Inconel 718 invention (Huntington Alloys, 1950s)

Origin story for the workhorse nickel-based superalloy. Inventor was a guy in West Virginia in the 1950s who replaced some aluminum with titanium to improve weldability. (Tom names "Larry Hyzak"; historical record points to Herbert Eiselstein at International Nickel's Huntington Alloys facility, Huntington WV. See editorial register flag.)

If we look at these precipitation-hardened nickel-based alloys, the strengthening element was traditionally aluminum. But a guy I know — his son was a lawyer in California — Larry Hyzak [?]. His dad in the 1950s, up in West Virginia, invented Inconel 718. All the ones before that were the older turbine alloys, and they were really considered almost impossible to weld. You may have to preheat these things to 1600 degrees Fahrenheit — talk about an oven. This has to be automated. But they do weld these alloys in certain cases because the parts are so valuable you can't afford not to try to repair.