Effect of pre-strain and grain size on the evolution of precipitate free zones (PFZs) in a Mg-8Al-0.5Zn alloy

The aim of this work is to investigate the effect of pre-strain and grain size on the evolution of precipitate free zones (PFZs) in an AZ80 Mg alloy. The results show a significant dependence of PFZ width on pre-strain and grain size. The effect of pre-strain was rationalised by considering the pile up of dislocations at the grain boundary. Alternatively, the grain size effect was evaluated by considering the solute segregation and precipitate characteristics at the grain boundary.