This chapter presents a brief description of the three-step process: melting, decarburizing, and alloying. It also discusses the following processes: wild process, rustless process, and Linde Argon-Oxygen decarburization process.

This appendix is a timeline of events related to the discovery, development, and commercialization of stainless steels.

This chapter presents the history of stainless steel and provides an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book. This book covers a broad spectrum of historical events, many of which have not been touched upon in other works on stainless steel. It includes the discoveries of the various metallic elements that are used in the various alloys of stainless steel and discusses numerous experiments conducted during the 19th century with iron-base alloys containing chromium and carbon.

This chapter provides insights into the work of a stainless steel pioneer, Harry Brearley. It explains how Brearley's early life and experience led him to become a self-trained chemist and metallurgist.

This chapter presents the usefulness of martensitic chromium stainless steels discovered in England and America, the usefulness of ferritic chromium stainless steels discovered in America, and the usefulness of chromium-nickel stainless steels discovered in Germany. It also provides a short note on the usefulness of chromium-silicon steels.

This chapter discusses the progress that has been made in the development of superalloy operating temperatures, properties, and performance. It also provides forward-looking projections based on advances in process modeling, alloying, and production techniques.

This chapter examines the early literature on stainless steel to gain an understanding of the state-of-the-art of stainless steel as it progressed through the first 37 years after the discoveries made in Sheffield and Essen.

This chapter describes some of the technological milestones of the early 20th century, including the invention of tungsten carbide tool steel, the use of age-hardening aluminum in the Wright Flyer , the development of a new heat treating process for aluminum alloys, and Ford’s pioneering use of weight-saving vanadium alloys in Model T cars. It explains how interest in chromium alloys spread throughout the world, spurring the development of commercial stainless steels. The chapter concludes with a bullet point timeline of early 20th century achievements and a brief assessment of more recent innovations.