This article examined the influence of pulse current duty cycle at different pulse durations and frequencies on the ratio of thermal and true electroplastic effects (EPEs) during quasi-static tension testing of commercially pure Grade 2 titanium in a coarse-grained recrystallized state. Duty cycle values varied over a wide range corresponding to the minimum thermal effect of the current. Microstructural studies were performed using optical microscopy, microhardness analysis of various sections of the specimen, and scanning electron microscopy of the fracture surface. An increase in temperature, a decrease/increase in the amplitude of stress surges, a reduction in flow stress, ductility, and suppression of the twinning mechanism with a decrease in the duty cycle in the range of 1000-50,000 were demonstrated. In all cases, the failure mechanism remained ductile but changed from dimple type to predominantly cup type with a simultaneous increase in porosity. The use of the duty cycle parameter allows one to regulate the contribution of thermal and electroplastic effects, which can be useful both for modeling the EPE mechanism and for practical use in pressure processing of titanium alloys accompanied by current.
