Some Aspects of High Manganese Twinning-Induced Plasticity (TWIP) Steel, A Review

High manganese twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) steel is a new kind of structural material and possesses both high strength and superior plasticity and can meet the weight-lightening requirement for manufacturing vehicle body. The excellent formability of the TWIP steel comes from the extraordinary strain hardening effect during plastic deformation. The reduction of specific weight by aluminum alloying and strain hardening effect can lead to an effective weight reduction of the steel components, and provide a better choice for materials in vehicle body design. The TWIP effect in high Mn steels is generally associated with the successive workhardening generated by twins and influenced by some factors, such as Mn content, Al addition revealed by stacking fault energy (SFE), grain size, deformation temperature and strain rate. The present review introduces some aspects of the TWIP steels relating to their physical metallurgy, influencing factors associated with their deformation mechanisms, and a prospect for the future investigation is also described. Moreover, as a potential candidate for replacing Ni-Cr austenitic stainless steel, researches on the oxidation behavior and corrosion resistance of Fe-Mn-Al-C system steels are also reviewed.