Welding Galvanized Steel Sheet

The weld strength should be the same whether welding galvanized steel or not.

Welding galvanized steel sheet. Galvanize poisoning symptoms include a severe headache and nausea. Welding thick galvanized coatings or butt welds or welding creases or corners where the galvanization naturally builds up benefits from grinding the galvanization off first. Zinc is the coating used on galvanized metals and when you heat the metal it produces vaporized metal droplets which are called fumes. Welding of the galvanized steel is done similar to the welding of bare metal with a difference of low vaporization temperature in the metals with zinc coating.

Welding galvanized steel without removing the galvanize coating will result in emission of a heavy noxious yellow green smoke that will envelop the welder. To weld a tear or split in galvanized steel start on any edge of the metal. Welding galvanized steel is an important and valuable technique in the metal fabrication process especially when producing galvanized steel wire cloth or galvanized steel gratings but people are shying away from it lately due to the toxic fumes that welding galvanized steel produces. They were made from galvanized sheet metal and we didnt clean crap.

Welding tips and tricks answer. This adds two operations. It depends on what you are welding and how critical the application. Welding of galvanized steel is done almost exactly the same way as welding of the bare steel of the same composition.

Continuous exposure to this smoke can result in galvanize poisoning. Can be used with little modification when the switch is made from uncoated steel to galvanized steel unless the zinc coating is unusually thick. Work slowly around the exterior edge on the metal itself moving forward 2 3 inches 5 1 7 6 cm before bringing your welding rod back over the surface you just covered. While it is typically a good idea to complete any welding or fabrication before galvanizing the steel which will result in a more corrosion resistant finished product under some circumstances steel must be welded after.

Welding galvanized steel has gotten a bad reputation over the years rightfully so as the fumes produced during welding can be incredibly dangerous to the welder s health. The same welding processes volts amps travel speed etc. Do you weld on galvanized metals. As long as the zinc oxide gets access to air to burn off.

Removing the coating and re spraying or painting the weld seam after welding to regain corrosion resistance. Welding on galvanized metals one of the most significant health hazards in the welding process is the generation of fumes and gasses. The best way to weld galvanized steel regardless of welding process is to remove the zinc coating from the joint. For example i worked for a while welding big tables that held furniture stripper chemicals.