Solution heat treatment, forming and in-die quenching of a commercial sheet magnesium alloy into a complex-shaped component: experimentation and FE analysis

Abstract

Interest in lightweight materials, particularly magnesium alloys, has increased significantly with rising efficiency requirements in the automotive sector. Magnesium is the lightest available structural metal, with a density approximately 35% lower than that of aluminium. The potential is great for magnesium to become a primary material used in future low carbon vehicle structures; however, there are significant obstacles, namely low ductility and formability, particularly at room temperature. The aim of this work is to present the feasibility of using the solution Heat treatment, Forming, and in-die Quenching (HFQ) process to produce complex shapes from a sheet magnesium alloy, and to use the results to verify a simulation of the process developed using commercial FE software. Uniaxial tensile tests were initially conducted to establish the optimum parameters for forming the part. Stamping trials were then carried out using these parameters, and a simulation set up modelling the forming operation. It was shown that the HFQ process could be used to form a successful component from this alloy, and that a good match was achieved between the results of the forming experiments and the simulation.