Influence of Pressure Amplitude on Formability in Pulsating Hydro-Bugling of AZ31B Magnesium Alloy Sheet

The formability of the magnesium alloy sheets is poor at room temperature even though the magnesium alloy sheets are attractive because of their excellent characteristics. Application of pulsating hydroforming is a new and effective method to improve the formability. The effects of the pressure amplitude on the maximum bulging height and minimum wall thickness of the formed parts of AZ31B magnesium alloy sheets are examined using finite element simulations. It is shown that the distribution of maximum bugling height and minimum wall thickness is similar for different pressure amplitude A, and a uniform expansion in bulging region is obtained, the cause of the uniform expansion obtained may be caused by the variation of stress components. The AZ31B sheet has an excellent performance in formability when the pressure amplitude and pulsating frequency are properly selected.