Effect of rapid solidification on microstructure, creep resistance and thermal properties of Sn-10 wt.% Sb- 3 wt.% X ( X= In, Ag, Bi and Zn) lead-free solder alloys

The harmful effects of lead on the environment and human health, coupled with the threat of legislation, have prompted a serious search of lead-free solders for electronic packaging applications. The melt-spinning processes of ternary Sn-10 wt.%Sb-3 wt.%X (X=In, Ag, Bi and Zn) were analyzed using x-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Vickers hardness tester (HV). The investigation showed that, the addition of a small amount of the third element enhances the ductility of the Sn–10 wt. % Sb lead-free solder due to the formation of a fine, homogeneous ternary microstructure. It is concluded that, the addition of 3.0 wt% Ag improves the grain size of the ternary microstructure. The fine precipitates from SnSb intermetallic compound suppresses the coarsening of the ternary structure and thus enhances solder ductility. Structural and microstructural analysis revealed that the origin of change in mechanical behaviors was due to refined beta-Sn grains and formation of intermetallic compounds(IMCs) SnSb, InSn19, ?-In3Sn and Ag3Sn. The results indicated that the melting point of Sn-10Sb-3 wt.% Ag and Sn-10 wt.%Sb- 3 wt.% Zn alloys reduced to 230 and 240 ?C respectively. In particular, the zinc addition at 3 wt.% is the most effective in improving solder ductility and good creep resistance correlated to a fine grain size and complete soluble of SnSb IMC particles in the ?-Sn matrix

Effect of rapid Solidification on mechanical properties of free machining lead free aluminum alloys for improved machinability

There have been very few reports describing the free machining lead free aluminum alloys containing minimal amounts of tin and indium melt spun process. Our paper describes the effect of fundamental factors on the machinability of free machining lead free aluminum alloys rapidly solidified from melt. Structural and thermal properties have been investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. Tensile test machine used in studies the mechanical properties such as ultimate tensile strength, elastic constants, yield strength and critical shear stress for Al-Zn-Sn-In alloys. It is noticed that mechanical and thermal properties attributed to fine grained structure, reduced levels of segregation and presence of new intermetallic compounds (IMC) such as AlZn and SnZn due to high casting rate by rapid solidification processes. The determination of mechanical properties was suggested to be attributed to the gradual increase of α-Al crystals. We evaluated the tensile properties using tensile test machine of the melt-spun ribbons at varied stress-strain rates to determine the underlying deformation mechanisms .Critical shear stress (CSS) was also calculated .It was found that it is equal to 9.29 GPa for annealed ribbons at 262 0C for 9 hrs. The results showed that several combination of tensile strength ,yield strength ,elastic moduli can be generated from Al- 0.1wt% Zn-1.5 wt% Sn- 1.63 wt% In alloys before and after heat treatment at (262 0C for 3,6,9 hrs) to meet the needs of free machining aluminum alloy applications.                                                                       &nbsp

Influence of rapid solidification and lithium additions on microstructure and mechanical properties of aluminum based alloys

A series of aluminum-lithium or lightweight alloys containing up to 5 wt. % lithium was rapidly solidified from melt by chillblock melt-spun technique. The resultant ribbons were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and deferential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. The results showed that the structures of all melt-spun ribbons were completely composed of two distinct phases aluminum rich phase and intermetallic compound (IMC) Al9.8- Li1.1phase. It is also found that melting point, solidus and liquidus temperatures of the lightweight alloys are lowered as the Li content is increased. Additionally, elastic moduli, internal friction, thermal diffusivity and hardness measurements of melt-spun ribbons were examined by using dynamic resonance method and Vickers indenter for one applied load of 25 grams of force for 5, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 99 seconds. Results interpreted in terms of the phase changes occurring in the alloy system. With the addition of Li, the Al rich phase is finer in grain size, and intermetallic compound is more uniformly distributed. As a result, Young's modulus and micro-hardness of Lightweight are increased when Li is added into the Alalloy. The aim of the research planned in this work was to design the A1-Li family of alloys contribute to their increasingly broad application in aeronautics, as an alternative for the aluminum alloys, which have been used so far

Effect of rapid solidification and calcium additions on Sn-38 wt.%Pb-6 wt.%Sb melt-spun alloys

The effect of calcium additions on the structure and physical properties of melt-spun process Sn-38Pb-6Sb alloys have been experimentally investigated at a solidification rate of ~105 K/s. Structure, internal friction, elastic moduli, microhardness and electrical resistivity of the Sn-38%Pb , Sn-38%Pb -6%Sb , Sn-38%Pb -6%Sb-0.5%Ca , Sn-38%Pb -6%Sb -1%Ca , Sn-38%Pb -6%Sb -1.5%Ca , Sn-38%Pb -6%Sb -2%Ca , Sn-38%Pb -6%Sb -2.5%Ca (in wt%) rapidly solidified alloys are investigated. The results showed that the mechanical and electrical properties values are enhanced for ternary Sn-38%Pb -6%Sb alloy. The examined mechanical and electrical conductivity decreased by addition of calcium content in the studied alloys. It also leads to with increasing Ca content the SnSb inter-metallic compound (IMC) precipitates are increased in the Sn matrix. The results were explained in terms of the dislocation theory, effect of quenching rate on the produced density fluctuations in composition and the modes of interaction of crystal lattice defects

Correlation between microstructure, mechanical and thermal properties of In-Bi-Sn-Ag melt spun alloys

A series of indium-bismuth-tin-silver alloys containing up to 5 wt. % silver were quenched from melt by chill-block melt-spin technique. The resultant ribbons were studied by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive X-ray, and deferential scanning calorimetry techniques. Structural, Mechanical and thermal correlations were discussed and reviewed for In-Bi-Sn-Ag Fields metal alloy systems. The results are interpreted in terms of the phase changes occurring in the alloy system. It is found that melting point, solidus and liquidus temperatures of the solder alloys are lowered as the Ag content is increased. With the addition of Ag, the In rich phase is finer in size, and the intermetallic compounds are more uniformly distributed.  As a result, Youngs modulus and microhardness of In-Bi-Sn are increased when Ag is added into the solder alloy. It is also , concluded that from our results, the present work relates to a melting temperature adjustable metal thermal interface material (TIM) applicable to an interface between a microelectronic packaging component and a heat dissipation device, so as to facilitate the heat dissipation of the microelectronic component

Effect of aluminum content on structure, transport and mechanical properties of Sn-Zn eutectic lead free solder alloy rapidly solidified from melt.

The greatest advantage of Sn-Zn eutectic is its low melting point (198 oC) which is close to the melting point. of Sn-Pb eutectic solder (183 oC), as well as its low price per mass unit compared with Sn-Ag and Sn-Ag-Cu solders. In this paper, the effect of 0.0, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0 wt. % Al as ternary additions on melting temperature, microstructure, microhardness and mechanical properties of the Sn-9Zn lead-free solders were investigated. It is shown that the alloying additions of Al at 4 wt. % to the Sn-Zn binary system lead to lower of the melting point to 195.72 ?C. From x-ray diffraction analysis, an aluminium phase, designated ?-Al is detected for 4 and 5 wt. % Al compositions. The formation of an aluminium phase causes a pronounced increase in the electrical resistivity and microhardness. The ternary Sn-9Zn-2 wt.%Al exhibits micro hardness superior to Sn-9Zn binary alloy. The better Vickers hardness and melting points of the ternary alloy is attributed to solid solution effect, grain size refinement and precipitation of Al and Zn in the Sn matrix. The Sn-9%Zn-4%Al alloy is a lead-free solder designed for possible drop-in replacement of Pb-Sn solders

Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10 years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37 years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020