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Abstract
The effect of deformation after quenching but before ageing on the age-hardening of several aluminium alloys has been investigated. The changes in hardness, tensile properties, and microstructure during ageing have been recorded. It has been found that, in addition to the work-hardening effect, alloys exhibiting heterogeneous nucleation display an increase in peak strength. This has been attributed to the extra dislocations introduced into the matrix by deformation, which provide additional nucleation sites for intermediate precipitates such as θ′ in Al–Cu and S′ in Al–Cu–Mg systems.