Experimental procedure definition for evaluating the formability at Warm Temperatures of AZ31 Magnesium Alloy

In the present work the definition of a test procedure for evaluating the formability of Mg alloy thin sheets was investigated taking into account both temperature and strain rate. A numerical-experimental approach was adopted by the authors: numerical simulations were run with the aim of: (i) defining the punch geometry of the formability test equipment in order to have a uniform, fast and constant temperature distribution on the specimen; (ii) setting the test operating conditions in order to force the specimen failure in a region where temperature and strain can be easily acquired. Some formability tests were performed and strain fields were measured using an optical measurement system.