TY  - JOUR
T2  - Journal of Mining and Metallurgy, Section B: Metallurgy
TI  - Spatial variability of HV5 hardness in industrial direct chill cast EN AW-5083 ingots in the as-cast and homogenized conditions
VL  - 62
IS  - 2
SP  - 149
EP  - 161
PY  - 2026
DA  - 10 June 2026
DO  - 10.2298/JMMB260327012D
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2298/JMMB260327012D
AU  - Dolic, Natalija
AU  - Zovko Brodarac, Zdenka
AU  - Kozina, Franjo
AD  - University of Zagreb, Faculty of Metallurgy, Sisak, Croatia;
AB  - 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.
KW  - EN AW-5083
KW  - Direct Chill casting
KW  - Homogenization
KW  - Vickers hardness
KW  - Spatial variability
KW  - Statistical analysis
N1  - Correspondence Address: Natalija Dolic; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Metallurgy, Sisak, Croatia; email: ndolic@simet.unizg.hr
N1  - J. Min. Metall. Sect. B-Metall., 62 (2) (2026) 149-161. doi:10.2298/JMMB260327012D
PB  - Technical Faculty in Bor
SN  - 1450-5339 (ISSN)
LA  - English
J2  - J. Min. Metall. Sect. B Metall.
M3  - Article
ER  -