Experimental Study on the Microchannel Structure of the Pure Titanium Sheet Fabricated by Polyurethane Forming

XU Yong; CHEN Fakai; ZHANG Chi; XIE Wenlong; ZHANG Shihong; CHEN Liansheng; TIAN Yaqiang

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1674-6457.2026.02.020

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Journal of Netshape Forming Engineering ›› 2026, Vol. 18 ›› Issue (2) : 218-225. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-6457.2026.02.020

Light Alloy Forming

Experimental Study on the Microchannel Structure of the Pure Titanium Sheet Fabricated by Polyurethane Forming

XU Yong^1,2,*, CHEN Fakai¹, ZHANG Chi², XIE Wenlong², ZHANG Shihong², CHEN Liansheng¹, TIAN Yaqiang¹

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Abstract

To develop manufacturing technologies suitable for pure titanium bipolar sheets, the work aims to investigate the effect of polyurethane soft mould forming process parameters on the forming quality of the fine and dense microchannel structures in pure titanium sheets. With 0.1 mm thick TA1 pure titanium as the experimental material, forming experiments were conducted by varying the equipment pressure, polyurethane thickness, and hardness during the polyurethane soft mould forming process. The differences in microchannel forming depth and wall thickness distribution under different parameters were compared and analyzed. The microchannel forming depth increased with increases in equipment pressure, polyurethane thickness, and hardness, with equipment pressure having the greatest impact. When the equipment pressure increased from 10 MPa to 50 MPa, the microchannel depth increased from 142.7 μm to 348 μm. In polyurethane soft mould forming, the two regions with the greatest overall thinning of the microchannels were the upper and lower rounded corners. When the equipment pressure and polyurethane thickness were consistent and the depth reached the expected depth, the average wall thickness reduction rate of microchannels under polyurethane with a hardness of 75 Shore A was 23.08%, while under polyurethane with a hardness of 85 Shore A, the average wall thickness reduction rate was 9.84%. By adjusting process parameters such as equipment pressure, polyurethane hardness, and thickness, local thinning of pure titanium sheets can be effectively suppressed, thereby improving the forming quality of microchannels.

Key words

pure titanium sheet / microchannel structure / polyurethane forming / process parameter adjustment / forming quality

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XU Yong, CHEN Fakai, ZHANG Chi, XIE Wenlong, ZHANG Shihong, CHEN Liansheng, TIAN Yaqiang. Experimental Study on the Microchannel Structure of the Pure Titanium Sheet Fabricated by Polyurethane Forming[J]. Journal of Netshape Forming Engineering. 2026, 18(2): 218-225 https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1674-6457.2026.02.020

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