300M steel is used extensively for aircraft landing gears because of its high strength, ductility
and toughness. However, like other high-strength steels, 300M steel is vulnerable to corrosion
fatigue and stress corrosion cracking, which can lead to catastrophic consequences in the landing
gear. Stainless steels offer a combination of corrosion, wear, and fatigue properties. But for an
aircraft landing gear application a higher surface hardness is required. A laser cladding process
with fast heating and cooling rates can improve the surface hardness. AISI 4340 steel is used as a
lower cost alternative to 300M due to its similar composition. In this study, the influence of laser
cladding process parameters, shield gas, and composition of the deposition and dilution zone has
been investigated. The microstructures and composition analysis were evaluated by Scanning
Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Optical Microscopy. The deposition hardness varies from
330HV to 600HV.Mechanical Engineerin