ABSTRACT
Coatings are the protective layers on the top of the material that enhance the working life of the component. This protective layer helps reduce the after-effects of wear, corrosion, or any type of degradation of material that may occur due to environmental conditions or failure. Coatings act like an interfacial layer between the material and environment or tool that is in contact. Therefore, an optimal blend of coating technique, material, and coating powder selected to provide a layer is required for the life enhancement of the material. Alloys and composites are in demand today for all manufacturing industries due to desired characteristics they possess. Getting material with desired properties and effective lifetime counts for saving time, effort, and is economical. Rare earth materials have also proven their worth and have been tried by many scholars which gave promising results. Metal matrix composites (MMCs) are a cluster of various materials combined to form a material with required properties. These MMCs can be synthesized in various ways, including stir casting and powder metallurgy that are commonly used. In this chapter, the basic coating techniques and composites generally used with different combinations of powders and rare earth are discussed. Also covered here are the microstructural effects that affect the structural, mechanical, and other physical properties of components. The present chapter is expected to give a precise summary of the composites being used and the coating techniques that have given desired results.
