The evolution of wrought age-hardenable superalloys

The discovery of gamma' hardening early in the 20th century seeded a continuous evolution of a remarkable family of alloys, known as the superalloys. The sequence of their development will be traced in this article. The theories of alloying and hardening mechanisms will be discussed as each played an essential role in the progressive development of the superalloys, as did a number of processing discoveries that are reviewed here.