Elevated Temperature Formability of Some Engineering Metals for Gas Forming of Automotive Structures

This paper provides a preliminary study on tensile behavior and formability of some engineering magnesium and aluminum alloys, and steels at elevated temperatures (>0.6 Tm) and high strain rates (>0.1/s). A new elevated-temperature biaxial formability testing technique is developed to study strain path dependence as well as temperature and strain rate dependence. The formability test and in-die forming process are simulated with FEA method, and a concept of forming process diagram is established. The technical feasibility of elevated temperature gas forming for automotive components is discussed.