Rapid age-Hardening Behavior Induced By Dislocation-Induced Precipitates In Zeg220 Magnesium Alloy

This study presents a novel approach to enhance the age-hardening response of the ZEG220 alloy by integrating pre-straining with a short aging process. The ZEG220 alloy, when subjected to a 7% pre-strain, demonstrated a significant increase in yield strength of 29 MPa following a brief aging treatment at 190 °C/ 30 min. This rapid hardening response is primarily attributed to the introduction of dislocations, which promote the migration of Ca and Zn elements at the grain boundaries. This behavior promotes the formation of nanoscale \({\beta }_{2}{\prime}\) ${\beta }_2\prime$ -MgZn₂ precipitates and G.P. zones. A suite of analytical techniques was employed to characterize the alloys processed through this thermomechanical route, including tensile testing, EBSD, and TEM. The basic mechanisms by which pre-strain affects the age-hardening response of ZEG220 alloys are discussed in detail.