Nonlinear Dynamic Response of a Printed Circuit Board to Shock Loads Applied to Its Support Contour

We evaluate the nonlinear dynamic response of a flexible printed circuit board (PCB) to the following two types of shock loads acting on its support contour: 1) suddenly applied constant acceleration and 2) periodic instantaneous impacts. The purpose of the analysis is to determine the maximum accelerations experienced by the electronic components and devices surface mounted on the board. We show that when the support contour is immovable (nondeformable) and the deflections are large, it is important to account for the nonlinear effects. These are due to the in-plane (“membrane”) forces in the PCB and can possibly result in substantially higher accelerations than those predicted by a linear theory. The obtained formulas are easy-to-use and enable one to evaluate the maximum displacements (amplitudes), velocities, and accelerations of the surface-mounted devices, as well as the maximum dynamic stresses in the board. These formulas can be helpful when choosing the appropriate PCB type and dimensions, and the most rational lay-out of the components on the board.