Austenitic stainless steels lend themselves to a wide range of applications. However, they normally stiffer from poor wear resistance and do not respond well to traditional surface treatments. This volume. the fruit of a current status seminar, reflects the enormous strides which have been made in the last few years in the study of the expanded austenite phase (also called the S phase) and the development of new surface treatment techniques. As well as the papers presented at the seminar, the book contains selection from related papers and a comprehensive bibliography of the literature on the subject from 1979 to 2000.