Experimental studies on the superplastic forming of square shaped components from sheets of Ti-6Al-4V alloy

Abstract

Superplasticity is the ability of a polycrystalline material to exhibit, in a relatively isotropic manner, large elongations when deformed in tension. This property is exploited during superplastic forming in the fabrication of complex shaped components which are otherwise technically difficult or economically costly to form by conventional methods. The ability of some titanium alloys to undergo superplastic deformation coupled with their diffusion bonding capability (SPF/DB) provides excellent opportunities to fabricate intricate parts in a single operation resulting in significant cost and weight savings, particularly in the manufacture of aerospace structures. In the present work, experimental studies to characterize the superplastic behaviour of an as-received titanium Ti-6Al-4V alloy sheet commonly used in aerospace structural applications are reported. Tensile test coupons prepared from the alloy sheet were subjected to high temperature tensile tests in the temperature range of 1123 K (850°C) to 1223 K (950°C) and strain rate range of 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹ to 10⁻² s⁻¹ in order to characterize the superplastic deformation behaviour. Suitable dies, for superplastic forming of 80 mm × 80 mm square components to depths of 43 and 50 mm, were designed and fabricated. Components were superplastically formed at a temperature of 1200 K (927°C) and 0.7 MPa constant argon pressure. The components were characterized for their thickness distribution, mechanical and metallurgical properties and the results are presented.