This document is a synthesis report from a research project carried out under the Industrial and Materials Technologies programme (BRITE/EURAM 2), 1990-1994. It has been submitted directly by the project's consortium. It details the results of the project and sketches the consortium's follow-up intentions. For more information on this project prior to down-loading the synthesis report, click on the hyperlinked project ref. number in the table below to go directly to the relevant record in the CORDIS Projects database.