Journal of Materials Processing Technology 95 (1999) 65±70

Study on the microstructure and formability of commercially

pure titanium in two-temperature deep drawing
Jaan-Ming Liu*, Sheh-Shon Chou
Department of Materials Science and Engineering(22), National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan

Received 16 March 1998

Abstract

From recent research, it has been found that deep drawing at two temperatures can make SUS304 exhibit deep drawability, the present
investigation testing materials with other structures by the process. Commercially pure titanium (CP Ti)(a-Ti) exhibits almost twice the
deep drawability when the temperature is increased from room temperature to 4008C. The process can make the deep drawability of a-Ti
much more effective. The breaking point of titanium sheet is in the direction perpendicular to the rolling direction because of the effect
from two different directions due to the anisotropy of the material. A suitable blank-holding force (BHF) can help to reach a limited
drawing depth, the required force decreasing when the operating temperature increases. From X-ray and TEM identi®cation the process can
drive more slip systems to relax strain energy to obtain good deep drawability by virtue of better ductility. # 1999 Elsevier Science S.A.
All rights reserved.

Keywords: Two-temperature deep drawing; Commercially pure titanium

1. Introduction sition and the stress condition. The plastic deformation

The deep drawing process is used widely with press
equipment and molds to form seamless vessels of different
shells from metal sheets. The metal sheets are heated by a
heater in the mold plate and cooled by an iced water ¯ow in
the punch during the two-temperature deep drawing process,
which increases deep drawability and results in a product
with a more uniform wall thickness. By research, the process
has been con®rmed to be able to improve the deep draw-
ability of stainless steel SUS304 [1±3]. The microstructure
of the deformation was also explored. SUS304 is of f.c.c.
structure, so there is doubt as to whether the process can also
promote material of other structures. Titanium, with c.p.h.
structure at room temperature and b.c.c. structure at high
temperature, has been chosen as the test material.
2. Theory
Titanium is either a-Ti(c.p.h.), a‡b-Ti(h.c.p.‡b.c.c.) or
b-Ti(b.c.c.), according to the temperature, the alloy compo-
*Corresponding author.
E-mail address: n5881110@sparc1.cc.ncku.edu.tw (J.-M. Liu)
model is generally either slip deformation or twin deforma-
tion. Compared with f.c.c. and b.c.c. structure, metals and
alloys with c.p.h. structure would be more complex. When c/
a<1.594, slip occurs on the metal prismatic plane f0 1 1 0g;
whilst when c/a>1.614, slip occurs on the metal basel plane
{0 0 0 1} [4]. Thus the active slip system is relative to the c/a
value of titanium of 1.587, the main slip system being
f1 1 0 0gh1 1 2 0i, and when it moves on f0 0 0 1gh1 1 2 0i.
The a-dislocation [5] forms on the basic plane in the slip
plane and slip direction with no strain along the c axis. Twin
deformation occurs in single crystal titanium, whilst twin
deformation and slip deformation occur in polycrystal tita-
nium. Ductility can be extended because of the satisfying of
von Mises' condition.
The slip of titanium occurs on f1 0 1 0g; …0 0 0 1†, and
f1 0 1 1g along h1 1 2 0i by 1=3h1 1 2 0i dislocation at room
temperature or lower [6]. The change along the c axis does
not only need h1 1 2 0i slip, but also slip beyond the basic
plane. It was observed in commercially pure titanium and
Ti±Al alloy by reason of 1=3h1 1 2 3i movement or c‡a
dislocation, but not yet in high-purity titanium [7,8]. The slip
along h1 1 2 3i was observed in Cd and Zr at room tempera-
ture [9] and in Be at high temperature [10±12].

0924-0136/99/$ ± see front matter # 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0 9 2 4 - 0 1 3 6 ( 9 9 ) 0 0 1 0 8 - 9
66 J.-M. Liu, S.-S. Chou / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 95 (1999) 65±70
The change along c axis can also work by twin deforma-
tion. For titanium f1 0 1 2g; f1 1 2 1g and f1 1 2 3g , twins
occur in extension along the c axis; and f1 1 2 2g; f1 1 2 4g
[13,14], and f1 0 1 1g [15] twins in compression along the c
axis. When the temperature increases, twin deformation
becomes less important generally. Rosi et al. [13] did not
®nd twins of any type at 8008C, but McHargue and Ham-
mond [16] found less f1 1 2 2g and f1 1 2 1g twins at 8158C.
Paton and Backfen [17] revealed that the compression of
single-crystal Ti from 258C to 8008C, to about 5% strain
along the c axis, was accommodated entirely by f1 1 2 2g
twins from 258C to 3008C, and by a combination of f1 0 1 1g
twins from 4008C to 8008C. Reduction normal to the c axis
deformed by a combination of f1 0 1 2g twins and prism slip
at 258C, and by prism slip alone above 5008C. Although c‡a
slip is not responsible for a signi®cation amount of strain
below 3008C, it is important in accommodating the shear
ahead of a propagating f1 1 2 2g twin [17].
3. Experiments
The experiments use an electric wire to heat the mold and
the specimen before pressing. When the specimen reaches
the selected temperature, the deep drawing process is exe-
cuted with a cooling effect in punch. The press equipment is
an Amino universal forming test machine, the test being
similar to the SUS304 test [1±3]. The selected material,
listed in Table 1, is commercially pure titanium sheet (AMS
4901 grade 4). The mold shoulder radius is 8 mm, there is a
coating of TiC on the mold surface, lubrication with graphite
for high temperature, and the punch speed is 4 mm/s. The
results are measured for changing BHF load under spring
strain, for changing operating temperature by means of a
heat controller with thermal couple and a heating wire, and
for different sheet size.
The sheet was cut to the selected size and a grid etched
upon it. When the mold was heated to the operating tem-
perature, graphite was applied to the surface of the specimen
and BHF applied. Then the specimen was caused to ¯ow into
mold cavity hole by the cooled punch after it had been
heated to the selected temperature. The best deep-drawing
conditions and the forming limit were found by changing the
experiment variables in accordance with wrinkling or frac-
ture of the drawn cups. The cups with best operating
Table 1
The chemical composition and properties of CP Ti (1 ksiˆ0.89 kN)
Wt% Ti C Fe O N
a-Ti Bal. 0.01 0.12 0.34 0.011
YS (ksi) US (ksi) El. (%)
L T L T L T
81.1 87.6 102.7 102.9 21 25
condition were tested by X-ray and TEM identi®cation to
explore the deformed microstructure and the reason for the
increased forming limit.
4. Results and discussion
The relationship between the appearances of the drawn
cups and the drawing conditions is shown in Fig. 1.
4.1. Operating temperature
The height of the drawn cups for different operating
temperatures is shown in Fig. 2. The forming limit increases
from room temperature to elevated temperature: at 4008C
the height of the drawn cup increases to twice the height of a
cup drawn at 258C. The material deforms more easily as the
temperature increases due to the strength decreasing, and the
¯owability becomes better as work hardening becomes
milder than at room temperature. The cooling effect from
the punch makes material ¯ow into the mold cavity easily by
raising the strength of cup wall. Differing from stainless
steel SUS304, the breakage point of CP Ti is in the cup wall
normal to the rolling direction, not at the edge of the cup
bottom as with SUS304, as due to anisotropy [18,19]. CP Ti
is tensioned non-uniformly on the cup wall, but thinned by
tension more easily normal to the rolling direction causing
fracture by necking.
4.2. Blank-holding force
Illustrated in Fig. 2 is the best BHF for different operating
temperatures. The degrees of work hardening decreases
when the temperature increases, and large BHF advances
the fracture time of the cup. The BHF needs to be raised at a
lower temperature to avoid wrinkling and reach limit drawn
height.
4.3. X-ray test of the cup-bottom material
2 can determine the crystal plane from diffraction ana-
lysis data. TCh k i l [20] (texture coef®cient) is given by
Ih k i l =Ih0 k i l
TCh k i l ˆ P
…1=n† …Ih k i l =Ih0 k i l †
and can be counted by the integral intensity to determine the
preferred orientation [20]. Fig. 3 shows the dependence of
the calculated TC values on operating temperature. TC1 1 2 2
increased at 2008C but then decreased with further increase
H in temperature, TC0 1 1 2 increased when the temperature
0.0026 increased and reached the highest value at 4008C.
G A
(mm) 4.4. TEM identification of the fracture point
The TEM microstructures of CP Ti at the symmetric
0.88
position of the fracture point are shown in Figs. 4±7: before
 J.-M. Liu, S.-S. Chou / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 95 (1999) 65±70 67

Fig. 1. Appearance of the drawn cups.

deformation; deformed at room temperature; and deformed
at 2008C and 4008C, respectively. Listed in Table 2 is the
slip system and twinning observed at different operating
temperatures.
In CP Ti sheet there is only dislocation tangle at room
temperature (Fig. 4). f0 1 1 1g‰1 2 1 3Š slip (Fig. 5) was
observed at 258C; f0 1 1 0g‰0 0 0 1Š slip, f1 1 0 1g‰0 1 1 1Š
slip, f1 1 2 0g‰0 0 0 1Š slip (Fig. 6), f1 1 2 1g‰1 2 1 3Š slip,
f1 2 1 2g‰1 2 1 3Š slip and f0 1 1 1g‰0 1 1 2Š twin at 2008C;
and f0 1 1 1g‰1 2 1 3Š slip, f2 1 1 0g‰0 0 0 1Š slip,
f2 1 1 0g‰0 1 1 1Š slip, f0 1 1 1g‰0 1 1 2Š twin (Fig. 7) and
f0 1 1 2g‰0 1 1 1Š twin at 4008C. Among these,
f0 1 1 1g‰1 2 1 3Š pyramidal slip system [21] with c ‡ a

Fig. 2. Height of the drawn cups and the best BHF for different operating
temperatures. Fig. 3. TCh k i l at different operating temperatures.
68 J.-M. Liu, S.-S. Chou / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 95 (1999) 65±70

Table 2
The slip system and twinning observed at different operating temperatures

RT 2008C 4008C

f0 11 0g …0 1 1 0†‰0 0 0 1Š
f0 11 1g …0 1 1 1†‰1 2 1 3Š …1 1 0 1†‰0 1 1 1Š …0 1 1 1†‰1 2 1 3Š
…0 1 1 1†‰0 1 1 2Š …0 1 1 1†‰0 1 1 2Š
…1 1 0 1†‰1 2 1 3Š
f0 1 1 2g …0 1 1 2†‰0 1 1 1Š
f1 1 2 0g …1 1 2 0†‰0 0 0 1Š …2 1 1 0†‰0 0 0 1Š
…1 2 1 0†‰0 0 0 1Š
…2 1 1 0†‰0 1 1 1Š
f1 1 2 1g …1 1 2 1†‰1 2 1 3Š
f1 1 2 2g …1 2 1 2†‰1 2 1 3Š

ductile, with CP Ti being accommodated by f1 0 1 1g ten-

Fig. 4. TEM photograph before deformation at room temperature.
dislocation is found both at 258C and 4008C;
f1 1 2 0g‰0 0 0 1Š pyramidal slip system with c dislocation
and f0 1 1 1g‰0 1 1 2Š tension twinning [5] are found both at
2008C and 4008C. Comparing with 258C, f0 1 1 0g‰0 0 0 1Š
prismatic slip system [21] with c dislocation,
f1 1 2 0g‰0 0 0 1Š pyramidal slip system with c dislocation,
f1 1 2 1g‰1 2 1 3Š and f1 2 1 2g‰1 2 1 3Š pyramidal slip system
with c ‡ a dislocation, and f0 1 1 1g‰0 1 1 2Š tension twin-
ning are found at 2008C; whilst comparing with 2008C,
f0 1 1 2g‰0 1 1 1Š compression twinning [5] is found at
4008C.
When the operating temperature is increased, CRSS
(critical resolved shear stress) for slip system and twinning
decreased [22]. Accordingly it was deduced that at 2008C,
slip system with c or c ‡ a dislocation can make CP Ti more
sion twinning; and at 4008C, CP Ti is more ductile being
accommodated by f0 1 1 2g compression twinning. Thus it
shows that CP Ti relaxes more strain energy at elevated
temperatures by a more active slip system to obtain better
formability.
5. Conclusion
1. Deep drawing at two temperatures can raise formability
of commercially pure titanium effectively. The deep
drawability of CP Ti at 4008C is almost twice that at
room temperature.
2. The breakage point of commercially pure titanium is in
the cup wall normal to the rolling direction due to
anisotropy.
3. Appropriate blank-holding force can make CP Ti reach a
limiting drawn height, the required BHF decreasing when
the operating temperature increases.

Fig. 5. TEM photograph after deformation at room temperature.

 J.-M. Liu, S.-S. Chou / Journal of Materials Processing Technology 95 (1999) 65±70 69

Fig. 6. TEM photograph after deformation at 2008C.

Fig. 7. TEM photograph after deformation at 4008C.

4. X-ray tests and TEM identification have established that References

CP Ti relaxes more strain energy at elevated temperature
by a more active slip system to obtain better formability.
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to the Metal Industry Develop-
ment Center for supplying equipment during this deep
drawing study. The experiments were sponsored by the
National Science Council of China (NSC 85-2216-E006-
016).
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