Which mechanism caused early Bronze Age axes to fail prematurely during deforestation tasks?

💡 Explanation

During deforestation, repeated impacts caused work hardening because the bronze alloy's microstructure developed dislocations during each impact event leading to embrittlement and eventual fracture. Therefore, work hardening and embrittlement results, rather than creep, corrosion, or fatigue which require different environmental conditions and loading patterns.

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