Influence of strain rate on microstructure and formability of AZ31B magnesium alloy sheets

The effects of strain rate on microstructure and formability of AZ31B magnesium alloy sheets were investigated through uniaxial tensile tests and hemispherical punch tests with strain rates of 10−4, 10−3, 10−2, 10−1 s−1 at 200 °C. The results show that the volume fraction of dynamic recrystallization grains increases and the original grains are gradually replaced by recrystallization grains with the strain rate decreasing. A larger elongation and a smaller r-value are obtained at a lower strain rate, moreover the erichsen values become larger with the strain rate reducing, so the formability improves. This problem arises in part from the enhanced softening and the coordination of recrystallization grains during deformation.