In this paper, to investigate the effect of loading method of pulse current on the tensile deformation behavior of AZ31B magnesium alloy sheet, the intermittent pulse current with short-time and high-frequency was introduced in uniaxial tensile tests and the influence of duty ratio and loading time of pulse current on the deformation behavior of AZ31B magnesium alloy sheet was discussed. The strain and temperature field distributions on the specimens were measured during the intermittent pulse electrically-assisted tension (IPEAT), and the microstructure and fracture morphology under different pulse current conditions were observed. Results shows appropriate pulse current parameters can effectively improve the elongation of AZ31B magnesium alloy sheet. The strain of the sample is closely related to temperature distribution. With the deformation of the sample, the temperature on the sample increases gradually and the temperature distribution is non-uniform along the tensile direction, resulting in an inhomogeneous strain distribution of the sample. In addition, grain growth and dynamic recrystallization were observed on the AZ31B magnesium alloy sheet in different degrees under intermittent pulse current. Fracture morphology analysis shows that the number of dimples and tearing edges increased on the fracture obtained under IPEAT. The microhardness analysis shows that when intermittent pulse current is applied in the tensile test, the hardness of the sheet may change. This research provides an effective idea for the forming process of magnesium alloy sheets, which can be used to form large size thin-walled sheet components, and can significantly improve the forming quality of the sheets.
