Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 February 2011
Room temperature deformation data of leadless solder joints are reported. The joints were sheared under cyclic, displacement controlled loading at frequencies between 0.001 and 0.01 Hz. A microplastic model was utilized to simulate the stress-strain loops, which demonstrated a pronounced Bauschinger effect. The implications of microplasticity on fatigue life of solder joints are discussed. This phenomenon must be taken into account in an accurate prediction of solder deformation at low strain ranges.