| Abstract: | The environmental stability in distilled water and the failure mechanism of cathodically chromated tin, lead, and lead/tin alloy joints bonded with an ethylene–acrylic acid copolymer have been investigated by T-peel tests and ESCA and SEM analyses of the fractured surfaces. The peel strength of chromated lead/tin alloy joints and of both untreated and chromated tin joints is kept unchanged with water immersion, whereas that of untreated lead/tin alloy joints and of both untreated and chromated lead joints decreases rapidly with water immersion. ESCA and SEM observations show that lead/tin alloy surfaces consist of both lead and tin phases and that the tin phase interface deteriorates gradually with water immersion after premature deterioration of the lead phase interface. The stabilization effect of chromate treatments for lead/tin alloy joints is due to retardation of the underfilm corrosion of the tin phase. |
