Forming of high strength titanium sheet at room temperature

The forming behaviour of high strength Ti-6Al-4V alloy was studied at room temperature. Tensile tests and swing folding trials were performed to determine the mechanical properties and the minimum bending radius of the material. The forming limit diagram (FLD) was established and the springback behaviour of the Ti-6Al-4V analysed via V-die bending tests. The results show that the material has limited form-ability combined with very low material hardening and a high tendency to springback. This suggests that the stamping or deep drawing of Ti-6Al-4V at room temperature is not possible. Roll forming trials were performed and those show that the Ti-6Al-4V can be roll formed to simple longitudinal sections at room temperature. Improved formability was observed and the tendency to springback in roll forming was significantly lower compared to that determined in V-die bending. Additionally to that the Ti-6Al-4V showed a low tendency for shape defects commonly observed in roll forming due to its high material strength. This suggests that roll forming maybe a potential solution for the room temperature forming of high strength Titanium sheet to structural sections for the aerospace or automotive industry. Crown Copyright (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.