1. Scope and specific features

1.1 A place in the surface treatment family

The scope of treatments considered falls within the first of the four traditional surface treatment categories [37] .

• Structural transformation treatments, without filler material

  Only the surface metallurgical structure of the substrate is modified.

  This structural evolution can take place either mechanically (roller burnishing, shot peening) or thermally. In the latter case, which is the only one of interest to us, the solid phase can be used to harden suitable ferrous alloys by martensitic transformation, or the liquid phase can be used to transform gray cast iron into white...