Mechanical behaviour of a Darcet material used in tube extrusion

Darcet material (a mix of bismuth, lead and tin) can be used in the shaping process of copper joints in T since it is a soft material and it melts down at low temperature (96°C). This process is studied using a finite element simulation that requires the Darcet material behaviour. This behaviour is very particular, depending on the temperature, strain rate and age of the material. It is determined under these different conditions with compression tests, and a behaviour model is proposed. It is introduced in a finite element model that allows one to determine the median branch length of the copper joint versus the stamping length. The influence of different parameters can be studied with this model to optimise the process.