Enhancement of press formability of rolled Mg alloy sheet by using cross rolling processes

In this study, two different cross rolling processes, which are effective rolling processes for a reduction of (0002) plane texture, are introduced. In the first cross rolling process, a sheet specimen is rotated around the rolling plane normal after each pass. In the second cross rolling process, the roll axis is tilted against the transverse direction (TD) in the rolling direction (RD) - TD plane. The two cross-rolling processed were carried out on a AZ31 alloy, and the press formability of cross-rolled sheets was compared with that of unidirectionally rolled sheets determined by Erichsen tests at 433 493 K. Both the cross-rolled specimens exhibited a high press formability, compared to an unidirectionally rolled alloy. The high press formability of the specimen by the first cross rolling was due to a reduction in (0002) texture intensity. The high press formability of the specimen by the second cross rolling was due to not only a reduction in (0002) texture intensity but also grain refinement.