Warm deep drawing of magnesium alloy sheets - Formability and process conditions

The influence of deformation conditions on the formability of magnesium alloy was systematically investigated using the experimental method and finite element analysis. The research activity aimed to gain further insight into the formability of magnesium alloy AZ31 (aluminium 3 wt per cent, zinc 1 wt per cent) and to have first-hand knowledge of the correlations between the material's properties and the processing parameters. In this work, the mechanical properties of magnesium alloy AZ31 sheet were analysed according to the results of tensile tests. A set of experimental equipment with temperature control was employed to perform warm deep drawing of magnesium alloy AZ31 sheets under various forming conditions. The most important process parameters, including the punch speed, the forming temperature, and the geometrical shape of the blank, were taken into account and optimal values were proposed. Finite element analyses were also performed to evaluate the effects of the process parameters on the formability of rectangular cup drawing and to predict the process defects during the process.