MATERIAL SCIENCE:

"Tin"
ABOUT THIS LESSON: Material Science, Metals, Tin

Lesson 17 of 33. The characteristics and uses of tin are presented in this lesson. There is focus on the metal joining process called soldering and brazing. Also discussed is the environmental reduction of hazardous materials which affects the alloys used in soldering. Two rather interesting failure mechanisms of tin are presented: tin whiskers and test pest.

Knowledge Check:
Why are tin alloys used in the soldering process?
What is the difference between soldering and brazing?
Name some elements that are to be eliminated by the RoHS directive.
What is the alloy that is in pewter?
What is a major factor for the formation of tin whiskers?
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Theodore Miner has a B.S. degree in Physics and a degree in Electronics. He has worked for many years in the area of Industrial Control systems. His work involves evaluating materials and components used in electronic systems and performing failure analysis on control systems. His hobbies include tinkering with microcontroller home projects and ham radio.