Experimental Studies on the Superplastic Forming of Square Shaped Components and Diffusion Bonding Characteristics of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy

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 provides excellent opportunities to fabricate intricate parts resulting in significant cost and weight savings, particularly in the manufacture of aerospace structures. In the present work, experimental studies on the superplastic forming of square shaped components from titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V sheets of 2 mm thickness that are commonly used in aerospace structural applications are reported. Superplastic forming of suitably sized blanks was carried out at temperatures of 1,148 K (875 A degrees C), 1,173 K (900 A degrees C) and 1,200 K (927 A degrees C) using constant argon gas pressures of 1, 1.4 and 1.8 MPa. The formed components were characterized for their thickness distribution, mechanical and metallurgical properties. Diffusion bonding characteristics of the alloy sheet of 1 mm thickness were investigated for varying time durations at different temperatures and 4 MPa stress under an argon atmosphere and lap shear strength values of the joints are reported. Efforts were then made to carry out diffusion bonding concurrent with superplastic forming (SPF/DB). For these experiments, two sheets of 1 mm thickness each were superplastically formed into square components of size 80 mm square and 60 mm deep with an initial forming cycle followed by a diffusion bonding cycle by subjecting the component to a static pressure (higher than the forming pressure) for a specified period of time, which ensured good bonding between the two sheets. The components formed by the SPF/DB process were compared with those formed from the monolithic 2 mm sheet and the results are presented.