Effects of the cross-wedge rolling parameters on the formability of Ti-6Al-4V alloy

Ti-6Al-4Valloy is an ideal material for gas turbine blades with high strength and low density. The application of the cross-wedge rolling (CWR) process for manufacturing Ti6Al-4Valloy blade preforms has great innovative potential. In this study, isothermal hot compression tests with strain rates between 0.01 and 10 s(-1) and deformation temperatures between 850 and 1050 degrees C were carried out. The constitutive equation was established and implemented into a 3D finite element (FE) model to analyze the formability of the CWR of Ti-6Al-4V alloy. Furthermore, CWR experiments were developed to verify the dependability of the FE simulation results and to investigate the influence of the process parameters on the formability of Ti-6Al-4V. The comprehensive results of the FE simulation and CWR experiments show that both the tool parameters and rolling temperature significantly affect the formability of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy. When the forming angle was 30 degrees or 35 degrees, the stretching angle was less than 7 degrees, the area reduction was less than 72.4%, and the rolling temperature was 950 degrees C, The surface quality during the CWR process can be significantly improved.