The effects of grain size on the shift of neutral layer of AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets with different grain sizes ranging from 12.1 to 34.7μm were investigated by the 90° V-bending tests at 150 °C. The results show that the neutral layer tends to shift to outer region of the sheets and the coefficient of neutral layer value (k-value) increases with the increasing grain size. This phenomenon is mainly owing to the enhanced asymmetry between the outer tension region and inner compression region with the increase of grain size. Twinning dominates the deformation in inner region while slips dominate the deformation in outer region.
To study the influence of blank holder type on the drawability of 5182-O aluminum sheet at room temperature, the flat blank holder and curved blank holder were employed during the deep drawing process. The microstructures were characterized by optical microscopy （OM）. The results reveal that the limiting drawing ratio （LDR） of 5182-O aluminum alloy sheet is 1.7 using the flat blank holder. The drawn cup have severe earring. Compared with using flat blank holder, the LDR of 5182-O aluminum alloy sheet is enhanced to 2.0 using curved blank holder. In addition, the earring ratio also reduces and flange wrinkling is prevented when the curved blank holder is used. These are due to a more uniform sheet flow in different directions with curved blank holder.
