Effect of quenching residual stress on precipitation behaviour of 7085 aluminium alloy

•The effect of quenching residual stress on precipitation behaviors of 7085 Al alloy slabs was investigated.•Cladding quenching eliminated quenching residual stress of 7085 Al alloy slabs effectively.•The presence of quenching residual stress altered the hardness distribution after aging.•The elastic lattice distortion caused by residual stress could promote precipitation nucleation.•The generation and movement of dislocations accelerated the growth and coarsening of η precipitate.