Pulse detonation-plasma (PDP) technology is a new kind of surface treatment with a shock-compressed plasma heating/cooling on work piece surface. In this paper, the surface of T10 steel was treated by PDP technology. The substrate and the modified layer were studied by microhardness tester, abrasion tester, scanning electron microscope (SEM ) , electron back-scattered diffraction(EBSD) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that some initial α-Fe phase in the surface is changed into γ-Fe phase, and Fe3N was formed in the surface layer. The modified layer consisted of a columnar zone and a fine microstructure zone. With combination of rapid heating/cooling rate and shock-compressed wave, the hardness of modified layer of T10 steel was double comparing with that of the substrate, and the wear resistance was improved obviously.