A large amount of experimental data obtained from the television-optical me
asurement technique (TOMSC) have been analyzed to identify the main mechani
sms of plastic deformation at the mesoscale level for coated and surface-ha
rdened materials. Among the factors to be concerned are the site of nucleat
ion and relaxation of mesostress concentrators, the geometry and interface
structure of which can influence the outcome. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd
. All rights reserved.