Quote:
Originally Posted by MrBasse
I always cringe when new people are jumped on for spreading misinformation... but I feel that this is a time for learning as well.
You can weld galvanized steel with no issues as long as you use proper equipment. You do not get zinc poisoning from the fumes. However, you should have adequate ventilation (read as borderline too much ventilation) and proper equipment (i.e. respirator) to avoid zinc oxide irritation which is similar to an allergic reaction that results in what is known as "metal fume fever." It is greatly unpleasant and has symptoms like the common flu. Fever, chills, awful headaches, and other not so fun issues commonly arise. These symptoms will be horribly uncomfortable, but generally clear up in 6-10 hours. If zinc oxide was so bad, we probably wouldn't rub it all over our bodies every summer. Most cases of major problems from welding galvanized steel are generally related to people who develop pneumonia or already have a weak respiratory or immune system, or where a person was so engulfed in fumes that the building was evacuated for visibility issues due to burning coatings of to prep for welding operations.
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Or... grind off the galvanized coating first before welding. But then it's not galvanized steel anymore.
The reason I stated here to not weld it is because in the decision tree of pursuing things that have negative consequences, taking actions to avoid the situation should ALWAYS come before taking steps to mitigate the problem. Zinc poisoning / metal fume fever are just semantics for the same result - you can easily get sick if you do this action.
Even worse, is that people who may have a cursory knowledge of welding may not realize that they need to do anything different when welding galvanized steel, and won't realize until too late. This is the same reason why I will recommend to everyone to never laser cut polycarbonate, since avoiding dangerous fumes in the first place is better than dealing with the consequences.
Since FRC robots aren't generally subjected to salt bath/sppray tests or acidic or super humid environments, there aren't really any compelling reasons to use galvanized steel over regular steel or aluminum or polycarbonate etc., especially when a light oil coating can keep your regular steel from rusting.
And yes, while zinc oxide itself is safe in most applications (even noted by the FDA as "generally recognized as safe"), it's the fumes that are dangerous. Technically water fits this same description.
Quote:
Originally Posted by yash101
I will have to agree with that. It scared me when I read, "you will get zinc poisoning by welding galvanized steel" because this is a type of steel. Many times, you will find steel welded, like in cars. I will have to agree with MrBasse that aluminum is much better on FRC robots.
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There is nothing wrong with welding steel, it's welding galvanized steel that you have to take extra precautions on. Galvanized steel is just any normal steel alloy that is coated in zinc to have better anti-corrosion properties (e.g. not rust).