AbstractThe purpose of this paper is to study the effect of the compression stress applied on the HAZ (Heat affected Zone) in 6061-T6 Aluminum Alloy specimens. The main tools used to achieve this objective were the Vickers micrometer, the Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), the Differential Scanning Calorimeter and the Optical Microscope. It was found that with a natural aging time of four years the microhardness values were clearly increased, while with the compression stress these values showed a small increase. However, the more stable hardness profiles found in the compressed samples were attributed to the compression treatment.