Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 March 2011
This is part I of a two-part paper on the mechanical behavior of lead-free solders. The constitutive properties of Sn3.9Ag0.6Cu lead-free alloy are presented and compared against baseline data from eutectic Sn63Pb37 solder. Monotonic, displacement-controlled and load-controlled tests are performed over various temperatures, strain rates and stresses using the thermo-mechanical-microstructural (TMM) test system. It is shown that the lead-free alloy exhibits creep strain rates that are from one to five orders of magnitude lower than the eutectic SnPb alloy, depending on the stress level and the homologous temperature.