'Regolith' Concern?

[coldfusion1279]

Disclaimer: I am only looking for more information in this thread.


Anyway, so we have all been playing a bit on the 'regolith' surface. We ran our robot on it, checking the frictional forces. The surface was easily either burned or disintegrated when the wheels would 'spin-out'.

We smelled something funky, burning plastic smell, no big deal right?... I hope not...

I have to say that the smell reminded me a lot like the smell of styrene. The panels are some sort of glass fiber composite. The 'Glasliner FRP' is a polyester resin composite. Polyester resins can be dispersed in styrene before curing (haven't looked into it yet).

I am concerned because styrene is not exactly a very safe material. You can read an MSDS if you would like to know a little more information on styrene.

Styrene has a very pungent aroma, detectable by our senses in ppm, so just smelling it is not necessarily dangerous.

I am wondering if any research has been done on the matter or if anyone else knows a lot about the 'regolith' material. Have I misdiagnosed the aroma? Not only was there a smell, but a fine particulate as a result of the friction.

I doubt FIRST would allow any harmful materials to be used in competition. They also mentioned that these two materials are used to simulate driving on the moon, i.e. I assume that these materials have been tested under conditions like in the competition prior to this years game.

Please respond in this thread or in PM if you are knowledgable in this area. Like I said, there may not have been any styrene involved at all, burning plastic can have all kinds of weird smells. Thanks.

Good Luck teams, the game looks like fun.

[Woodworker88]

I believe that the surface of the Glasliner FRP material is primarily fiberglass and therefore any mechanical abrasion is unlikely to result in the release of styrene fumes. Considering the material is designed for use in bathrooms and other common locations, any outgassing is possible but unlikely.

Based on my observation of the dust produced under intense load, I believe it is a mixture of fine fiberglass particles (potentially irritating but unlikely to be toxic in small amounts), plastic particles from the rover wheels, and dirt from various surfaces.

[samir13k]

We had the same problem with the fine particles released, which showed robot tracks all over the carpet Those wheels take the bumps right off that Glasliner

[coldfusion1279]

Originally Posted by Woodworker88

I believe that the surface of the Glasliner FRP material is primarily fiberglass and therefore any mechanical abrasion is unlikely to result in the release of styrene fumes. Considering the material is designed for use in bathrooms and other common locations, any outgassing is possible but unlikely.

It is a fiber glass composite. Surprisingly, my concern isn't about the fine particulate fiber glass. The continuous phase of the composite is polyester resin. Polyester can contain benzene pendant groups likely from a styrene solvent. When burned, or even ground into particulate, the components go airborne.

The material is used in household and industrial applications because it is mildew resistant, tough, hard, easy to clean, and chemical resistant. That doesn't mean that it is harmless. After all, how often is the wall of a bathroom or the ceiling of a kitchen going to be abraded the way that these floors will during this competition? In any case, the manufacturer highly recommends that you wear masks while cutting or sanding the Glasliner FRP.

Like I said, ppm isn't going to harm anyone, but it can be nauseating or irritating to the sinuses, throat or lungs in the very least. I would just like to verify that this isn't the first time that this issue is being addressed.

[Carol]

There is another thread on this topic, which I can't take the time to search for now. But I attached the following MSDS sheet there as well, which I got off of a supplier's website:

http://www.sbs-frp.com/products.htm


It is vague about the type of polymer used, but my guess it that it is a polyolefin mxture, probably polypropylene. But that is just my guess, I am not an expert on this material.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by Carol

There is another thread on this topic, which I can't take the time to search for now. But I attached the following MSDS sheet there as well, which I got off of a supplier's website:

http://www.sbs-frp.com/products.htm


It is vague about the type of polymer used, but my guess it that it is a polyolefin mxture, probably polypropylene. But that is just my guess, I am not an expert on this material.

The thread in question is here.