Abstract: A method for determining the value of the strain rate sensitivity parameter m, of a thin sheet superplastic material, which is based on the results of constant gas pressure tests, has been developed in this paper. Unlike the conventional procedures the method involved provides the test conditions similar to those occurring during an industrial technological process. Such an approach enables one to estimate reliable the superplas- tic properties of the material under study. Theoretical analysis is based upon use of the standard equations of the membrane theory. The experimental investigations have been carried out for Ti-based alloy VT6 (Ti--6Al-4V). Theoretical predictions show satisfactory agreement with experimental data. The results obtained are compared with those measured by means of standard procedures (constant cross-head velocity experiments and load relaxation tests). It is shown that the use of specimens having reduced gage length (which is less than specimen's width) could lead to considerable errors in experimental estimation of the m value which, in its turn, leads to inaccurate calculating the technological parameters.

Key words: superplasticity, mechanical property, strain rate sensitivity, titanium alloy