Forming of ultra-thin titanium sheets with intermediate electropulsing treatment

The formability of the ultra-thin (0.1 mm) titanium sheet is improved by introducing an intermediate electropulsing treatment in a two-step stamping process. This improvement is attributed to the enhancement in both the work hardening capability and total elongation. A short-duration electropulsing treatment (∼2 s) significantly reduces the twin density and dislocation pile-up, while also expediting the formation of equi-axed recrystallized grains in the pre-deformed titanium sheets. With its excellent time- and cost-efficiency, the proposed process has the potential to be seamlessly integrated into conventional multi-step stamping lines to extend the forming limits of ultra-thin titanium sheets.