Patent ID: 7533794

Claim:
A method for superplastically forming blanks to produce a first structural member having a predetermined configuration, the method comprising: providing a first and second blank comprising titanium, wherein the first blank has a grain size of between 0.8 and 1.2 micron and the second blank has a grain size of greater than 2 microns; heating each blank to within a diffusion bonding temperature range of each blank; diffusion bonding the first blank to the second blank at a diffusion bonding temperature of less than 1450° F.; heating the bonded blanks to within a superplastic forming temperature range of the blanks; and superplastically forming the bonded blanks at a forming temperature of less than 1450° F. to produce the structural member having the predetermined configuration, thereby forming a layer of alpha case oxide on the structural member; and pickling the structural member following superplastically forming the bonded blanks to remove the alpha case oxide layer.