Skin melting

A surface treatment for metallic articles including the steps of:

• a. providing a metallic article having a surface integral with a substrate;
• b. modifying the composition of at least a portion of the article surface so that the composition is a eutectic;
• c. providing a high density energy source, said energy being of a type which is transformed to heat when it strikes a metallic surface;
• d. heating the modified metallic surface to a temperature between the surface melting temperature and the surface vaporization temperature within a time of about 10.sup.-3 and about 10.sup.-7 seconds;
• e. allowing the melted surface layer to cool at a rate in excess of 10.sup.5 .degree. C/sec. by conduction into the unmelted substrate.

A treatment for producing a microcrystalline surface layer on alloys based on transition metals which contain significant quantities of certain metalloids including the steps of:

• a. providing a metallic article having at least a surface layer based on the group consisting of transition metals and mixtures thereof further containing an amount of a metalloid material chosen from the group consisting of metalloids and mixtures thereof in excess of the solid solubility limit so that metalloid rich precipitates are present under equilibrium conditions, with the surface layer being integral with a metallic substrate;
• b. providing a high density energy source, said energy being of a type which is transformed to heat when it strikes a metallic surface;
• c. heating the metallic surface to a temperature between the surface melting temperature and the surface vaporization temperature within a time of about 10.sup.-2 and about 10.sup.-7 seconds;
• d. allowing the melted surface layer to cool by conduction into the unmelted substrate.