Maximum shear stress-controlled uniaxial tensile deformation and fracture mechanisms and constitutive relations of Sn–Pb eutectic alloy at cryogenic temperatures

Abstract Sn–Pb eutectic alloy is widely applied to the deep-space electronics that work under cryogenic environments, but little is known about its responses to the mechanical loading at cryogenic temperatures. In this work, a comprehensive investigation about the deformation and fracture behaviors as well as constitutive relations of the eutectic alloy at cryogenic temperatures was conducted through uniaxial tensile experiments over a full temperature range from 293 K to 77 K, in-situ cryogenic tensile experiments and fractography. With the declining temperature, the tensile strength and quasi-static toughness increase substantially while the elongation is maintained at 25%–30%; Sn–Pb eutectic alloy achieves the optimal combinations of strength, ductility and toughness at 123 K, which is due to a number of deformation twins activated in the Sn matrix together with the compatible deformation between the Pb-rich phases and the Sn matrix. Multiple 45° shear bands induced by the maximum shear stress contribute to reconcile the deformation difference between the two phases, which reaches its minimum at around 123 K. A ductile shear fracture on the 45° shear planes with respect to the tensile axis occurs under the maximum shear stress at temperatures ranging from 293 K to 123 K, while the maximum normal stress leads to a brittle fracture on the 90° planes at 77 K. Moreover, the Anand model fails in fitting the constitutive relations of Sn–Pb eutectic alloy when the temperature declines to 233 K or lower. Instead, the Hollomon equation has been successfully applied to fit the constitutive relations at these invalid temperatures.