It is a challenge to assess solder joint fatigue life in the modern electronics industry because of complex geometries, complex non-linear viscoplastic material properties, and the frequently changing environmental conditions. This study aims to develop an accurate analytical-cum-empirical model to predict critical stresses in the solder joint so as to avoid the necessity of a time consuming non-linear finite element simulation. This paper presents a novel approach that is adopted to simulate the viscoplastic behavior of solder joints for gullwing leaded packages. This is done using a combination of analytical, numerical and design of experiment techniques. When this model is combined with the previously developed models for the elastic and time-independent plastic deformation, the fatigue life of gullwing solder joints can be assessed.

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