Sheet Roll Forming of a New High-Strength Titanium Alloy

The forming behavior of ATI 425® alloy has been evaluated at room and “warm” temperatures (~0.35Tmp).  Testing included discrete folding V-die bending and continuous roll bending trials to determine minimum bending radius of this new high-strength alpha/beta titanium alloy.  Results suggest that ATI 425® alloy’s improved formability offers a potential solution for the fabrication of structural parts using high-strength Ti sheet.  Specifically, continuous roll forming trials at room temperature demonstrate that the alloy can be formed into simple shapes with tough bending radius.  Additionally, the use of “warm” temperatures in these trials allowed for the fabrication of parts with even tougher radius requirements achievable only by other lower-strength Ti alloys while eliminating shape issues and decreasing the notorious spring-back characteristic of high-strength Ti alloys.  Results from ongoing commercial trials taking advantage of this manufacturing attribute for the production of structural components will be discussed in this presentation.