Modeling Thermal Stresses in Periodic Structures: Some Observations Regarding the Boundary Conditions

Periodic structures, that is, structures that consist of a basic pattern which is repeated multiple times, are commonplace in the electronics industry. This paper is concerned with the determination of thermal stresses in such structures. Specifically, it is demonstrated that thermal stresses can be computed using a reduced model, if one uses the correct boundary conditions. It is also shown that a reduced model can give very misleading results if incorrect boundary conditions are employed.