This article discusses the tests designed specifically to evaluate the adhesion, friction, and wear behavior of various material systems. It tabulates the characteristics of common types of wear and mechanical surface damage. The article also considers the displaying and analyzing of adhesion, friction, and wear test data. It concludes with a description of devices used for testing adhesion, friction, and wear.

This article describes measurement techniques for the three basic types of adhesion: fundamental adhesion, thermodynamic adhesion, and practical adhesion. It discusses common measurement methods for each type of adhesion with the main focus on practical adhesion testing of coatings and thin films. The article provides an insight into the mechanisms of environmentally induced interfacial degradation by discussing the fundamental aspects of adhesion between two dissimilar materials. It examines the use of adhesion tests in the evaluation of stress-corrosion cracking within bimaterial interfaces. Testing techniques for <i>in situ</i> environmental testing of thin-film adhesion are also reviewed.