Ultra-fine grained (UFG) materials can be produced by several techniques involving
severe plastic deformation (SPD). Accumulative Roll Bonding (ARB) is one of the SPD methods
that enable the production of large amounts of UFG sheets. UFG sheets were prepared by up to six
cycles of ARB at ambient temperature from an Al-0.22Sc-0.13Zr alloy in two states: a non-agehardened
and a peak-aged. The effect of Al3(Sc1-xZrx) precipitates on the thermal stability of the
UFG structures produced by ARB was investigated by isochronal annealing at temperatures between
200 and 550 °C. Additionally, the non-age-hardened ARB material was peak-aged prior to
annealing and annealed together with both as-ARB-processed materials. The changes of
microstructure and hardness due to annealing were studied. Annealing at 300 °C induces an
additional strengthening in both non-pre-aged ARB materials that may be ascribed to precipitation
and growth of coherent Al3(Sc1-xZrx) particles. This result suggests that the hardness decrease
introduced by ARB in the peak-aged specimen is due to dissolution of precipitates during
deformation. The annealing response of the materials above 300 °C does not depend on their
thermal pre-treatment. However, the finely dispersed Al3(Sc1-xZrx) precipitates stabilise the refined
deformed microstructure suitable for superplastic forming up to relatively high temperatures.