FEA of Fuel Sensors: Effect of Dynamics and Temperature on Solder Joints

Purpose –To establish printed circuit board (PCB) solder fracture risk with and without a potting compound present. Design/methodology/approach – Non-linear material properties were established for FEA of interacting sensor components in two sensor configurations under thermal and dynamic loading. Findings – Solder joints showed a clear tendency to be the most-likely-to-fail part of the sensor under the given design conditions in both load cases both with and without potting. Originality/value – Calculations indicate the specific contribution that potting had to stress under each type of load and the relative risk of failure for the sensor components based on component tensile strength.