Abstract
In this paper we have studied the effects of the electrical discharge machining (EDM) process on the evolution of thermal properties from the surface towards the core of the 36NiCrMo16 steel using the photothermal deflection (PTD) technique. We have shown that the PTD technique is able to detect the depth of the affected zone, which is characterized by a heterogeneous structure, and allows us to deduce that both the thermal conductivity and the diffusivity would increase from the surface to the core of the sample.