly shaped elements.
The simulation was run, but the high number of elements in the simulation caused
it to fail. The author therefore decided to use the mesh from the mesh refinement
study on the parts of most interest. These parts and their element sizes are shown
in appendix F.
The rest of the parts in the simulation were assigned the automatic generated fine
mesh by ANSYS. These parts are also shown in appendix F, together with the
error of the natural frequency received from the coarser mesh. The changed mesh
will add extra stiffness to the parts outside of the limit and also extra stiffness to
their couplings.
28
3.3 Simulation of the Old Electronic Unit

The material database in ANSYS contains the most common materials such as
steel, aluminum and copper, which were used in the simulation. Some more rare
materials which was needed for the simulation, was not included in the database
and therefore needed to be added to the program. Properties other from the
density needed for the simulation was Young’s modulus (appx. G). The capacitors,
the chokes, the bolt in filter, the connectors and the transformer where composed
from several materials. The chokes, the connectors, the bolt in filter and the
transformer are represented by the Young’s modulus of the main material in the
component. The author was in contact with the supplier of the capacitors, but the
material composition was not received. The Young’s modulus of the capacitors
was therefore calculated from the density of the component and the respective
densities of the two main materials.
The complete electronic unit was simulated, and the oscillations of the
components were compared to the physical vibration tests made by SAAB (tab.
3). The frequency at which the first accelerations occurred in the physical test was
compared to the first oscillation of the tested measuring point in the simulation.
Account was also taken of the direction of the excitation in the simulation since
the sensors in the test only measured in a specified direction.
Table 3. Comparison between the simulation and the physical test

Test, f (Hz) Simulation, f (Hz) Error (%)
Bottom plate 270 295 8
Controller module 340 295 -15
Envelope (CM, HPM) 310 293 -6
Envelope (H PCB) 310 316 2
Front wall 415 419 1
High power module 320 295 -8
Horizontal PCB 340 295 -15
Outer round capacitor 385 364 -6
29
3.4 Simulation of the Current Electronic Unit

The input data for the simulation of the current electronic unit was held the same
as for the old electronic unit with the exception of adding the new components
and their properties (appx. H).
When computing the first simulation of the new electronic unit, only the chassis
was simulated. This simulation showed the first natural frequency at 309Hz with
the maximum excitation in the envelope above the controller module, transmitting
the vibrations to the rest of the chassis (fig. 11). The bottom plate had its first
natural frequency at 549Hz, which made the whole chassis oscillate (fig. 12).
Figure 11. First natural frequency of the chassis.
Figure 12. First natural frequency of bottom plate.
30
The PCBs were then simulated separately with their larger components and their
first natural frequencies can be found in table 4.
Table 4. First natural frequencies of the PCBs

Part 1st frequency (Hz)
Controller module 399
High power module 367
Horizontal PCB 356
Vertical PCB 169
The maximum excitation of the controller module was found in the area where
the support pad and plate is located (fig. 13).
Figure 13. First mood shape of the controller module.
In the next simulation all components of the new electronic unit was added. The
coupling of the natural frequencies was investigated between the chassis and the
controller module and the first coupling was found at 286Hz (fig. 14). In the
physical test made by SAAB, the first coupling mood of the bottom plate and the
controller module was found at 295Hz.
Figure 14. Coupling between the current chassis and the controller module.
31
3.5 Simulation of the Casted Cover Electronic Unit

When simulating the casted cover electronic unit, the same input data as for the
current electronic unit was used, with exception of the removal of the controller
module ground plate. The casted aluminum cover was also added using the same
properties for the material as in the previous simulations.
The chassis was first simulated by itself giving it a first natural frequency of
305Hz, which only showed an excitation in the top cover. There was no coupling
of the casted casing and the top cover until the frequency 869Hz.
The total casted cover electronic unit was then simulated, which showed the first
coupled frequency between the top casted cover and the controller module at
408Hz (fig.15). Coupling between the controller module and the high power
module was found at 372Hz. The simulation was run till 438Hz and no coupling
between the casted casing and the controller module was found.
Figure 15. Coupling between the casted chassis and the controller module.
32
3.6 Enforcement Proposals and Simulation

The simulations show that the natural frequency of the current electronic unit
chassis is close to the natural frequencies of the controller module, which is not
desirable, since this lead to coupling at resonance which was also found in the
simulations. Their natural frequencies need to be separated by at least an octave.
The weight ratio will therefore be calculated to find which octave rule to use for
the enforcement. The input data for the calculation can be found in appendix I.
The weight ratio was then calculated from the weight of the PCBs ( WPCB ), the
casted chassis ( WCast ) and the sheet metal chassis ( WSheet ) as follows:
WPCB 1.29
  0.40 (eq. 3.1)
WCast 3.18
WPCB 1.29
  0.53 (eq. 3.2)
WSheet 2.41
As can be seen from the calculations, the weight ratio is higher than 0.10 and
therefore the reverse octave rule is not valid. The forward octave rule was
therefore used for the enforcement proposal.
There are some different ways of increasing the natural frequency of the PCBs,
such as improving the boundary constrains or making the PCBs stiffer. The PCB
boundary constraints could be improved using close board edge guides or more
screws and spacers. To improve the stiffness of the PCBs the thickness could be
increased or ribs could be added.
Another way of reducing the acceleration of the PCBs at the coupled resonance
could be to add dampers to the spacers and the section wall that connect the
PCBs to the chassis. But the natural frequencies of the PCBs are above 100 Hz
and therefore a damping solution is not preferable. Dampers will also reduce the
natural frequencies of the PCBs and in this case the aim is to increase the natural
frequency. The damping solution was therefore rejected by the author.
3.6.1 Bench Marking
To find clamping solutions for the PCBs bench marking was used. Electronic
units from Esterline Technologies Corporation and Schroff/Pentair Technical
Products were investigated.
Figure 16 shows an electronic unit used for power distribution and control in
airplanes, helicopters, military equipment, boats and industries. It has PCB board
edge guides made from lightweight metal, which reduces weight and makes
maintenance easier [12].
33
Figure 16. Electronic unit with PCB board edge guides [12].
Figure 17 shows a robust embedded computing system used in military, aerospace

and railway sectors. The chassis is produced from aluminum with attached heat
sinks. The clamshells are locked into position by card locks, which conduct the
heat from the PCB to the chassis in an effective manner. The clamshells and card
locks allow easy maintenance in the field, which is required by the US military [13].
Figure 17. Robust electronic unit with modular clamshell PCB inserts [13].
34
3.6.2 Enforcement Design
The enforcement alternatives stated in 3.6 where evaluated in regard to their

efficiency in increasing the stiffness ratio and their probability of being
implemented. The alternative of increasing the number of screws and spacers was
rejected by the author, since this solution had already been investigated by SAAB
and they had decided to not go any further. The alternative of increasing the
board thickness was also rejected by the author, since it is not an effective way of
increasing the natural frequency. Adding extra material will make the board stiffer
but it will not increase the stiffness ratio. The author decided to investigate the
enforcement alternative of adding board edge guides and/or stiffening ribs to the
current electronic unit since this will increase the stiffness ratio. The support plate
and the support pad were removed from the electronic unit since the aim of the
enforcement design was to find a stiffening solution for the controller module.
Board Edge Guide Design

Simple board edge guides where designed from aluminum, not taking into account
the locking mechanism that would prevent the board from sliding out of the
chassis guide (fig. 18). The controller module was bounded into place using the no
separation boundary constraints at the contact surfaces. The board was also
bounded at the outer edges to prevent it from sliding out of the chassis guide.
Figure 18. Controller module with board edge guides.
The simulation showed that the board edge guides where not enough to give the
controller module a reasonable first natural frequency. Ribs were therefore added
to the controller module to increase the natural frequency. Equation 2.17 was used
to find proper spacing between the ribs.
B  30t  30 * 2  60mm (eq. 3.3)
The number of ribs (n) was calculated using the width of the board (w).
n  w / B  180 / 60  3 (eq. 3.4)
The simulation was first run setting the width of the ribs to 8mm, changing the
thickness of the ribs to approach the aimed frequency of 618Hz (fig. 19).
35
1000
900
800
700
Frequency (Hz)
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Rib thickness (mm)
Figure 19. Board edge guides with ribs, frequency – rib thickness.
Figure 19 shows linearity up to 745Hz where a dip occurs. The dip can be
explained by the change of mode shape at this frequency. Since the relation
between the frequency and the rib thickness seems linear at the aimed frequency,
the linearity assumption can be used to calculate the thickness of the ribs.
dt ( f a  f 0 ) (8  0)(618  162)
t rib    4.86  5mm (eq. 3.5)
df (912  162)
36
When trying to implement the board edge guide design in the electronic unit it
was found that it was not possible to use the idea. The board edge guides would
collide with the connectors if the controller module would be placed in its current
position. The position of the controller module could not be altered since there
were components connecting the controller module with the high power module.
The high power module could not be repositioned either, since it was connected
to the heat sinks. The repositioning of the controller module would therefore
affect the heat sinks, which would have to be redesigned. The round capacitors,
which were connected to the high power module, would also collide with the
bottom plate and would have to be replaced with similar smaller components. The
above mentioned collisions are illustrated in figure 20 below. The board edge
guides where discarded as a solution to the enforcement problem of the electronic
unit since it could not be fitted in the current design.
Figure 20. Collision of parts when trying to reposition the controller module.
Rib Placement with Spacer Connections

Since the board edge guides where discarded, a rib design using the spacers that
are currently holding the controller module in place where used. Three different
designs of rib placement were investigated with aluminum ribs cemented to the
boards. The first design had four ribs crossing the midsection in two directions
carrying the load directly to the spacers (fig. 21). The second design hade the same
four ribs, but ribs along the sides were also added (fig. 22). The third design was
set the same as the second design also adding two ribs crossing each other at the
point of maximum excitation (fig. 23). The designs did not take into account the
components mounted on the back of the controller module. If any of the designs
were to be used, the components on the back of the controller module would
have to be repositioned.
37
Figure 21. Four midsection ribs.
Figure 22. Four midsection ribs and side support.
Figure 23. Extra ribs at the point of maximum excitation.
38
The first natural frequency for different thicknesses of the grids was simulated and
the result of the simulations is shown in figure 24. As can be seen from the
diagram the relation between the thickness and the frequency is linear for the
second and the third design. The nonlinearity of the first design comes from a
change in the mode shape, where two of the edges start oscillating instead of the
midsection.
1800
1600
1400
1200
Frequency (Hz)
1000 Design 1
Design 2
800 Design 3
600
400
200
0
0 50 100 150 200
Added weight (g)
Figure 24. Rib designs, frequency – added weight.
Since all designs are linear at the aimed frequency of 618 Hz, the linearity
assumption can be used for the thickness calculations. Using the linearity, the
thickness (t) of the aimed frequency ( f a ) can be calculated as follows.
dt ( f a  f 0 ) (5  0)(618  399)
t1    1.55  2mm (eq. 3.6)
df (1107  399)
dt ( f a  f 0 ) (5  0)(618  399)
t2    1.07  2mm (eq. 3.7)
df (1426  399)
dt ( f a  f 0 ) (5  0)(618  399)
t3    0.88  1mm (eq. 3.8)
df (1647  399)
The weight was then calculated using the rib designs and the thicknesses from
calculations 4.6-4.8. The weight of the first design was 27g, the second design had
a weight of 54g and the third designs weight was 32g.
39
Incorporating Components in Rib Design

The first rib designs with spacer connections, previously presented in the end of
chapter 3.6.2 did not take into account the components mounted on the back of
the controller module. If the placement of the components could not be altered, a
rib design would have to be found incorporating the placement of the
components. A new rib design was therefore developed by the author (fig. 25).
The first rib design with spacer connections was used as a reference when
modeling the component incorporated rib design. The reason for choosing this
design as a reference was that it had the lowest weight.
Figure 25. Rib design, incorporating soldered components.
40
The first natural frequency was found for different thicknesses of the grid. The
relation between the thickness and the first natural frequency is linear to 1187Hz
where the mode shape changes, as can be seen from the diagram (fig. 26).
1400
1200
1000
Freqeuncy (Hz)
800
600
400
200
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Rib thickness (mm)
Figure 26. Rib design incorporating components, frequency – rib thickness.
The thickness of the ribs ( t rib ) was than calculated using the linearity assumption:
dt ( f a  f 0 ) (3.5  0)(618  399)
t rib    1.11  2mm (eq. 3.9)
df (1087  399)
The incorporated component rib design was inserted in the current electronic unit
and a simulation was run. The simulation ran till 416 Hz and showed one
excitation of the controller module at 310Hz when the chassis and the high power
module started to oscillate. The reason for the oscillation could have to come
from the fact that the controller module has a higher natural frequency than the
chassis that is attached to the controller module through the spacers. The first
natural frequency of the controller module was therefore used to calculate the new
minimum thickness of the ribs.
dt ( f a  f 0 ) (3.5  0)(736  399)
t rib    1.71  2mm (eq. 3.10)
df (1087  399)
The calculations gave the same minimum thickness of the ribs that had already
been proven to fail. The aimed-for frequency used for the calculations in 3.9
belonged to the envelope that transmitted the vibrations to the bottom plate. The
author decided to use the first natural frequency of the bottom plate instead,
which was 549Hz.
41
dt ( f a  f 0 ) (3.5  0)(1098  399)

t rib    3.56  4mm (eq. 3.11)
df (1087  399)
The new simulation was run till 408Hz and showed no coupling at the resonant
frequencies. The bottom plate had its first natural frequency at 310 Hz, but as can
be seen in figure 27, there is no excitation of the controller module, it is merely
following the movement of the bottom plate.
Figure 27. First natural frequency of bottom plate.
The weight of the grid was calculated from the thickness of the ribs and found to
be 68g. With the removal of the support plate and material at the spacers, the
additional weight of the enforcement solution was calculated to 19g.
42
Findings and Analysis
4 Findings and Analysis

Coupling between the controller module and the current design was found in
chapter 3.4. To prevent the coupling at resonance different stiffening proposals
for the controller module was investigated by the author in chapter 3.6. The casted
casing was also evaluated with regard to its robustness during vibrations.
4.1 Evaluation of Enforcement Proposal

The component incorporated rib design modeled in the previous chapter was
selected as the best stiffening solution by the author. The reason for selecting the
design was that it had the most potential of being implemented in the current
electronic unit.
A simulation of the current electronic unit was made with the component
incorporated rib design added. The simulation of the current electronic unit was
compared with the simulation of the same electronic unit with the added
enforcement. The comparison showed that the enforcement made the coupling
occur at a higher frequency. The separation of the first natural frequencies of the
chassis and the controller module will result in lower acceleration forces acting on
the controller module during the natural frequency of the chassis. A higher natural
frequency of the controller module will also result in smaller displacements in the
controller module at its first natural frequency. Lower acceleration levels acting on
the controller module and smaller inertial displacements will result in lower
stresses in the controller module and its components.
But account must be taken to the change in mode shape of the controller module
that accrues at 1187 Hz. The new mode shape has its maximum excitation along
one of the sides of the PCB. These components might therefore be exposed to
higher acceleration levels than what they are exposed to in the current design. If
this is the case, an extra board could be added along the sides to prevent the mode
shape from changing.
43
Findings and Analysis
4.2 Vibration Evaluation of the Casted Electronic Unit

The simulation of the casted cover showed no coupling of the casted casing and
the controller module around the first natural frequency of the controller module,
which was expected by the author. The author believes that this is caused by the
high natural frequency of the casted casing that was found at 869Hz. The reverse
octave rule was used to calculate the ratio ( Rr ) between the casted casing and the
controller modules first natural frequencies.
f PCB 399
Rr    0.46 (eq. 4.1)
f cha 869
When using the reverse octave rule, the ratio should be below 0.5, which is
fulfilled by the casted electronic unit. For safe use of the octave rule, the weight
ratio between the chassis and the PCB should be below 0.1. But the weight ratio
calculated in chapter 3.6 gave a value of 0.4, which is above the limit. This will
lead to high acceleration levels when the vibrations reach the first natural
frequency of the chassis.
44
Discussion and Conclusions
5 Discussion and Conclusions

The method used for answering the research questions was investigated and the
input data for the simulation was thoroughly investigated by the author. The result
from the work was compared to Stenberg’s conclusion in his book, Vibration
Analysis of Electronic Equipment [2]. Recommendations for further work on the
subject were then presented.
5.1 Discussion of Method

To find out whether coupling at resonance exist and how this can be prevented,
simulations using ANSYS Workbench on CATIA products where performed. The
simulations also answered how the casted casings design affects the controller
module. During the process of finding the answers to the research questions, the
author learned how failure caused by vibration can be created and she got a
deeper knowledge about how this can be prevented.
To receive the Young’s modulus of the controller module a physical test was
made. The result gave a stiffness which was almost 500 times smaller than the
Young’s modulus of the main PCB material in the electronic unit. The bad results
from the tensile test might have been a result of sliding of the PCB in the
measurement equipment. If the PCB was not properly clamped to the equipment
it could also have resulted in an uneven distribution of forces in the material
which could be another explanation too the wrong test value. A better way of
finding the stiffness of the controller module would have been to use a bending
test.
The calculations made to find the stiffness of the controller module did not take
into account the distribution of copper in the PCBs, which might have affected
the mode shapes of the controller module. The smaller components soldered to
the surfaces of the PCBs where not considered in the calculations either. These
components are mostly stiffer than the PCBs, which could have been the reason
for the slightly lower first natural frequency of the PCBs in comparison to the
physical tests made by SAAB. Incorporating the small components attached to the
PCBs in the simulation would not have been an alternative since this would have
made the simulation too complex to run.
The calculated stiffness of the other composite components holds some
inaccuracy since it does not take into account the distribution of the different
materials in the components. Including the material distribution in the
components would however have made the simulation too complex, and it was
therefore not an alternative for the simulations. The input data received from the
supplier was not checked by the author and could have contained values that were
not correct. A thorough examination of the components, where the components
would have been taken apart could have been an alternative, but this would have
required a lot of precision and time and was therefore not an option.
45
The mesh used for the simulation most probably added numerical stiffness to the
simulation. If the mesh from the mesh refinement study could have been used,
this would have given a more accurate result. This limitation had to be made to
ensure that the simulation was able to run.
The constraints used when bounding the components in the simulation showed
some limitation, since only fixed and no separation boundary constraints were
available for modal simulation. In reality, friction and contact pressure also affect
the connections. At low acceleration levels the bounded constraint can represent
the friction and contact pressure, but at high acceleration levels on the
components they would separate in reality, which the simulation constraints do
not allow. For high acceleration levels the result of the simulation might therefore
not be as reliable.
The author did not use springs in the attachment of the screws in the simulation
since she did not find the input values for the composite components to be fully
reliable. Trying different stiffness of the springs could have yielded a result much
closer to the tests made by SAAB. However, the reliability of the spring stiffness
would have been poor, since this would merely cover up the error from the
composite components.
Despite all uncertainties in the simulations, they showed that couplings exist,
which was supported by the physical tests made by SAAB, making the result
reliable. The reliability of the enforcement solution and the simulation of the
casted electronic unit were ensured by the usage of the same method as for the
current electronic unit, which had been proven to be reliable. The validity of the
result was therefore considered to have been meet by the author.
46
5.2 Discussion of Findings

Steinberg writes about coupling of vibrations when the natural frequencies of
chassis and PCBs are close to each other [2]. The coupling at resonance found by
the author in the electronic unit is strengthened by Steinberg’s conclusion, since
the natural frequency of the chassis and the PCBs are near one another.
The author only investigated the stiffening alternative using ribs and there could
have been other alternatives on how to reduce displacements even more efficient.
But Steinberg explains how displacements in PCBs can be reduced by stiffening
ribs [2] and this was also proven to work by the author.
The high acceleration levels proposed in the casted cover electronic unit is based
on the octave rule stated in Stenberg’s book [2]. The author did confirm that there
is no coupling at the lower frequencies but she was not able to confirm the
coupling at the higher frequencies. The coupling at these frequencies is therefore
based on Stenberg’s conclusions.
5.3 Conclusions
One must always keep in mind when working with simulation software that the
numerical results can’t fully represent reality. Simplifications need to be used to
ensure that the simulations will run smoothly and the input data needs to be
thoroughly investigated, since wrong input data will lead to inaccurate results.
The reliability of the work conducted was ensured by comparison with physical
test values and based by theory regarding the vibration phenomena.
The author recommends that more vibration tests should be preformed to find
the transmissibility of the components and their natural frequencies when
separated from the chassis. Transmissibilities in the complete electronic units
should also be found. The data can then be used to calculate the accretion forces
acting on the components and displacements and stresses can thus be found.
Doing so for the current electronic unit and the enforced electronic unit can verify
the benefit of the enforcement design.
More work should also be put in to the casted casing before releasing its final
design to ensure that it will not cause any damage to its components, due to its
development of high acceleration forces.
47
References
6 References
[1] SAAB Group, “Electronic Defense Systems,” SAAB Group, 2010. [Online].
Available: http://www.saabgroup.com/en/About-Saab/Company-
profile/Organisation/Electronic-Defence-Systems/. [Accessed: August 28,
2012].
[2] D. S. Steinberg, Vibration Analysis of Electronic Equipment, 3 ed. New York:

Jon Wiley & Sons Inc, 2000.
[3] D. I. G. Jones, Handbook of Viscoelastic Vibration Damping, Chester: Jon Wiley

& Sons Ltd, 2001.
[4] E. F. Bruhn, Analysis and Design of Aircraft Structures, Cincinnati: Tristate

Offset Co, 1952.
[5] R. A. Amy, G. S. Aglietti, G. Richardson, “Accuracy of simplified printed

circuit board finite element models,” Microelectronics Reliability, vol. 2010, no.
50, pp. 86-97, October 2009 [Online] Available: ScienceDirect,
http://www.ewp.rpi.edu/hartford/~lucicm/EP/Research/FEA%20Model
%20Accuracy.pdf. [Accessed: September 27, 2012].
[6] Y. Wu, Sensitivity-based Finite Element Model Updating Methods with Application to
Electronic Equipmen. PhD [Dissertation]. Mons: Faculté Polytechnique de
Mons, 1999. [Online]. Available:
http://mecara.fpms.ac.be/Theses/YunXinWu_phd.pdf. [Accessed:
September 27, 2012].
[7] J. Montgomery, Methods for modeling bolts in the bolted joint, Orlando, FL:
Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation, 2002. [Online]. Available:
http://ainastran.org/staticassets/ANSYS/staticassets/resourcelibrary/conf
paper/2002-Int-ANSYS-Conf-38.PDF. [Accessed: November 8, 2012].
[8] J. Kim, J.-C. Yoon, B.-S. Kang, “Finite element analysis and modeling of
structure with bolted joints,” Applied Mathematical Modelling, vol. 2007,
no.31, pp. 895-911, March 2006, [Online] Available: SienceDirect,
http://www.fml.t.u-
tokyo.ac.jp/~izumi/Bolt/WG/fem_bolted_joints_modelling_Korea.pdf.
[Accessed: November 8, 2012].
[9] K. L. Lawrence, ANSYS Workbench Tutorial, Mission: Schroff Development

Corporation, 2011.
48
References
[10] SAS IP Inc, ANSYS 13.0 Help, Canonsburg: SAS IP Inc, 2010.
[11] A. A. Becker, An Introductory Guide to Finite Element Analysis, Chippenham:

Professional Engineering Publishing Limited, 2004.
[12] Esterline Technologies Corporation, “Relay Panels & SSPC,” Esterline

Technologies Corporation, 2012. [Online]. Available:
http://www.esterline.com/powersystems/ProductRange/RelayPanelsSSPC
.aspx. [Accessed: November 21, 2012].
[13] Paul Rutherford, “Rugged Enhanced VPX systems,” Schroff/Pentair Technical

Products, 2010. [Online]. Available:
http://www.schroff.co.uk/internet/html_e/service/pressreleases/fa1012.h
tml. [Accessed: November 22, 2012].
49
Search Terms
7 Search Terms
acceleration ..................................... 17
amplitude ........................................ 13
aspect ratio ...................................... 24
board edge guides ...................... 18, 35
bolted joints ..................................... 19
bounded........................................... 23
chassis ............................................. 18
controller module ............................ 10
coupling .................................... 31, 32
damping .......................................... 19
density............................................. III
displacement ................................... 17
element types ................................... 23
fastener............................................ 18
flaps ................................................ 10
high power module .......................... 10
horizontal PCB ................................ 10
low natural frequencies .................... 19
modes of vibration ........................... 16
no separation ................................... 23
octave rule ....................................... 18
periodic vibration ............................ 13
physical test ............................... 29, 31
random vibration ............................. 13
resonant frequency .......................... 15
ribs .......................................19, 37, 40
SAAB................................................ 9
SAAB EDS ....................................... 9
slats ................................................. 10
smearing technique .......................... 21
tensile test ....................................... 26
transmissibility ................................ 16
weight ratio ............................... 18, 33
vertical PCB .................................... 10
vibration .......................................... 13
Young’s modulus ...................... 29, 30
50
Appendices
8 Appendices
APPENDIX A – PARTS INCLUDED IN THE SIMULATION ............................................... I
APPENDIX B – YOUNG’S MODULUS CALCULATIONS OF PCBS ................................. II
APPENDIX C – DENSITY CALCULATIONS ................................................................III
APPENDIX D – CONVERGENCE STUDY ................................................................... IV
APPENDIX E – CONVERGENCE CALCULATIONS ................................................. XXIV
APPENDIX F – ELEMENT SIZE ............................................................................ XXV
APPENDIX G – SIMULATION OF THE OLD ELECTRONIC UNIT ........................... XXVII
APPENDIX H – SIMULATION OF THE CURRENT ELECTRONIC UNIT .................. XXVIII
APPENDIX I – WEIGHT OF COMPONENTS .......................................................... XXIX
51
Appendix A – Parts Included in the Simulation
Appendix A – Parts Included in the Simulation

The parts included in the different simulations are marked green in table a1 below.
Table a1. Parts included in the simulations

Old electronic New electronic Casted cover
Part unit unit electronic unit
Bolt in filter
Bottom plate
Capacitor vertical PCB
Casted casing
Choke horizontal PCB
Controller module
Envelope
Front wall
Ground plate controller module
Heat sink
High power module
Horizontal PCB
Large capacitor horizontal PCB
Large female connector
Large male connector
Large screw
Medium Connector
Rear side
Round capacitor
Round capacitor support
Round choke vertical PCB
Section wall
Small capacitor horizontal PCB
Small connector
Small screw
Spacer controller module
Spacer high power and controller module
Spacer high power module
Spacer horizontal PCB
Square capacitor
Square choke vertical PCB
Support pad controller module
Support plate controller module
Support wall
Support washer round choke
Top casted cover
Transformer
T-support
Vertical PCB
I
Appendix B – Young’s Modulus Calculations of PCBs
Appendix B – Young’s Modulus Calculations of PCBs

The thickness ( ) and percentage ( ) of copper of each layer was taken into
account when calculating the total volume of copper ( ) of the PCBs as follows:
(eq. B.1)
Young’s modulus of the PCBs ( ) were calculated from the stiffness of the
two composing materials and their material fractions (fig. b1).
(eq. B.2)
Figure b1. Young’s modulus Calculations of PCBs

Controller High power Horizontal Vertical
module module PCB PCB
Thickness (μm) 17 70 70 105
Copper (%) 26.096 23.504 9.093 18.359
Layer 1 Volume (m³) 1.40E-07 5.05E-07 8.01E-08 9.00E-08
Thickness (μm) 35 105 105 105
Copper (%) 27.914 36.726 13.343 67.093
Layer 2 Volume (m³) 3.08E-07 1.18E-06 1.76E-07 3.29E-07
Thickness (μm) 35 105 105
Copper (%) 26.508 65.104 12.556
Layer 3 Volume (m³) 2.93E-07 2.10E-06 3.82E-07
Thickness (μm) 35 105 70
Copper (%) 89.42 53.22 77.549
Layer 4 Volume (m³) 9.87E-07 1.72E-06 1.57E-06
Thickness (μm) 35 105
Copper (%) 90.743 57.32
Layer 5 Volume (m³) 1.00E-06 1.85E-06
Thickness (μm) 35 70
Copper (%) 23.586 33.95
Layer 6 Volume (m³) 2.60E-07 7.30E-07
Thickness (μm) 35
Copper (%) 23.035
Layer 7 Volume (m³) 2.54E-07
Thickness (μm) 17
Copper (%) 7.191
Layer 8 Volume (m³) 3.86E-08
Copper Volume (m³) 3.28E-06 8.08E-06 2.21E-06 4.19E-07
FR-4 Volume (m³) 5.98E-05 5.33E-05 2.29E-05 8.92E-06
Tot. Young's modulus CW (Pa) 2.53E+10 3.25E+10 2.86E+10 2.47E+10
PCB Young's modulus LW (Pa) 2.86E+10 3.54E+10 3.17E+10 2.80E+10
II
Appendix C – Density Calculations
Appendix C – Density Calculations

The densities were calculated as follows and the result is shown in table c1:
(eq. C.1)
The colors in table c1 shows which components were weighed (blue), which were
received from the suppliers (yellow) and which were calculated from weighed and
received values (green). The density of the components that consisted of only one
material was found in ANSYS or the suppliers’ data sheets (tab. c2)
Table c1. Calculated Densities

Part Name Weight (kg) CAD volume (m³) Density (kg/m³)
Bolt in Filter 1.00E-02 6.73E-07 1.49E+04
Capacitor vertical PCB 1.10E-02 9.20E-06 1.20E+03
Choke horizontal PCB 6.90E-02 2.01E-05 3.43E+03
Controller module 2.64E-01 6.31E-05 4.18E+03
High power module 1.55E-01 6.14E-05 2.52E+03
Horizontal PCB 2.00E-02 9.34E-06 2.14E+03
Large capacitor horizontal PCB 2.40E-02 1.87E-05 1.28E+03
Large female connector 2.50E-02 2.16E-05 1.16E+03
Large male connector 2.10E-02 2.16E-05 9.74E+02
Medium connector 1.70E-02 1.60E-05 1.06E+03
Round capacitor 7.80E-02 2.60E-05 3.00E+03
Small capacitor horizontal PCB 5.00E-03 4.33E-06 1.16E+03
Small connector 1.40E-02 9.05E-06 1.55E+03
Square capacitor 2.00E-02 1.67E-05 1.19E+03
Square choke vertical PCB 6.50E-02 2.11E-05 3.08E+03
Transformer 2.218 4.15E-04 5.35E+03
Vertical PCB 4.34E-02 1.95E-05 2.26E+03
Table c2. Densities

Part Material Density (kg/m³)
Casted casing Aluminum 2700
Ground plate controller module Tin 5769
Heat sink Aluminum 2700
Round capacitor support Neopren expanded rubber 170
Round choke vertical PCB MnZn Ferrite 5000
Screw Steel 7850
Sheet metal casing Aluminum 2700
Spacer Steel 7850
Support pad controller module Glass fibre polymer 2000
Support plate controller module Aluminum 2700
Support washer round choke Steel 7850
T-support Polyamid 1140
III
Appendix D – Convergence Study
Bolt in filter
37500.00
36500.00
35500.00
34500.00
Frequency (Hz)
33500.00
32500.00
31500.00
30500.00
29500.00
28500.00
0.00 200.00 400.00 600.00 800.00 1000.00 1200.00 1400.00
No. elements
Bottom plate
4400.00
4300.00
4200.00
4100.00
Frequency (Hz)
4000.00
3900.00
3800.00
3700.00
3600.00
3500.00
0.00 10000.0 20000.0 30000.0 40000.0 50000.0 60000.0 70000.0 80000.0 90000.0 100000.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00
No. elements
IV
Envelope
5000.00
4500.00
4000.00
3500.00
Frequency (Hz)
3000.00
2500.00
2000.00
1500.00
1000.00
500.00
0.00
0.00 5000.00 10000.00 15000.00 20000.00 25000.00 30000.00 35000.00 40000.00
No. elements
Fixing plate
45000.00
44500.00
44000.00
Frequency (Hz)
43500.00
43000.00
42500.00
42000.00
41500.00
41000.00
0.00 200.00 400.00 600.00 800.00 1000.00 1200.00 1400.00 1600.00
No. elements
V
Front wall
40000.00
35000.00
30000.00
25000.00
No. elements
20000.00
15000.00
10000.00
5000.00
0.00
0.00 5000.00 10000.00 15000.00 20000.00 25000.00
Frequency (Hz)
Ground plate controller module

47000.00
46000.00
45000.00
44000.00
Frequency (Hz)
43000.00
42000.00
41000.00
40000.00
39000.00
38000.00
37000.00
0.00 5000.00 10000.0 15000.0 20000.0 25000.0 30000.0 35000.0 40000.0 45000.0 50000.0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
No. elements
VI
Capacitor vertical PCB

338.00
336.00
334.00
332.00
Frequency (Hz)
330.00
328.00
326.00
324.00
322.00
320.00
318.00
0.00 200.00 400.00 600.00 800.00 1000.00 1200.00 1400.00
No. elements
Casted casing
1500.00
1450.00
1400.00
Frequency (Hz)
1350.00
1300.00
1250.00
1200.00
1150.00
1100.00
25000.00 35000.00 45000.00 55000.00 65000.00 75000.00 85000.00
No. elements
VII
Choke horizontal PCB

37600.00
37400.00
37200.00
37000.00
Frequency (Hz)
36800.00
36600.00
36400.00
36200.00
36000.00
35800.00
0.00 1000.00 2000.00 3000.00 4000.00 5000.00 6000.00 7000.00 8000.00
No. elements
Controller module
370.00
360.00
350.00
Frequency (Hz)
340.00
330.00
320.00
310.00
0.00 5000.00 10000.00 15000.00 20000.00 25000.00 30000.00
No. elemnents
VIII
Heat sink
34000.00
33000.00
32000.00
31000.00
Frequency (Hz)
30000.00
29000.00
28000.00
27000.00
26000.00
25000.00
0.00 2000.00 4000.00 6000.00 8000.00 10000.0 12000.0 14000.0 16000.0 18000.0 20000.0
0 0 0 0 0 0
No. elements
High power module

622.00
620.00
618.00
616.00
Frequency (Hz)
614.00
612.00
610.00
608.00
606.00
604.00
0.00 1000.00 2000.00 3000.00 4000.00 5000.00 6000.00 7000.00 8000.00 9000.00
No. elements
IX
Horizontal PCB
1380.00
1360.00
1340.00
Frequency (Hz)
1320.00
1300.00
1280.00
1260.00
1240.00
1220.00
0.00 2000.00 4000.00 6000.00 8000.00 10000.00 12000.00
No. elements
Large capacitor horizontal PCB

420.00
410.00
400.00
Frequency (Hz)
390.00
380.00
370.00
360.00
350.00
0.00 5000.00 10000.00 15000.00 20000.00 25000.00
No. elements
X

380.00
370.00
360.00
Frequency (Hz)
350.00
340.00
330.00
320.00
310.00
0.00 5000.00 10000.00 15000.00 20000.00 25000.00
No. elements

430.00
420.00
410.00
Frequency (Hz)
400.00
390.00
380.00
370.00
360.00
350.00
0.00 5000.00 10000.00 15000.00 20000.00 25000.00
No. elements
XI
Large screw
180000.00
170000.00
160000.00
Frequency (Hz)
150000.00
140000.00
130000.00
120000.00
0.00 20000.00 40000.00 60000.00 80000.00 100000.00 120000.00 140000.00
No. elements
Medium connector
390.00
380.00
370.00
Frequency (Hz)
360.00
350.00
340.00
330.00
0.00 2000.00 4000.00 6000.00 8000.00 10000.00 12000.00 14000.00 16000.00 18000.00
No. elements
XII
Rear side
12000.00
10000.00
8000.00
No. elements
6000.00
4000.00
2000.00
0.00
0.00 5000.00 10000.00 15000.00 20000.00 25000.00
Frequency (Hz)
Round capacitor
20900.00
20800.00
20700.00
Frequency (Hz)
20600.00
20500.00
20400.00
20300.00
20200.00
0.00 50.00 100.00 150.00 200.00 250.00 300.00 350.00 400.00 450.00
No. elements
XIII
Round capacitor support

48900.00
48800.00
48700.00
48600.00
Frequncy (Hz)
48500.00
48400.00
48300.00
48200.00
48100.00
48000.00
47900.00
0.00 500.00 1000.00 1500.00 2000.00 2500.00 3000.00 3500.00 4000.00
No. elements
Round choke vertical PCB

26800.00
26600.00
26400.00
26200.00
Frequency (Hz)
26000.00
25800.00
25600.00
25400.00
25200.00
25000.00
24800.00
24600.00
0.00 5000.00 10000.00 15000.00 20000.00 25000.00 30000.00
No. elements
XIV
Section wall
14000.00
12000.00
10000.00
Frequency (Hz)
8000.00
6000.00
4000.00
2000.00
0.00
0.00 2000.00 4000.00 6000.00 8000.00 10000.00 12000.00 14000.00 16000.00 18000.00
No. elements
Small capacitor horizontal PCB

3900.00
3800.00
3700.00
3600.00
Frequency (Hz)
3500.00
3400.00
3300.00
3200.00
3100.00
3000.00
0.00 500.00 1000.00 1500.00 2000.00 2500.00 3000.00 3500.00 4000.00 4500.00 5000.00
No. elements
XV
Small connector
290.00
285.00
280.00
Frequency (Hz)
275.00
270.00
265.00
260.00
255.00
250.00
0.00 2000.00 4000.00 6000.00 8000.00 10000.00 12000.00
No. elements
Small screw
160000.00
150000.00
140000.00
Frequency (Hz)
130000.00
120000.00
110000.00
100000.00
0.00 2000.00 4000.00 6000.00 8000.00 10000.00 12000.00 14000.00
No. elements
XVI
Spacer controller module

61000.00
60000.00
59000.00
58000.00
Farquency (Hz)
57000.00
56000.00
55000.00
54000.00
53000.00
52000.00
51000.00
50000.00
0.00 1000.00 2000.00 3000.00 4000.00 5000.00 6000.00
No. elements
Spacer high power and controller module

25800.00
25600.00
25400.00
Frequency (Hz)
25200.00
25000.00
24800.00
24600.00
24400.00
0.00 1000.00 2000.00 3000.00 4000.00 5000.00 6000.00 7000.00 8000.00 9000.00 10000.0
0
No. elements
XVII
Spacer high power module

25800.00
25600.00
25400.00
Frequency (Hz)
25200.00
25000.00
24800.00
24600.00
24400.00
0.00 1000.00 2000.00 3000.00 4000.00 5000.00 6000.00
No. elements
Spacer horizontal PCB

1.30E+05
1.25E+05
1.20E+05
Frequency (Hz)
1.15E+05
1.10E+05
1.05E+05
1.00E+05
0.00 5000.00 10000.00 15000.00 20000.00 25000.00
No. elements
XVIII
Square capacitor
1300.00
1290.00
1280.00
1270.00
Frequency (Hz)
1260.00
1250.00
1240.00
1230.00
1220.00
1210.00
1200.00
0.00 1000.00 2000.00 3000.00 4000.00 5000.00 6000.00
No. elements
Square choke vertical PCB

44800.00
44300.00
Frequency (Hz)
43800.00
43300.00
42800.00
42300.00
0.00 500.00 1000.00 1500.00 2000.00 2500.00 3000.00
No. elements
XIX
Support pad controller module

1065.00
1060.00
1055.00
Frequency (Hz)
1050.00
1045.00
1040.00
1035.00
1030.00
1025.00
0.00 500.00 1000.00 1500.00 2000.00 2500.00 3000.00 3500.00 4000.00 4500.00
No. elements
Support plate controller module

1780.00
1770.00
1760.00
Frequency (Hz)
1750.00
1740.00
1730.00
1720.00
1710.00
0.00 1000.00 2000.00 3000.00 4000.00 5000.00 6000.00 7000.00
No. elements
XX
Support washer round choke

3980.00
3960.00
3940.00
Frequency (Hz)
3920.00
3900.00
3880.00
3860.00
3840.00
3820.00
0.00 5000.00 10000.00 15000.00 20000.00 25000.00 30000.00 35000.00
No. elements
Top casted cover

319.00
318.00
317.00
Frequency (Hz)
316.00
315.00
314.00
313.00
312.00
311.00
0.00 2000.00 4000.00 6000.00 8000.00 10000.00 12000.00
No. elements
XXI
Transformer
9000.00
8000.00
7000.00
6000.00
Frequency (Hz)
5000.00
4000.00
3000.00
2000.00
1000.00
0.00
0.00 10000.00 20000.00 30000.00 40000.00 50000.00 60000.00 70000.00
No. elements
T-support
22000.00
21800.00
21600.00
21400.00
Frequency (Hz)
21200.00
21000.00
20800.00
20600.00
20400.00
20200.00
20000.00
0.00 500.00 1000.00 1500.00 2000.00 2500.00 3000.00 3500.00
No. elements
XXII
Vertical PCB
8000.00
7000.00
6000.00
Frequency (Hz)
5000.00
4000.00
3000.00
2000.00
1000.00
0.00
0.00 5000.00 10000.00 15000.00 20000.00 25000.00
No. elements
XXIII
Appendix E – Convergence Calculations
Appendix E – Convergence Calculations

The convergence (C) between the two last frequency of the two finest element
sizes was calculated using the following equation and the input values and the
result can be found in table e1 below.
(eq. E1)
Table e1. Convergence calculation

Part Frequency 1 (Hz) Frequency 2 (Hz) Convergence (%)
Bolt in filter 30461.00 29436.00 3.48
Bottom plate 253.99 252.29 0.67
Envelope 346.16 343.47 0.78
Fixing plate 41791.00 41644.00 0.35
Front wall 1290.70 1262.90 2.20
Ground plate controller module 3144.90 3006.40 4.61
Capacitor vertical PCB 115.47 114.21 1.10
Casted casing 674.97 655.33 3.00
Choke horizontal PCB 36023.00 36004.00 0.05
Controller module 313.11 312.44 0.21
Heat sink 26509.00 25142.00 5.44
High power module 607.93 605.95 0.33
Horizontal PCB 1259.70 1243.00 1.34
Large capacitor horizontal PCB 354.43 353.69 0.21
Large female connector 240.06 237.42 1.11
Large male connector 268.82 262.69 2.33
Large screw 2080.30 2037.10 2.12
Medium Connector 273.84 267.40 2.41
Rear side 1470.00 1435.10 2.43
Round capacitor 20379.00 20275.00 0.51
Round capacitor support 48098.00 48031.00 0.14
Round choke vertical PCB 22681.00 22462.00 0.97
Section wall 2003.30 1966.70 1.86
Small capacitor horizontal PCB 3061.80 3047.30 0.48
Small connector 236.92 231.38 2.39
Small screw 105680.00 102900.00 2.70
Spacer controller module 6440.30 6200.40 3.87
Spacer high power and controller
module 1112.00 1074.70 3.47
Spacer high power module 2692.10 2604.90 3.35
Spacer horizontal PCB 1.42E+04 1.38E+04 2.47
Square capacitor 1214.30 1212.70 0.13
Square choke vertical PCB 42865.00 42734.00 0.31
Support pad controller module 1047.00 1028.20 1.83
Support plate controller module 1739.20 1718.60 1.20
Support wall 1438.80 1400.70 2.72
Support washer round choke 1775.90 1703.40 4.26
Top casted cover 317.03 312.07 1.59
Transformer 702.29 694.12 1.18
T-support 10321.00 9980.40 3.41
Vertical PCB 768.43 743.27 3.39
XXIV
Appendix F – Element Size

The element sizes used on the parts of most interests are found in table f1 and the
calculated error for all parts is shown in table f2. The error was calculated using
the following formula:
(eq. F1)
Tabel f1. Element size

Part Element size (mm)
Bottom plate 4.00
Envelope 4.00
Front wall 3.00
Casted casing 4.00
Controller module 2.00
High power module 5.00
Horizontal PCB 2.00
Rear side 3.00
Section wall 3.00
Support wall 3.00
Top casted cover 3.00
Vertical PCB 4.00
XXV
The error values marked green are within the convergence limit of 5% and the
error values marked orange are outside of the same limit.
Table f2. Error calculation

Part New frequency (Hz) Converged frequency (Hz) Error (%)
Bolt in filter 34660.00 29436.00 17.75
Fixing plate 42167.00 41644.00 1.26
Ground plate controller module 3455.90 3006.40 14.95
Capacitor vertical PCB 116.38 114.21 1.90
Choke horizontal PCB 36324.00 36004.00 0.89
Heat sink 26478.00 25142.00 5.31
Large capacitor horizontal
PCB 359.98 353.69 1.78
Large female connector 239.65 231.47 3.53
Large male connector 272.29 262.69 3.65
Large screw 2266.30 2037.10 11.25
Medium Connector 279.79 267.40 4.63
Round capacitor 20320.00 20275.00 0.22
Round capacitor support 48679.00 48031.00 1.35
Round choke vertical PCB 23651.00 22462.00 5.29
Small capacitor horizontal
PCB 3186.80 3047.30 4.58
Small connector 241.42 231.38 4.34
Small screw 139480.00 102900.00 35.55
Spacer controller module 6721.30 6200.40 8.40
Spacer high power and
controller module 1147.80 1074.70 6.80
Spacer high power module 2942.60 2604.90 12.96
Spacer horizontal PCB 15931.00 13824.00 15.24
Square capacitor 1231.10 1212.70 1.52
Square choke vertical PCB 42979.00 42734.00 0.57
Support pad controller module 1063.30 1028.20 3.41
Support plate controller
module 1738.30 1718.60 1.15
Support washer round choke 1859.80 1703.40 9.18
Transformer 783.94 694.12 12.94
T-support 11427.00 9980.40 14.49
XXVI
Appendix G – Simulation of the Old Electronic Unit
Appendix G – Simulation of the Old Electronic Unit

Young’s modulus of the components used in the simulation of the old electronic
unit is shown in table g1 below.
Table g1. Indata values

Part Material Young's Modulus (Pa)
Bolt in filter Steel 2.00E+11
Capacitor vertical PCB Polypropylene 1.30E+06
Choke horizontal PCB MnZn Ferrite 1.4479E+11
Connector PPO 30GF 6.50E+06
Ground plate controller module Tin 5.00E+7
Heat sink Aluminum 7.10E+10
Large capacitor horizontal PCB Polypropylene/Polyester 3.63E+07
Round capacitor Aluminum 7.10E+10
Screw Steel 2.00E+11
Sheet metal casing Aluminum 7.10E+10
Small capacitor horizontal PCB Polypropylene/Aluminum 1.29E+06
Spacer Steel 2.00E+11
Square capacitor Polypropylene/Polyester 3.63E+07
Square choke vertical PCB MnZn Ferrite 1.4479E+11
Transformer Steel 2.00E+11
XXVII
Appendix H – Simulation of the Current Electronic Unit
Appendix H – Simulation of the Current Electronic

Unit
Young’s modulus of the components used in the simulation of the current
electronic unit is shown in table h1 below.
Table h1. Young’s Modulus

Part Material Young's Modulus (Pa)
Round capacitor support Neopren expanded rubber 1.40E+04
Round choke vertical PCB MnZn Ferrite 1.4479E+11
Support pad controller module Glass fibre polymer 2.34E+05
Support plate controller module Aluminum 7.10E+10
Support washer round choke Steel 2.00E+11
T-support Polyamid 3.30E+09
XXVIII
Appendix I – Weight of Components
Appendix I – Weight of Components

The weights of the chassis and the PCBs in the current and the casted casing are
shown in table i1 below.
Table i1. Weight of Components

Part Weight (kg)
Bottom plate 1.33
Casted casing 2.70
Controller module 0.26
Envelope 0.57
Front wall 0.13
High power module 0.57
Horizontal PCB 0.15
Rear side 0.10
Section wall 0.13
Screws casted casing 0.01
Screws sheet metal casing 0.04
Support wall 0.10
Top casted cover 0.34
Vertical PCB 0.31
Total PCB 1.29
Total casted chassis 3.18
Total sheet metal chassis 2.41
XXIX

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VIBRATION ANALYSIS OF ELECTRONIC

Examiner: Peter Hansbo

Supervisor: Rebal Marcos

2 Vibration of Electronic Equipment in an Airplane.............. 13

5 Discussion and Conclusions .................................................. 45

TABLE 1. BOLT SIMULATION TECHNIQUES....................................................22

FIGURE 1. ELECTRONIC UNIT ............................................................................10

1.1.2 Problem Definition

Figure 1. Electronic Unit. Large PCBs: 1) Controller module, 2) High power

1.2 Purpose and Research Questions

2 Vibration of Electronic Equipment in an

Figure 2. Sinus wave [2].

Figure 3. Random vibration.

To further understand the physics behind vibrations, consider a one degree of

Figure 4. Mass-spring system [2].

f (t )  F sin(t ) (eq. 2.2 [2])

2.2 Resonant Frequency

Figure 5. Response of mass-spring system [3].

The linearity if the spring in equation 2.1 results in a proportional displacement of

2.4 Displacement at Resonance

A PCB can be approximated as a single degree of freedom system when it is

2.5 Chassis Design

Figure 6. Stiffening ribs directly to support [2].

Figure 7. Stiffening ribs indirectly to support [2].

2.9 Simulation Technique

2.9.1 PCB Simulation

A smearing technique models a highly simplified representation of the PCB by

2.9.2 Bolted Joint Simulation

Table 1. Bolt simulation techniques [7]

Coupled bolt Line elements Relatively simple Bending loads are

RBE bolt Line elements are Relatively few elements Head/nut

2.9.3 Boundary Conditions and Constraints

When performing a modal simulation in ANSYS, only linear constrains can be

Figure 8. Element shapes [10].

The shape of the elements should be as close to the shape of an equilateral

3 Simulation of the Electronic Unit

3.1 Physical Tests

3.1.1 Young’s Modulus of PCBs

Figure 9. Pulling along the x-direction

1.20E+01 3de half

Figure 10. Pulling along the y-direction

Table 2. Calculation of Young’s modulus from the tensile test

3.1.2 Densities of Composite Components

The components that consisted of several different materials were weighed on a

3.2 Mesh Refinement Study

3.3 Simulation of the Old Electronic Unit

Table 3. Comparison between the simulation and the physical test

3.4 Simulation of the Current Electronic Unit

Figure 11. First natural frequency of the chassis.

Figure 12. First natural frequency of bottom plate.

Table 4. First natural frequencies of the PCBs

Figure 13. First mood shape of the controller module.

3.5 Simulation of the Casted Cover Electronic Unit

3.6 Enforcement Proposals and Simulation

3.6.1 Bench Marking

Figure 17 shows a robust embedded computing system used in military, aerospace

3.6.2 Enforcement Design

The enforcement alternatives stated in 3.6 where evaluated in regard to their

Board Edge Guide Design

Figure 18. Controller module with board edge guides.

Rib Placement with Spacer Connections

Figure 21. Four midsection ribs.

Figure 22. Four midsection ribs and side support.