The interaction of natural ageing with straining in a twin-roll cast AlMgSi automotive sheet

Straining, whether employed shortly after or long after the solution treatment, produces a favorable effect on the T8X strength of a twin-roll cast AlMgSi automotive sheet. Clustering is largely suppressed when sheet samples are strained before natural ageing. Clusters, already present when the sheet samples are strained after natural ageing, transform to stable Guinier-Preston GP-1 zones during the paint-bake. (c) 2006 Acta Materialia, Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.