Disclosed is a method for manufacturing thin sheets of high-strength
titanium alloys. The method includes the steps of preparing initial
blanks, assembling the initial blanks into a pack within a sheath, and
heating and hot rolling the pack of the initial blanks in the sheath. The
method is characterized in that, in the step of preparing the initial
blanks, blanks having an (.alpha.-phase grain size of not more than 2
.mu.m are produced by hot rolling a forged or die-forged slab to a
predetermined value of a relative thickness h.sub.B/h.sub.F, where
h.sub.B is a thickness in mm of the initial blank before said pack hot
rolling and h.sub.F is a final sheet thickness in mm, and by heat
treating the initial blanks followed by rapidly cooling; and in that the
step of pack hot rolling is conducted in quasi-isothermal conditions in
longitudinal and transverse directions, while changing a rolling
direction by about 90.degree. after a predetermined total reduction in
one direction is achieved. The method provides big-sized thin sheets made
of high-strength titanium alloys and having homogeneous
submicrocrystalline structure where an average grain size is less than 1
.mu.m. The sheets have the required mechanical properties suitable for
superplastic forming (SPF) at temperatures below 800.degree. C.