Research status and prospect of surface oxidation of high-Mn high-Al steel

While Cr-Ni heat-resistant steels remain prevalent in aerospace, nuclear energy, and automotive applications, escalating material costs have driven alloy innovation toward Mn-Al based alternatives. The emerging high-Mn high-Al steels demonstrate a remarkable combination of high-strength and super-plasticity, offering promising solutions for lightweight high-temperature equipment. However, challenges in oxide scale control during manufacturing processes have become increasingly critical. This review systematically investigates the oxidation kinetics of high-Mn high-Al steels across varying thermal gradients and alloy configurations, summarizing the critical impacts of oxidation temperature, alloy composition, ambient atmosphere, and surface topography on oxide scale formation. Through comprehensive thermodynamic analysis and kinetic modeling, we overview effective control strategies encompassing surface engineering, process parameter optimization, and compositional design. It finally points out that future research should focus on variable-temperature oxidation behavior, multi-component synergistic mechanisms and phase transformation at the oxide scale/substrate interface, providing theoretical support for the development of new-generation high-performance high-Mn high-Al steels.