The service life of rails would be remarkably reduced owing to the increase of axle load, which can induce the occurrence of damages such as cracks, collapse, fat edges, etc. Laser cladding, which can enhance the mechanical properties of the rail by creating a coating, has received great attention in the area of the rails due to the attractive advantages such as low input heat, small heat-affected zone, and small deformation. In this paper, recent developments in the microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of a cladded layer on the rail are reviewed. The method of process optimization for enhancing the properties of a cladded layer are discussed. Finally, the trend of future development is forecasted.

Owing to the unparalleled advantages in repairing of high value-add component with big size, fabricating of functionally graded material, and cladding to enhance the surface properties of parts, the laser material deposition (LMD) is widely used. Compared to the continuous wave (CW) laser, the controllability of the laser energy would be improved and the temperature history would be different under the condition of pulse wave (PW) laser through changing the pulse parameters, such as duty cycle and pulse frequency. In this paper, the research status of temperature field simulation, surface quality, microstructural features, including microstructures, microhardness, residual stress, and cracking, as well as corrosion behavior of metallic coating created by pulsed laser material deposition have been reviewed. Furthermore, the existing knowledge and technology gaps are identified while the future research directions are also discussed.

Owing to the versatility without expanding the machine’s size, thin-wall has been widely used in high-value parts. The investigation of laser additive manufacturing (LAM), which has advantages such as high powder density, easy controllability, and excellent stability, on the fabrication of thin-wall has drawn much attention. In this paper, the research status of macroscopic and microstructural features of metal thin-wall fabricated by LAM has been reviewed. The deposition quality was mainly focused on the effect of process parameters and especially the matching of z-increment and single deposition height. Based on the grain size and growth of columnar, the characteristics of microstructures were analyzed. Considering the structural feature of thin-wall, the effect of grain size and phases on the hardness and distribution of hardness were discussed. The effect of grain size, phases and loading direction on the tensile properties were reviewed. The distribution and modification of thermal stress were presented.

Cylinder liners, which are an vital part of marine diesel engines, are prone to damage owing to the pool working conditions of reciprocating friction and electrochemical corrosion. As a burgeoning manufacturing technology, laser cladding has a prospective application on repairing and performance enhancement of cylinder liners. The performance of cladding layers on cylinder liners reported by current studies is not satisfactory. The laser cladding, assisted by the steady state magnetic field on the cylinder liner, is an effectual method to cover the shortage. However, there are few studies about that. In this study, single-track Inconel 625 cladding layers were carried out on a cylinder liner, assisted by a steady-state magnetic field. The effects of the magnetic field intensity and direction on the geometrical characteristics (width, height, penetration, and dilution ratio), microstructure, phase composition, microhardness, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance were investigated. According to the results obtained, adding a magnetic field with a small magnetic field intensity can significantly enhance the flatness, hardness, friction, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance of the cladding layer. Applying a magnetic field in the horizontal direction was conducive to improving the corrosion resistance of the sample. With the application of a vertical magnetic field, the microhardness increased, and wear resistance, as well as the flatness of the cladding layer, were improved.