Natalija Dolić
, Zdenka Zovko Brodarac, Franjo Kozina
J. Min. Metall. Sect. B-Metall., 62 (2) (2026) 149-161. DOI:10.2298/JMMB260327012D
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Available online 10 jun 2026
(Received 27 March 2026; Accepted 07 June 2026)
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This study examines the spatial variability of HV5 hardness in industrially produced Direct Chill (DC) cast EN AW-5083 aluminium alloy ingots in the as-cast and homogenized conditions. Hardness measurements were performed at predefined sampling positions in the front and rear sections of six ingots using a Latin square design and evaluated by analysis of variance (ANOVA), coefficients of variation, correlation analysis, and linear regression. The results indicate a uniform longitudinal hardness distribution, with similar mean HV5 values at the front and rear sections, while significantly larger variations occur across the ingot cross-section. Slice height (i) and slice width (j) were identified as the dominant sources of variability. Homogenization reduced the overall mean HV5 from 81.8 HV5 to 75.7 HV5, decreased the coefficient of variation from 5.56% to 4.64%, and increased the correlation coefficient from r = 0.76 to r = 0.85. A statistically significant but limited relationship between the number of grains per unit area (NA) and hardness was observed, indicating that NA contributes to local hardness variations but is not the dominant factor controlling the overall spatial hardness distribution. The results indicate that homogenization does not increase hardness but improves its spatial homogeneity primarily through reduction of local microstructural and compositional heterogeneity.
Keywords: EN AW-5083; Direct Chill casting; Homogenization; Vickers hardness; Spatial variability; Statistical analysis
Correspondence Address:
Natalija Dolić,
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Metallurgy, Sisak, Croatia;
email: ndolic@simet.unizg.hr
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