Abstract:

Failure of Plated Through Holes (PTHs) due to thermomechanical stresses is a well established cause of failure of Printed Wiring Boards (PWBs).  The issue of filling the PTH with solder as opposed to leaving it unfilled to enhance the fatigue life of the PTH has been open to considerable debate.  This paper compares the critical thermo-mechanical stresses in filled and unfilled PTH's using three-dimensional finite element models for simulation.  The effect of the presence of voids within the solder on the critical stresses in the PTH is also examined.
 

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