What does it mean when a floor panel or chassis is Zincfosfated or Zincplated?

I would presume it to mean Galvanised, ie hot dipped in zinc. Strange word though Zincfosfated, could well be a bad spelling of zinc phosphated, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_phosphate

It also means be careful when welding a panel as the coating can give off unpleasant fumes

I don't think it means it's galvanised, probably just coated with zinc like zintec is. It's virtually worthless though unless it's done AFTER a panel is cut pressed and formed. The places where a panel will rust first are the edges or the welds, none of which are zinc coated if it's been cut from a sheet.

When I used to build containers we made some from Zintec and some from conventional mild steel sheet, the time it took before corrosion occured was almost exactly the same on both types, simply because any unpainted internal structures wich became subject to moisture always started to rust on the welding or sheet joins.

Ken knows a lot more about this than me though...

Zinc Phosphate is a process of applying a thin layer of zinc compound on the steel to stop it corroding while in storage or from handling it can be sprayed on or have an element of electro plating. It is a surface treatment.Its benifit is it can be welded thru and accepts paint.

It is NOT galvanising which is dipping the steel object in a bath of liquid zinc and coating it with a thicker layer of zinc, im not sure if at that temperature the zinc forms an alloy with the steel but it is used for harsh environments ...bridges, marine and UK chassis etc. It has to be removed prior to welding it resists further surface treatments such as paint.

S

Not sure people read things ever so well. If it was described a zinc plated then I would presume this to be galvanised if it was zinc phosphated then there are lots of explanations here to explain that process. But they are not the same, are they!!!

Zinc plating and galvanising are two different things.

Everyday is a school day

What is the difference between zinc and galvanized? Both zinc plating and galvanizing applies a zinc plating. So they both use zinc. The big difference is in thickness, zinc plating is typically 3 microns thick. Hot dip galvanizing is 50 microns thick - so you get 10 times the protection with galvanizing.

Even after 20 years outdoors this galvanized fence shows no signs of rust. The Galvanizing has formed a white protective coating (patina) that adds to its protective properties.

All true galvanizing is hot dip galvanizing. The term "hot dip galvanizing" is used so there is no confusion over some paint companies who try to full the consumer by calling their product "galvanizing". Parts to be galvanized are submerged in molten liquid zinc, hence the name "hot dip."

Well, since Saturday counts as a schoolday, may as well carry on...

Galvanizing to BS EN ISO 1461 requires that the coating thickness is more like 70 microns for steel of 3mm thickness.
At current rates of erosion of the coating, life to 'failure' of such a hot dipped coating around these parts would be about 70 years...

< http://www.hdg.org.uk/index.php?cms_id= ... gion=yorks >

Russell,
Zintec does need painting after fabrication, unlike galvanized sheet, which is probably why that batch didn't fare too well.
I've had sheets of zintec sitting around here for years before I've chopped it up to make repair panels and there still isn't any sign of rust on it.
The uncoated mild steel box section and tubing is another matter, and involves plenty of time with the cup brush in an angle grinder, although the 4" brush in the 9" grinder helps speed things up.

ken.

Then there is BZP

a zinc coting on (typically) fasteners to reduce corrosion, and as an anti-galling coating or "lubricant"

Even Sunday is a school day here "The Other Half" BSc, PGCE, PGCert, MEd, CTeach and soon to be "Dr Other Half" has just given me a 1 hour chemistry lesson in bed this miorning Zinc phosphate is a stable compound of zinc and as such will have little or no sacrificial properties as it has forms a stable bond with the phosphate group

but anyway - zinc phosphated things are dark grey , galv is shiney silver dulling to powdery light grey

Sean