Mechanical characterisation of lead free solder alloys under high strain rate loads

The scope of the paper is to present the result of a characterisation methodology to determine solder mechanical material properties at high strain rates. Considering volume effects miniature bulk specimens with dimensions comparable to BGA joints are used in the experiments. Stress-strain data recorded at high strain rates proof the high resolution capability of a novel tensile setup. To improve the evaluation of the experimental results a FE model of the experiment was used. The specimen were analysed with optical and x-ray microscopy additionally to determine specimen quality and microstructural effects. Finally, conclusions for the mechanical behaviour of the used lead free solder alloy under high strain rate loads will be drawn.