Optimal conditions for the wetting balance test

Wetting balance tests of copper sheets submerged in tin solder baths were carried out in a completely automatic wetting balance. Wetting curves were examined for three different values of sheet thickness and four different solder bath temperatures. Most of the wetting curves showed a distorted shape relative to that of a standard curve, preventing calculation of important wetting parameters, such as the wetting rate and the wetting force. The wetting tests showed that the distortion increased for a thicker sheet thickness and a lower solder bath temperature, being the result of solder bath solidification around the submerged sheet substrate. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.FAPESP (Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo)[95/9113-2]FAPESP (Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo)[96/04242-1]FAPESP (Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo)[03/08576-7