Analysis of Insertion Force in Elastic/Plastic Mating

Abstract

A simulation of an insertion of a solid pin into a slot between two opposing compliant beams is attempted. As a particular feature, the elastic-plastic deformation of the slot during the insertion is incorporated, as such a situation often occurs in electronic system interconnection. Each instance of the insertion process is considered as a static equilibrium of the insertion force and the contact force (including the frictional force). The equilibrium position of the deflected beams and the pin can be obtained as the point satisfying the following two conditions: 1) at the contact point, the contact force direction is offset from the normal direction to the contact points by the friction angle and, 2) the present positions of the contact points (one on the beam and the other on the pin), and their tangent angles must coincide exactly with each other. The simulated insertion force and depth relation agrees well with the real measurement.