Which outcome results when bronze sickle blades are improperly heat treated during manufacture?

💡 Explanation

When bronze sickle blades are improperly heat treated via rapid quenching, increased grain boundary stresses occur because differential cooling rates solidify phases unevenly, resulting in high brittleness. Therefore, fracturing occurs, rather than ductility, reduced hardness, or malleability, which require controlled cooling or different compositional changes.

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