Influence of heat treatment techniques on hot formability of AZ61 magnesium alloy

Magnesium alloys are lightweight structured and offer high specific strength and stiffness with good shock absorption, weldability and castability. However, the use of magnesium alloys has been restricted due to its comparably low formability at room temperature. In this paper, tensile formability of the magnesium alloy AZ61 at elevated temperature has been investigated. The effect of heat treatment on formability of this alloy has also been studied and yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, Young’s modulus and elongation at break were determined. The highest elongation at room temperature was achieved by two hours annealing at 350°C and subsequent water quenching. This heat treatment technique was used for the hot formability tests and the results showed that formability of the AZ61 alloy is maximal at a forming temperature of 250°C.