Age hardening, also known as precipitation hardening, is a type of heat treatment that is used to impart strength to metals and their alloys. ... The metal is aged by either heating it or keeping it stored at lower temperatures so that precipitates are formed. The process of age hardening was discovered by Alfred Wilm.

What are the three steps in an age hardening treatment?

The process is called Precipitation Hardening or Age Hardening which involves three distinct steps: Solution Treatment to minimize segregation in the alloy, Quenching to create a supersaturated solid solution and Aging to facilitate the formation of coherent precipitates which strengthen the alloy by interfering with ...

How does precipitation hardening work?

Precipitation hardening is the hardening of a material due to the growth of precipitates that impede dislocation motion. Basically, this process involves heating a mixture to a high temperature, then cooling, then heating to a medium temperature, and finally cooling again.