48. Development and Correlative Microstructural-Nanoindentation Investigation on Ni-Based + 10% Al₂O₃ Nanocomposite Microwave Clad on Hydroturbine Steel

This work deals with the development of Ni-based + Al₂O₃ nanocomposite clads on CA6NM (hydroturbine steel) through microwave heating. In the present study, Ni-based + 10 wt% nanometric Al₂O₃ powders were used to develop clads on CA6NM grade hydroturbine steel using a multimode domestic microwave applicator of frequency 2.45 GHz operating at a power of 0.9 kW. A scanning electron microscope was used to evaluate the microstructure of the clad. The microstructural analysis and EDS confirm excellent metallurgical bonding between clad and the substrate. Nanoindentation was used to evaluate the nanoscale mechanical properties of the developed nanocomposite microwave clads. Nanoindentation analysis also revealed that the clad layer exhibit 74% higher hardness as compared to the substrate. The observations favor the deposition of the Ni-based + 10% Al₂O₃ nanocomposite microwave clads to minimize slurry erosion in CA6NM hydroturbine steel.