This book is a unique collection of experimental data in the field of internal friction, anelastic relaxation, and damping properties of metallic materials. It is the first reference book emphasizing the collection of published data on internal friction in metals and alloys. It reviews virtually all anelastic relaxation phenomena ever published, and also most of the internal friction effects based on other types of dissipation of mechanical (elastic) energy. Furthermore, the reader is also supplied with explanations of the basic physical mechanisms of internal friction, a summary of typical effects for different groups of metals, and more than 2000 references to original papers.

Blanter M.S. has published about 150 research papers and six books in co-authorships (in Russian) in the fields of solid state physics and material science, more specifically in internal friction of metals and alloys, computer simulation of structure and properties of solid solutions etc.

Golovin I.S.: more than 100 research papers and chapters in two books (in Russian): most of them in the field of internal friction and damping capacity of complex alloyed steels, porous metallic materials, quasicrystals etc.

Neuhäuser H.: about 150 research papers, reviews and chapters in books mainly in the fields of plasticity and anelasticity of crystalline, amorphous and nanostructured metal and alloys.

Sinning H.-R.: more than 70 research papers and review in the fields of structure, phase transformations, and mechanical properties of metallic materials (amorphous, quasicrystalline and crystalline structures; hydrogen in metals), most of them including internal friction phenomena and the use of mechanical spectroscopy.