There are three major kinds of stress that affect structures and fabrications – thermal, biological degradation and wear.  Each one of these presents a unique problem when it comes down to choosing an appropriate coating to protect your fabrication.

With thermal stresses, the most important choice is obviously some sort of compound that absorbs heat away from the object, for example space craft technology uses ablative coatings which reduce temperatures on re-entry to prevent structural warping. One approach can be the ablative plantings, another – thermal barriers.   Biological stress or Chemical stress is another issue one needs to be aware of, normally occurring at high temperatures, these include corrosive liquids or gaseous substances – perhaps even a combination. 

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Perhaps the most common form, and also the most difficult to treat is wear – stress which occurs due to increased use and friction, swear occurs due to abrasion and impact stress.  This can be problematic to the coating as it can erode and detach.

With all the various types of stress, we have invented some very ingenious ways in order to combat the effects of stress,  this include Metallurgical coatings such as Inorganic zinc, Ceramic Coatings such as Plastics, Chemical solutions.  Not just in coatings, there have been major developments in how coatings are applied in order to ensure near perfect application and purity.