High-performance alloys (HPAs), often referred to as 'superalloys', are materials that exhibit certain key characteristics which make them suited for use in highly demanding applications. These include resistance to high temperatures, good mechanical strength, resistance to creep (deformation through long-term exposure to high levels of stress), and resistance to oxidation or corrosion. Whilst they have been around for a couple of centuries in basic forms, the development of many of the HPAs now commonplace in industry was driven in the first half of the 20th century, by the advent of the jet engine. This required materials that could work at higher temperatures and withstand higher levels of stress than many pre-existing materials.
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