Laser Cladding and Coating Technologies for Wear Resistance
Summary
Laser cladding and coating techniques employ a focused laser beam to melt and fuse metallic or ceramic feedstock onto a substrate, producing a metallurgically bonded overlay with minimal dilution and porosity. By adjusting key parameters—laser power, scan speed and material feed rate—engineers tailor the microstructure to introduce hard phases such as carbides, borides or intermetallics. These surface layers exhibit elevated microhardness and significantly improved resistance to abrasive, adhesive and erosive wear, as well as enhanced corrosion performance. Composite approaches, including metal-ceramic blends and self-lubricating additions, address specific service demands in power-generation turbines, automotive components, oil-and-gas equipment and biomedical implants. Advancements in in-process monitoring and model-driven parameter optimisation have increased the consistency and reproducibility of high-quality coatings, supporting wider industrial adoption and extending component lifetimes.
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Laser Cladding and Coating Technologies for Wear Resistance publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in laser cladding and coating technologies for wear resistance across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Laser cladding: A surface-engineering process in which a laser beam melts feedstock and substrate to form a bonded overlay.
Dilution: The extent of mixing between substrate and added material, influencing coating composition and properties.
Metallurgical bonding: A fusion interface at the atomic level that ensures strong adhesion between coating and substrate.
Porosity: The volume fraction of voids or pores within a coating, which can undermine mechanical integrity.
Microhardness: Hardness measured on a microscopic scale, indicative of resistance to localized plastic deformation.
Carbide: A compound of carbon with a metal, often forming hard precipitates that enhance wear resistance.
References
- Process parameter optimisation of laser clad iron based alloy: Predictive models of deposition efficiency, porosity and dilution. Surface and Coatings Technology (2018).
- Microstructure, hardness and slurry erosion-wear behaviors of high-speed laser cladding Stellite 6 coatings prepared by the inside-beam powder feeding method. Journal of Materials Research and Technology (2022).
- Effect of WC particles preparation method on microstructure and properties of laser cladded Ni60-WC coatings. Journal of Materials Research and Technology (2023).
- An Overview of Technological Parameter Optimization in the Case of Laser Cladding. Coatings (2023).
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