Isothermal Fatigue Behavior of Sn-Pb Solder Joints

Isothermal fatigue data were collected for the compositions 5Sn-95Pb, 20Sn-80Pb, 40Sn-60Pb, 50Sn-50Pb and 63Sn-37Pb within the binary Sn-Pb system. All of these compositions are commercially available and include those most commonly used. Because Sn-rich solders are rarely used, they were not investigated here. The fatigue life was defined by a 30 percent load drop. The solders were tested in a double shear configuration joined to copper at 75° C. The displacement rate chosen was 0.01 mm/min, which corresponds to a strain rate of 1.5 × 10⁻⁴s⁻¹ for our specimen configuration, over a 10 percent plastic strain range. Additionally, the microstructural changes during fatigue are presented. The various solder compositions studied exhibit strikingly different as-solidified microstructures. These differences are discussed in terms of their effect on the isothermal joint failure mechanism and joint isothermal fatigue life.