Laser Cladding of Wear-Resistant Coatings for Soil-Engaging Components of Agricultural Machinery: Materials, Multiscale Structural Design, Process Optimization, Field Performance Evaluation, and Engineering Applications

Agricultural machinery components are frequently exposed to abrasive wear, impact loading, and corrosive environments, leading to rapid material loss and premature failure. Laser cladding provides an effective route for surface strengthening and remanufacturing because of its low dilution, metallurgical bonding, and flexible material design. This review examines recent progress in wear-resistant laser-cladded coatings for agricultural machinery, focusing on coating materials, multiphase and multiscale structural design, process regulation, service evaluation, and engineering applications. Fe-, Ni-, and Co-based and high-entropy alloy coatings are compared together with particle reinforcement, in situ synthesis, gradient structures, auxiliary-field processing, and post-treatment. Multiscale modeling, data-driven prediction, and digital-twin approaches are also discussed in relation to process optimization and service assessment. Current evidence shows that coating design should be matched to the dominant failure mode rather than guided by hardness alone. Fe-based and graded coatings remain attractive for large-volume soil-engaging components, whereas high-entropy and composite coatings offer advantages under coupled wear, corrosion, and impact conditions. Further development requires standardized testing, comparable service data, and stronger links between laboratory evaluation and field validation.