Forming simulation of Ti-TWBs at different elevated temperatures

Strong interest in producing ultra-light-weight, high corrosion-resistant, heat-proof and tougher advanced products has prompted potential development of titanium tailor-welded blanks (Ti-TWBs) to construct the critical parts of structures and panels in automotive applications and some other advanced industries. However, the capability to predict the forming behavior of the stamped TWBs without failure lags far behind the manufacturing technology. It is proven that the ductility for most of the titanium alloy sheets can be significantly improved at elevated temperatures. Nevertheless, such study of stress-strain behavior on the weldment of Ti-TWBs has not been fully investigated. This paper aims to analyze the forming behavior of the Ti-TWBs at different elevated temperatures using a finite element analysis. The distinctive mechanical properties of the base metals and weldment for the forming simulations will be acquired experimentally. Finally, it is found that, due to the increase of ductility, the forming behavior of Ti-TWBs will not be considerably improved unless the forming temperature is kept between 500°C and 600°C.