This book can be viewed as a scientific investigation combined with methodological studies. For practical reasons each of the methods is described in the following general manner including: the uses and the scientific investigation tasks; methods of sampling; testing equipment; test preparation; tests; data processing; controversial issues and conclusions. Each of the 37 methods contains a range of 1 to 8 variants. As far as we know, the book is the first publication in the field.

The spread of modern coating technology is impeded by the slow development of the special methods of evaluating their stucture and properties. Most publications consider only the technological aspects of the modern coating methods. This, combined with a lack of a well-grounded scientific analysis of the investigation results, not only thwarts the possibility for improving the coating modes, but also can compromise a clearly progressive technology. This book can be viewed as a scientific investigation combined with methodological studies. For practical reasons each of the methods is described in the following general manner including: the uses and the scientific investigation tasks; methods of sampling; testing equipment; test preparation; tests; data processing; controversial issues and conclusions. Each of the 37 methods contains a range of 1 to 8 variants. As far as we know, the book is the first publication in the field.