Analysis and simulation research on deep drawing of magnesium alloy box-shaped products with sand die based on different driving modes

Deep drawing of box-shaped products is of wide interest. In this study, sand was used as a flexible medium to replace the rigid die for deep drawing of box-shaped products. This method can enable forming with reduced die cost. During the deep drawing, three driving modes were realized through different placement of the sand. To study the difference among these three driving modes, the macroscopic and microscopic cooperative verification method was adopted. At the macroscopic level, the pressure stress was analyzed by using analytical models and simulation. The stress variation rules were also obtained. At the microscopic level, the microstructure of the key regions is discussed. The results show that the maximum decrease in the average grain size was about 82.38%. The maximum proportion of deformed grains was about 4.30%. The rules governing the change in the microstructure and stress were obtained, enabling prediction of the stress distribution and the microstructure of other products obtained by using sand forming.