Lead (Pb) based solders had been used successfully as dent and seam fillers for automotive body panels and were commonly referred to as “body solders”. The usual compositions were 70wt% Pb - 30wt% Sn or 80wt% Pb - 20wt% Sn. But due to the hazards associated with Pb dust and particles from the grinding and sanding, new lead-free body solders were developed in the early 80's. An 82wt%Sn - 15wt%Cu - 3wt%Zn composition was developed to mimic the pasty characteristics and processability of the lead-containing solders. This body solder has the advantages of corrosion resistance, compatibility with e-coat, and a lower processing temperature and lower material cost than an alternative candidate approach that uses a silicon bronze material. The ideal temperature range for applying this solder is between 280 to 350°C, which provides a workable, viscous material. This temperature range is much lower than the MIG welding temperature of the silicon bronze material and results in much less heat distortion of the steel panels. The microstructure is a dendritic structure with a Cu6Sn5 intermetallic compound in a Sn-rich matrix. The spacing of the dendrites can be reduced with a small addition of Fe. A zinc chloride (ZnCl2) and ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) based flux or tinning paste is required to clean the oxide surface. Any residual flux residue was found to be fully compatible with the phosphate process in a paint compatibility study. There appears to be great potential if such an automated process is implemented.


    Access

    Check access

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Development of Automotive Body Solders


    Additional title:

    Sae Technical Papers


    Contributors:

    Conference:

    International Body Engineering Conference & Exhibition and Automotive & Transportation Technology Congress ; 2002



    Publication date :

    2001-10-16




    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    Print


    Language :

    English




    Development of automotive body solders

    Pan,T.Y. / Blair,H.D. / Nicholson,J.M. et al. | Automotive engineering | 2002



    High-Reliability Lead-Free Solders for Automotive Electronics

    Kumar, Anil / Kosuri, Divya / Ribas, Morgana et al. | SAE Technical Papers | 2023


    Thermomechanical fatigue studies on Pb-free automotive electronic solders

    Lee,J.G. / Guo,F. / Subramanian,K.N. et al. | Automotive engineering | 2003


    Reliability evaluation of lead-free solders for automotive applications

    Sa, Y.K. / Kim, Yeong K. / Bang, Junghwan et al. | Tema Archive | 2009