Lately a tendency is observed for the steady growth of requirements applied both to construction materials as well as to the methods of estimation of their reliability and quality. Particular attention is paid to the development of new, physically reasonable criteria of structural durability of materials, based on comprehensive study of the phenomena, which form the basis of processes of deformation and fracture. Such approach is supposed to enhance our understanding of the nature of durability and mechanisms of fracture of materials on different scale levels. This is possible only when analysis of these phenomena is accomplished by means of modern physical research methods as well as applying acoustic emission techniques for diagnostics of the fractures
