Low temperature softening of work hardened Al–1 mass%Mn–1 mass%Mg alloys, containing small and large (Mn, Fe)Al
6 dispersed particles (dispersoids) has been studied. Linear work hardening in an early stage of the stress-strain curves has been found to be due to the pile-up of dislocations around the particles and be proportional to the volume fraction of particles. The work hardened materials are easily softened by annealing at a low temperature mainly because of the climbing of Orowan loops around the particles. The softening rate of the specimens containing small patricles is faster than that containing large ones, with the activation energy of more or less 1.5 eV. Finally, the softening rate has been found to be inversely propotional to the forth power of the particle size. It has been suggested that the rate controlling process softening is dislocation pipe diffusion around the particles.
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