The emergence of the subject contact and surface treatment about two decades ago was driven greatly by the realization that the surface is usually the most important part of any engineering component. Structural components fail by wear, corrosion, high cycle fatigue etc., all of which are affected and initiated by surface conditions. Consequently, an appropriate approach to prolong the life of components is to modify the surface layer of a base material or to coat it. However, in many cases it is the combination of effects, e.g. of wear and corrosion, that causes the damage, making the field of surface engineering complex and challenging. In addition, the substrate can have an effect and needs to be taken into account, further complicating things. The aforementioned aspects are reported and discussed in this book.
In particular, the focal point in the book is on surface coating, damage mechanics, residual stress effects, laser surface treatment and mechanical surface treatment. Special emphasis was given to the application of advanced theoretical and experimental approaches, e.g. Experimental and Numerical Tests, Computer Simulation, Multiscale Experiments and Modelling, Fracture Fatigue and Damage Mechanics, Surface Modification, Surface Problems in Contact Mechanics, and Thick and Thin Coatings.