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Effects of AlN addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of as-cast Mg-Al-Zn magnesium alloy were investigated using optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and tensile testing. Five different samples were made with different amounts of AlN(0wt%, 0.12wt%, 0.30wt%, 0.48wt%, 0. 60wt%). The results show that the phases of as-cast alloy are composed of α-Mg,β-Mg17Al12. The addition of AlN suppressed the precipitation of the β-phase. And, with the increase of AlN content, the microstructure of β-phase was changed from the reticulum to fine grains. When AlN content was up to 0.48wt% in the alloy, the β-phase became most uniform distribution. After adding 0.3wt% AlN to Al-Mg-Zn alloy, the average alloy grain size reduced from 102μm to 35μm ,the tensile strength of alloy was the highest. The average tensile strength increased from 139MPa to 169.91MPa, the hardness increased from 77.7HB to 98.4HB, but the elongation changes indistinctively. However, when more amount of AlN was added, the average alloy grain size did not reduce sequentially and increased to 50μm by adding 0.6wt% AlN and the β-phase became a little more. Keywords: Al-Mg-Zn alloy; AlN; β-Mg17Al12; Tensile strength