Formability of AZ31 Mg alloy sheets within medium temperatures

The stretching tests of the commercial AZ31 Mg alloy were conducted at 130 °C, 170 °C, 210 °C, at the forming speeds of 10 mm/min and 50 mm/min, respectively. The formability of AZ31 sheets at high temperature was evaluated by forming limit diagrams (FLD). The fracture morphologies were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope. The results show that the FLD of AZ31 Mg alloy is affected by the forming temperature, in another word, the formability increases with the increasing of the forming temperature. That may be because the non-basal slip system starts to move by thermal activation at high forming temperature. It is also demonstrated that the formability of the AZ31 Mg alloy is on the decline with the increasing of the forming speed. The slipping performs thoroughly to release the stress during the deformation if the forming speed decreases. In addition, the higher the forming temperature is, the more obvious the effect of the forming speed is. The forming temperature is the main dominating factor on the formability of AZ31 Mg alloy.