David, If you find software that can really do this, let us all know! Are you thinking of Finite Element software like Ansys? There is another big contender also with a name starting with A, but it escapes me right now. If your company was a member of the CALCE consortium, they also have truncated programs that sort of do the same thing. The problem is: 1) The amount of computing power needed 2) Defining the problem properly 3) A lack of fundamental materials properties Good luck! Bev RIM -----Original Message----- From: TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Bruce, David (GB - MAV) Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 4:08 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [TN] Software package to perform fatigue life prediction of solder joints Does anyone know of a software package to perform fatigue life prediction of solder joints. I need to be able to predict the fatigue life of solder joints under different thermal cycling and vibration load conditions. The PCB will usually be FR4, the solder tin/lead, the components everything from BGA's to chip passives. Ideally I need to provide an estimate on cycles to failure. We are trying to do a comparison exercise to try and specify the more reliable component, for example, a chip capacitor in 0805 or 1206, which one will be more reliable, from a solder joint perspective and by what order of magnitude? And what would the expected life of the joint be under different conditions? We need to perform this exercise over a range of different types of components, using different types of leaded solder and perhaps with different board thicknesses. Predictive software would be quicker and easier than empirical experiments. Any ideas? Regards David This email may contain proprietary information and/or copyright material. This email is intended for the use of the addressee only. Any unauthorized use may be unlawful. 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