With the development of society and the economy, there is an increasing demand for surface treatment techniques that can efficiently utilize metal materials to obtain good performances in the fields of mechanical engineering and the aerospace industry. The laser metal deposition (LMD) technique for cladding has become a research focus in recent years because of its lower dilution rate, small heat-effect zone and good metallurgical bonding between the coating and substrate. This paper reviews the simulation technology for the melt pool’s grain growth mechanism, temperature and stress distribution that are directly related to defect formation in LMD technology. At the same time, the defect suppression method and the performance improvement method of the cladded layer in LMD technology are introduced. Finally, it is pointed out that the active selection of materials according to the required performance, combined with the controllable processing technology, to form the corresponding microstructure, and finally, to actively realize the expected function, is the future development direction of LMD technology.

In this study, material and dynamic stress experiments are combined with finite element (FE) simulations to reveal the fracture mechanism of the wheelset lifting apparatus, and a structural design optimization scheme based on the double-layer Kriging surrogate model is proposed. The fracture mechanism of the wheelset lifting apparatus is first clarified through the material analysis of macro/micro and dynamic stress tests. Static strength and modal analyses are then performed to perfect the mechanism analysis in terms of structural performance. An efficient, robust, fatigue design optimization method based on the double-layer Kriging surrogate model and improved non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) is finally proposed to improve the original design scheme. For the wheelset lifting mechanism’s fracture, the crack source is found on the transition fillet surface of the lifting lug and lifting ring, where the fracture has the characteristics of two-way, multisource, high-cycle, low-stress fatigue. It is further revealed that the vibration fatigue occurring at the point of maximum stress is the main cause of the fracture. The effectiveness of the proposed design optimization method is validated via comparative analysis.

Hastelloy X exhibits outstanding thermal fatigue resistance, making it a promising material for repairing 50CrVA landing gear via directed energy deposition (DED). However, the substantial differences in composition and thermophysical properties between 50CrVA and Hastelloy X pose challenges by affecting interfacial microstructure and surface quality. This study investigates the effect of DED process parameters (laser power p, powder feed rate f, scanning speed v, and overlap rate) on the dilution ratio (η), microscopic morphology, surface flatness (ζ), and porosity of Hastelloy X claddings on a 50CrVA substrate. An optimization methodology integrating thermal–flow coupled simulation models and orthogonal experiments is developed to fabricate high-quality claddings. Furthermore, the corrosion–wear performance of the claddings is evaluated. The results indicate that the η of a single track increases with higher p or lower f, while it first increases and then decreases with the increase in v. Ablation marks tend to occur at excessive p or insufficient f, while low v causes surface ripples. The ζ of a single layer initially improves and subsequently deteriorates with increasing overlap rate. Porosity is significantly influenced by p and f. The optimal p, f, v, and overlap rate are 1600 W, 2.4 g/min, 240 mm/min, and 55%, respectively. The wear resistance of the cladding is nearly identical to that of the substrate, while corrosion resistance is significantly improved. This work provides a theoretical foundation for high-performance repair of 50CrVA landing gear in aircraft.