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2011
Conference Paper
Titel
Forming and cutting of magnesium alloys
Abstract
The potential for using steel in lightweight bodywork construction has attained a high level of development with the result that the field for further optimisation is increasingly diminishing. As a consequence, lightweight construction materials such as magnesium in particular but also aluminium are set to increase in importance in the future. Based on casted-rolled magnesium sheets, which make an economical production of semi-finished material possible for the first time, different shaping and joining processes were developed and converted. The aim of the experimental series was to determine the maximum forming capability of the AZ31 used, particularly taking into account the optimum temperature regime and a practical solution as regards the lubrication necessary. For s deep drawing and stretch-forming, hydroforming as well as tube and roll bendin technologies in particular, the theoretical bases were created and subsequently the processes and tools were material-specifically laid out. As a result thermoformed parts were manufactured with draw depths of up to 120 mm. The necessary joining processes were likewise developed in parallel, and these included, for example, r the welding of tailored blank and the assembly of the demonstrator. It was clearly evident that laser welding without a filler material is definitely suitable for the fabrication of magnesium tailored blanks using welding. In basic investigations the achievable quality of cutting surfaces were investigated in conventinal shear cutting and high speed impact cutting operations. It was shown that the process with high speed and cooled sheet metal leads to a better quality than a high speed process at elevated temperatures. The results of the specific research trials were translated into the design of the ""car-door""demonstrator on a scale of 1:1. In addition to thermoforming and stretch forming this combines a number of forming technologies in its final structure, such as curling and tube bending, hydro-forming and extrusion together with cutting and punching.