Author Description

This work reports on new scientific and technological developments involving: the substitution of phenomenological knowledge by fundamental insight on the structure-property relations (eg nitriding and nitrocarburizing); the modelling and control of various processes as, in particular, the classical quenching and tempering and the thermochemical processes; the emergence of dedicated surface treatments, as those based on ion beams and the numerous ways for physcial vapour deposition; and the rise to maturity of vauum and plasma technology including the application of (atmosphere) sense of various kinds.