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In recent years, surface modification by laser alloying and cladding has attracted much attention of turbine blade manufacturers to circumvent erosion and improve the service life. Most of the past and ongoing research on application of laser cladding for turbine components was confined to structural applications. Information on the use of laser cladding for erosion resistance improvement of turbine blades is scarce. This book provides a comprehensive experimental detail on methodology of laser cladding of commercial turbine blades using carbide reinforced intermetallic matrix composites. The metallurgical characterization of the developed clad layers together with the cavitation and liquid impact erosion test details authenticating the practical applicability of these coatings. The elasto-plastic property based correlation with erosion resistance will help to tailor coatings for turbine blades operating at different environments. The approach adapted in this book will help professionals, academicians and industrialists working in the field of surface engineering and tribology to better understand the potential and to extend the technique to other practical applications.

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Muthukannan Duraiselvam, Ph.D: DAAD Fellow and doctorate from Technical University of Clausthal, Germany. Studied Master of Eng. in Manufacturing Technology at National Institute of Technology (NIT), Trichy, India. Associate Professor in the Department of Production Engineering, NIT, Trichy. Research interests are laser cladding and tribology.

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