Experimental studies of deep drawing of AZ31B magnesium alloy sheet under various thermal conditions

The effect of temperature and temperature gradient within the blank on formability of AZ31B-O magnesium alloy is investigated. The effect of blank size on the success of isothermal deep drawing is studied. As blank size increases, forming under isothermal conditions becomes more difficult. To address this issue, non-isothermal forming is investigated and a formability window is identified in which the temperature at the punch nose must lie below the flange temperature to promote enhanced drawability, but above the temperature for activation of non-basal slip systems (to avoid low temperature fracture). The effect of punch speed on the forming forces, thickness and strain distribution within the formed cup is also investigated. At higher punch speeds, small cracks initiate at the punch radius region which increases the possibility of failure. Finally, the fracture surfaces from each thermal condition are observed using scanning electron microscopy. It is demonstrated that the fracture mechanism during deep drawing of magnesium alloy AZ31B is dependent on the forming temperature which controls the active deformation mechanisms.