Innovative Flow Drilling on Magnesium Wrought Alloy AZ31

This article investigates the research of the new application of flow drilling, a chipless hole-making process, on magnesium wrought alloy AZ31 for expanding the lightweight potential of magnesium. The feasibility of the innovative flow drilling on thin magnesium profiles is investigated. Thrust forces and torque during flow drilling are analyzed. Specimens with two different thicknesses have been studied for flow drilling process. Process temperatures during the process are determined by using a thermal imaging camera. The generation of a joint through tapping and thread forming has been examined.