Microwave cladding on metallic surfaces: A review

Abstract

Abstract Microwave cladding is a cost-effective solution to improve surface properties of metallic components. It has developed as a technique for processing of an assortment of materials in the progressing years. In the immediate years this process has gained popularity as it helps in uniform heating throughout the material at the molecular level. The significant advantages of microwave cladding process are reduced production cost and less processing time. Microwaves have been utilized viably with critical points of interest, especially in food processing and chemical synthesis. They are furthermore observed to be proficient for processing polymers, polymeric composites, and ceramic composites. The science of interaction of microwaves with typically various materials is not yet investigated well; thus, there are difficulties in microwave processing of metal-based materials. This article gives an outline of major parts of microwave processing of metal-based materials and their interaction with metallic materials. The processing difficulties have been studied and advancements have been reported. The life of components exposed to severe tribological loading can be increased by a coating of appropriate material through cladding. The coating is generally obtained by partial dilution of the substrate and subsequent formation of metallurgical bonding between the substrate and the deposits.