Ti-6Al-4V alloy is widely used, mainly in aircraft industry, due to its low density, excellent corrosion/oxidation resistance and attractive mechanical properties. This alloy has relatively low formability, so forming parts of complex geometries out of this alloy requires precisely controlled thermomechanical processing parameters. In industrial conditions Ti-6Al-4V alloy is usually processed by forging or extrusion. Ti-6Al-4V alloy is applied for structural parts of aircrafts, which are often exposed to variable loads and high or cyclically changing strain rates. Moreover, Ti-6Al-4V alloy is often used for structural parts providing good ballistic performance. That is why the knowledge of the mechanical behaviour of this alloy under dynamic conditions is important. This work is aimed at the analysis of Ti-6Al-4V alloy behaviour under quasi-static and dynamic deformation conditions. Both dynamic and quasi-static tensile tests were performed in this research. Moreover, ARAMIS system, a non-contact and material independent measuring system providing accurate 2D displacements, surface strain values and strain rates, was applied. The influence of tensile test strain rate on chosen mechanical properties of the investigated alloy was also discussed. The investigations showed a significant influence of processing strain rate on the mechanical behaviour of Ti-6Al-4V alloy.

The processing maps developed by dynamic material modelling (DMM) method are now widely used in the design of hot forming processes. However, this applies to those processes that are relatively fast or are carried out under isothermal conditions, when it is possible to maintain the deformation parameters within the processing window. In the case of multi-stage free forging, the temperature successively decreases during subsequent operations and is increased during inter-process reheating. Under such conditions, processing maps in direct form are not applicable. The proposed solution is to implement the data obtained by the DMM method into calculations carried out by the finite element method (FEM). This approach leads to obtain the distributions of DMM parameters in the volume of the feedstock at successive forging stages. Selected results of a combined DMM/FEM analysis of a multi-stage hot forging process of 80MnSi8-6 steel are presented. The starting data for the analysis were the flow curves of this material, determined from compression tests. The processing maps were developed and processing windows were determined. The results of the DMM analysis were verified by microstructure observations. Data from the DMM analysis were implemented into QForm software using LUA scripts. An integrated FEM/DMM numerical analysis of the process of a multi-step hot free forging of an example product was performed. The geometry of the tools and a sequence of operations were developed. The distributions of the DMM parameters and the hot deformation activation energy in the forging volume after successive forging sequences were analyzed.

The stress-strain curves for nickel-based superalloy were obtained from isothermal hot compression tests at a wide range of deformation temperatures and strain rates. The material constants and deformation activation energy of the investigated superalloy were calculated. The accuracy of the constitutive equation describing the hot deformation behavior of this material was confirmed by the correlation coefficient for the linear regression. The distribution of deformation activation energy Q as a function of strain rate and temperature for nickel-based superalloy was presented. The processing maps were generated upon the basis of Prasad stability criterion for true strains ranging from 0.2 to 1 at the deformation temperatures range of 900–1150 °C, and strain rates range of 0.01–100 s⁻¹. Based on the flow stress curves analysis, deformation activation energy map, and processing maps for different true strains, the undesirable and potentially favorable hot deformation parameters were determined. The microstructural observations confirmed the above optimization results for the hot workability of the investigated superalloy. Besides, the numerical simulation and industrial forging tests were performed in order to verify the obtained results.

The flow behavior of metastable β titanium alloy was investigated basing on isothermal hot compression tests performed on Gleeble 3800 thermomechanical simulator at near and above β transus temperatures. The flow stress curves were obtained for deformation temperature range of 800–1100 °C and strain rate range of 0.01–100 s⁻¹. The strain compensated constitutive model was developed using the Arrhenius-type equation. The high correlation coefficient (R) as well as low average absolute relative error (AARE) between the experimental and the calculated data confirmed a high accuracy of the developed model. The dynamic material modeling in combination with the Prasad stability criterion made it possible to generate processing maps for the investigated processing temperature, strain and strain rate ranges. The high material flow stability under investigated deformation conditions was revealed. The microstructural analysis provided additional information regarding the flow behavior and predominant deformation mechanism. It was found that dynamic recovery (DRV) was the main mechanism operating during the deformation of the investigated β titanium alloy.

The paper presents the analysis of hot deformation behavior of Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-6Mo (Ti-6246) alloy using the theory of dynamic material modeling (DMM) based on hot compression tests performed to a total true strain of 1 at the strain rates from 0.01 to 100 s⁻¹ and at the temperatures within the range between 800 and 1100 °C. The processing maps according to the Prasad’s criterion were developed. The analysis of the processing maps allowed for the placement of domains describing the areas of potentially favorable combinations of hot deformation parameters. The microstructure observations of the investigated alloy specimens after hot deformation in stability and instability areas were conducted. The optimal processing parameters for numerical modeling of Ti-6246 alloy forging were selected based on processing maps. After complex analysis of the obtained results, microstructural observations and numerical modeling of forging of selected part, the forging tests of Ti-6246 alloy were realized. The obtained product quality assessment was carried out by computed tomography non-destructive testing.