High-manganese austenitic steel represents an innovative variety of low-temperature steel used in the construction of liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage tanks. This steel boasts remarkable characteristics such as exceptional plasticity, superior toughness at cryogenic temperatures, and robust fatigue resistance, all while providing significant cost benefits. By utilizing high-manganese steel, the material manufacturing costs can be considerably lowered, simultaneously ensuring the long-term stability and safety of LNG storage tanks. The alloying design is pivotal in attaining superior performance in high-manganese steel. Choosing the right chemical components to control the stacked fault energy (SFE) of high-manganese steel and fine-tuning its structure can further improve the balance between strength and plasticity. Summarizing the advancements in alloying design for high-manganese steel is of great importance, as it offers a foundational dataset for correlating the chemical composition with the performance. Therefore, this paper outlines the deformation mechanisms and the principles of low-temperature brittleness in high-manganese austenitic steel, and from this foundation, it explicates the precise functions of alloying elements within it. This aims to provide a reference for future alloying designs and the industrial deployment of high-manganese steel in LNG storage tanks.

In the present study, the welding thermal cycle of magnesium-treated EH36 steel was simulated by a thermal simulation experiment machine. The effects of welding heat input on the microstructure and low temperature toughness of the welded joint were studied, and the mechanism of acicular ferrite nucleation induced by \(\mathrm { MgAl_2O_4}\) inclusion was revealed. The results showed that, when the welding heat input of 150 kJ/cm, 250 kJ/cm and 350 kJ/cm was utilized, the microstructure of heat affected zone in the experimental EH36 steel consisted of grain boundary ferrite, acicular ferrite, granular bainite, and a small amount of pearlite, but the volume fraction and grain size of each independent microstructure were different. With the increase of welding heat input, the content of acicular ferrite and granular bainite decreased, the content of grain boundary ferrite increased, and the average grain size increased, whereas the low temperature toughness of the experimental EH36 steel welded joint reduced from 174 to 67 J. Furthermore, \(\mathrm {MgAl_2O_4}\) inclusions can induce acicular ferrite nucleation, whereas the nucleation mechanism is a combination of low lattice mismatch and low interfacial energy.