Effect of the specimen thickness on the aging of Al-4 and 10 mass%Zn alloys was studied by measuring the electrical resistance and the intensity of small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). When the quenching temperature (TQ) was high, the value of resistance attained at the stage of aging where the change in resistivity ceased virtually was not influenced by the specimen thickness. In the case of low TQ, the resistance was higher for the thin specimen because of the impoverishment of vacancies. The total amount of GP zones formed decreased with decreasing thickness or TQ in the case of low TQ, but did not depend upon the thickness or TQ in the case of high TQ. Both the Guinier radius and the Porod radius for the specimen of 0.1 mm thickness were smaller than those for the 0.2mm thick one when TQ was low, but they became independent of thickness when TQ was high. The quenching temperature at which the Guinier radius was maximum, was higher for the 0.1mm thick specimen than that for the 0.2mm thick one. These results are discussed from the viewpoint of the diffusion of vacancies to the surface and their annihilation during aging. (Received March 16, 1987) Keywords: aging, aluminum-zinc alloy, small-angle X-ray scattering, integrated intensity, Guinier radius, Porod radius, vacancy diffusion, surface, electrical resistanceMany experiments have been conducted on the aging of Al-Zn alloys using various methods and dimensions of specimens. For instance, the thickness of specimens when heat-treated is about 0.1mm for electron microscopy or small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and more than 1mm for hardness testing.The present authors(1) previously used the hardness test to study the age hardening of the Al-12 mass%Zn alloy aged at room temperature. They found that the Vickers hardness number depended on the location of indentation in the grain of the specimen aged after quenching from a low temperature. The hardness number near the grain boundary (within surface was slightly smaller than that of the interior of the grain. Small spherical GP zones were observed, by using an electron microscope, in the thin foil made from the region near the surface of the aged specimen of 1 mm thickness, while there were ellipsoidal, a little larger zones in the foil made from the interior region. These findings have been interpreted as signifying the suppression of the growth of GP zones in the regions near the grain boundaries and the regions near the specimen surface, due to a decrease in the vacancies induced by effective annihilation at the grain surface as well as at the internal sinks, such as dislocations.According to the above interpretation, it may be expected that the process of aging, total amount of GP zones formed, etc. are more or less different between the specimens of less than 0.1mm thickness and those of more than 0.2mm thickness. Thus the thickness of the specimen is considered to be one important factor for understanding the process of aging. In this article, the effect of thickness on the aging of Al-4mass%Zn and Al...