Dispersion-strengthened alloys are promising candidates for applicatio
n at high homologous temperatures. Mechanical loss measurements were c
arried out on a dispersion-strengthened Al alloy with about 10 vol.% o
f incoherent Al2O3 and Al4C3 particles. We observe a loss maximum at a
bout 590 K for a frequency f=1 Hz which exhibits an exceptionally high
activation enthalpy (H=2.2 eV) compared with that for self-diffusion
(H-D=1.48 eV). The peak height increases with oscillation frequency. A
dditionally, transmission electron microscopy studies were carried out
for a correlation of the loss spectrum with the microstructure. To ex
plain the experimental results, a relaxation model is proposed which c
onsiders jog nucleation on climbing edge dislocations as the time-limi
ting mechanism.