work hardeningn.
/ˌwəːk ˈhɑːdn̩ɪŋ/, /ˌwəːk ˈhɑːdnɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈwərk ˌhɑrdn̩ɪŋ/ Metallurgy.
The process of becoming work-hardened (work-hardened adj. 2); the state of being work-hardened.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with specific materials > working with metal > [noun] > hardening, tempering, or annealing > cold working
cold work1899
strain hardening1914
work hardening1917
strain ageing1934
1917 Trans. Faraday Soc. 12 30 The hardness of the crystals..before and after work hardening is essentially identical and the source of the increased mass hardness must be sought elsewhere.
1924 Engineer 7 Mar. 248/2 (heading) Work-hardening of metals and the Herbert tester.
1946 V. N. Wood Metall. Materials vi. 185 During cold pressing..blemishes in the form of a linear pattern of long wedge-shaped marks due to slight variations in work hardening..occur.
1965 G. J. Jones Fund. Workshop Technol. vi. 102 These processes are carried out cold and therefore drawing is ordinarily accompanied by work hardening and a corresponding increase in tensile strength.
2006 Nature 27 Apr. p. xi Strain hardening, also called work hardening, is a property of crystalline materials much valued by engineers.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2014; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1917