Surfacethroughthickness
Surfacethroughthickness is a descriptive term used to discuss how characteristics of a material’s surface layer relate to its behavior across the full thickness of the component. The concept emphasizes gradients, transitions, and interactions between surface properties—such as roughness, chemistry, residual stress, and hardness—and subsurface or through-thickness properties like strength, ductility, diffusion depth, and corrosion resistance. It is not a standardized nomenclature, but a useful framing in surface engineering, coatings, and materials processing.
In practical terms, researchers examine how surface treatments or coatings extend into the substrate or how
Characterization methods span both destructive and non-destructive approaches. Depth profiling techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
Applications include evaluation of protective coatings, nitriding and carburizing layers, diffusion barriers, and functionally graded materials;
See also: through-thickness properties, surface engineering, diffusion coating, functionally graded materials, delamination, residual stress.