Superplastic Response of Continuously Cast AZ31B Magnesium Sheet Alloys

Magnesium sheet is typically produced for commercial applications with the traditional DC-ingot casting method. As a result of the hexagonal close-packed crystallographic structure in magnesium, multiple rolling passes and annealing steps are required to reduce the thickness of the ingots. Thus, high fabrication costs characterize the creation of magnesium sheet suitable for common forming operations. Recently, continuous casting (CC) technology, where molten metal is solidified directly into sheet form, has been applied to magnesium alloys; this method has shown the potential to significantly reduce the cost of fabricating magnesium sheet alloys. In order to understand the viability of the CC process, a study was conducted to investigate the superplastic potential of alloys produced by this method. This study focused on AZ31B Mg that was continuously-cast on twin-roll casters from three different suppliers. These three materials were compared with a production DC-cast AZ31B alloy in terms of microstructure, elevated-temperature tensile properties, and superplastic forming response. The data from this study found that microstructural features such as grain size and segregation can significantly affect the forming response. Additionally, the CC alloys can have equivalent or superior SPF response compared to DC-cast alloys, as demonstrated in both elevated temperature tensile tests and superplastic forming trials using a rectangular pan die.