BRITISH STANDARD AEROSPACE SERIES BS X 38:2005

Heat curing paint

scheme for aerospace
purposes —
Specification

ICS 49.040; 87.040

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BS X 38:2005

Committees responsible for this

British Standard
The preparation of this British Standard was entrusted to Technical
Committee ACE/65, Non-metallic materials for aerospace purposes (excluding
textiles), upon which the following bodies were represented:

British Hydromechanics Research Group

British Plastics Federation
Society of British Aerospace Companies

The following bodies were also represented in the drafting of this standard
through subcommittees and panels:

British Coatings Federation Ltd.

Ministry of Defence — UK Defence Standardization
Oil and Colour Chemists Association

This British Standard was

published under the authority
of the Standards Policy and
Strategy Committee on
1 February 2005

© BSI 1 February 2005

Amendments issued since publication

Amd. No. Date Comments

The following BSI references
relate to the work on this
British Standard:
Committee reference ACE/65
Draft for comment
04/30080333 DC

ISBN 0 580 45190 9

 BS X 38:2005

Contents

Page
Committees responsible Inside front cover
Foreword ii
1 Scope 1
2 Normative references 1
3 Terms and definitions 2
4 Materials 2
5 Performance 2
6 Batch inspection 2
Annex A (normative) Type approval 6
Annex B (normative) Preparation of test panels 6
Table 1 — Tests on liquid paint, type A 3
Table 2 — Tests on liquid paint, type B 3
Table 3 — Tests on dry film, type A 4
Table 4 — Tests on dry film, type B 5

© BSI 1 February 2005 i

BS X 38:2005

Foreword

This British Standard has been prepared by Technical Committee ACE/65 and is
one of a series for paints and varnishes suitable for aerospace purposes. It covers
the specification of heat curing paint for aerospace applications up to 220 °C.
It has been assumed in the drafting of this standard that the execution of its
provisions is entrusted to appropriately qualified and experienced people.
The quality assurance authority and approving authority referred to in the
standard are as stated in the contract or order, or the accredited representative
of the authority stated, as instructed by the purchaser.
WARNING This British Standard calls for the use of substances and/or
procedures that may be injurious to health if adequate precautions are not taken.
It refers only to technical suitability and does not absolve the user from legal
obligations relating to health and safety at any stage.
This publication does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of a
contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.
Compliance with a British Standard does not of itself confer immunity
from legal obligations.

Summary of pages
This document comprises a front cover, an inside front cover, pages i and ii,
pages 1 to 6, an inside back cover and a back cover.
The BSI copyright notice displayed in this document indicates when the
document was last issued.

ii © BSI 1 February 2005

 BS X 38:2005

1 Scope
This British Standard specifies requirements for the materials and performance of two types of heat curing
paint for aerospace applications up to 220 °C.
Type A materials are intended for use either as a sealer/primer coat for magnesium alloy, pre-treated to
BS M 93, or for ferrous and non-ferrous substrates as a primer coat, containing chromate pigment, which
may be over-coated with type B if required.
Type B materials are intended as a finish over type A.
The heat curing paint is intended to give protection against corrosion and resistance to aircraft fluids.
Information on application for type approval is provided in Annex A.

2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.
BS 2015:1992, Glossary of paint and related terms.
BS 3900-A2/BS EN ISO 1513, Paints and varnishes — Examination and preparation of samples for testing.
BS 3900-A23:2000/BS EN ISO 11890-1:2001, Paints and varnishes — Determination of volatile organic
compound (VOC) content — Part 1: Difference method.
BS 3900-B18/BS EN ISO 3251, Paints, varnishes and plastics — Determination of non-volatile-matter
content.
BS 3900-D1/BS EN ISO 3668, Paints and varnishes — Visual comparison of the colour of paints.
BS 3900-E1/BS EN ISO 1519, Paints and varnishes — Bend test (cylindrical mandrel).
BS 3900-E6:1996/BS EN ISO 2409:1995, Paints and varnishes — Cross-cut test.
BS 3900-E13/BS EN ISO 6272, Paints and varnishes — Falling-weight test.
BS 3900-F12/BS EN ISO 7253, Paints and varnishes — Determination of resistance to neutral salt
spray (fog).
BS 3900-G5:1993/BS EN ISO 2812-1:1995, Paints and varnishes — Determination of resistance to liquids,
general methods.
BS 7079-D2/ISO 8504-2, Preparation of steel substrates before application of paints and related products —
Surface preparation methods — Abrasive blast cleaning.
BS L 163 (obsolescent), Specification for sheet and strip of aluminium-coated aluminium-copper-
magnesium-silicon-manganese alloy (solution treated, cold worked for flattening and aged at room
temperature) (Cu 4.4, Mg 0.5, Si 0.8, Mn 0.8).
BS M 93, Protection of magnesium-rich alloys against corrosion.
BS EN 23270/ISO 3270, Specification for temperatures and humidities for conditioning and testing paints,
varnishes and their raw materials.
BS EN ISO 1518:2001/BS 3900-E2:1992, Paints and varnishes — Scratch test.
BS EN ISO 2813:2000, Measurement of specular gloss of non-metallic paint films at 20°, 60° and 85°.
BS EN ISO 3248/BS 3900-G7, Paints and varnishes — Determination of the effect of heat.
BS EN ISO 15528, Paints, varnishes and raw materials for paints and varnishes — Sampling.
BS ISO 3116:2001, Magnesium and magnesium alloys — Wrought magnesium alloys.

© BSI 1 February 2005 1

BS X 38:2005

3 Terms and definitions

For the purposes of this British Standard, the terms and definitions given in BS 2015 apply.

4 Materials
4.1 Composition
4.1.1 Type A materials shall consist of any suitable resin or mixture of resins. Type A materials shall
normally be free of pigment although: suitable chromate pigments that will not unduly affect the stability
of the material as prepared for use, and/or minor quantities of pigment dyestuff that will not opacify the
film, not interfere with its properties in any way, nor bleed through into subsequent coatings may be
included.
4.1.2 Type B materials shall consist of any suitable resin or mixture of resins and be pigmented with
suitable pigments which will not unduly affect the stability of the material as prepared for use.
4.2 Scheme components
4.2.1 General
Components used in tests on type A coatings as part of a paint scheme shall conform to 4.2.2 and 4.2.3.
4.2.2 Type A (primer/sealer)
Type A coatings shall conform to this British Standard.
4.2.3 Type B (finish)
Type B coatings shall conform to this British Standard unless otherwise specified.
NOTE The performance of a scheme including components otherwise specified might be suitable but should be separately assessed.

5 Performance
5.1 General
5.1.1 The test panels shall be prepared and coated as described in Annex B.
5.1.2 Unless otherwise specified, all tests shall be carried out in temperature and relative humidity
conditions conforming to BS EN 23270.
5.2 Tests on liquid paint
Type A shall conform to Table 1.
Type B shall conform to Table 2.
5.3 Tests on dry paint
Type A shall conform to Table 3.
Type B shall conform to Table 4.

6 Batch inspection
Before dispatch, a representative sample of each batch of material, taken in accordance with
BS EN ISO 15528, shall be tested to confirm conformity to tests 1, 4 and 5 of Table 1 and Table 2, and when
prepared in accordance with Annex B, the scheme shall conform to tests 2, and 3 (not B.1.2) of Table 3 and
to tests 1, 2, 4, and 5 (not B.1.2) of Table 4.
NOTE Samples of material and material ingredients may be inspected at any stage of manufacture, and from any portion of the
batch, by the quality assurance authority.

2 © BSI 1 February 2005

 BS X 38:2005

Table 1 — Tests on liquid paint, type A

Test Test panel, Condition Test method Requirement
preparation
and paint
system
1. Condition Material in its original BS 3900-A2 Shall be free from extraneous
or laboratory container matter and shall show no
skinning, gelling, hard
settlement or other defect that
may prevent satisfactory
application of a defect free film
2. Volatile organic When prepared for BS 3900-A23 Shall be less than or equal to
compound (VOC) application as specified the reference valuea
content in B.2.1
3. Shelf life After 12 months at 5 °C Tests 1, 4 and 5 of Shall conform to the
to 25 °C, material in its this table requirements
original container
4. Application B.1.3, B.2 24 h after application Visual examination Paint film shall show an even
with normal finish, free from runs, sags,
corrected vision wrinkling, pin-holing or other
defect
5. Solids content When prepared for BS 3900-B18 Shall be ±3 % of the reference
application as specified valuea
in B.2.1 without any
addition of thinners
a The reference value shall be established during type approval unless agreed otherwise between manufacturer and purchaser
(see Annex A).

Table 2 — Tests on liquid paint, type B

Test Test panel, Condition Test method Requirement
preparation
and paint
system
1. Condition Material in its original BS 3900-A2 Shall be free from extraneous
or laboratory container matter and shall show no
skinning, gelling, hard
settlement or other defect that
may prevent satisfactory
application of a defect free film
2. Volatile organic When prepared for BS 3900-A23 Shall be less than or equal to
compound (VOC) application as specified the reference valuea
content in B.2.1
3. Shelf life After 12 months at 5 °C Tests 1, 4 and 5 of Shall conform to the
to 25 °C, material in its this table requirements
original container
4. Application B.1.3, B.3 24 h after application Visual examination Paint film shall show an even
with normal finish, free from runs, sags,
corrected vision wrinkling, pin-holing or other
defect
5. Solids content When prepared for BS 3900-B18 Shall be ±3 % of the reference
application as specified valuea
in B.2.1 without any
addition of thinners
a The reference value shall be established during type approval unless agreed otherwise between manufacturer and purchaser
(see Annex A).

© BSI 1 February 2005 3

BS X 38:2005
Table 3 — Tests on dry film, type A
Test Test panel, Condition
preparation
and paint
system
1. Flexibility B.1.3, B.2 24 h after application
(impact)
2. Flexibility B.1.3, B.2 24 h after application
(bend)
3. Adhesion B.1.1, B.2 24 h after application
(cross hatch) B.1.2, B.2
B.1.3, B.2
4. Hardness B.1.3, B.2 24 h after application
(scratch)
5. Hydraulic fluid B.1.3, B.2 24 h after application, cut
resistance paint film through to
substrate diagonally to
form a crosscut; immerse
at (70 ± 2) °C in tri-n-butyl
phosphate for 168 h
6. Heat resistance B.1.1, B.2 24 h after application, cut
B.1.2, B.2 paint film through to
substrate diagonally to
form a crosscut; at
(220 ± 2) °C for 1 000 h
7. Corrosion B.1.1, B.3 24 h after application, cut
resistance paint film through to
(salt spray) substrate diagonally to
form a crosscut; 250 h
B.1.2, B.2 24 h after application, cut
paint film through to
substrate diagonally to
form a crosscut; 750 h
8. Corrosion B.1.1, B.3 24 h after application, cut
resistance paint film through to
(cyclic heat/salt substrate diagonally to
spray) form a crosscut; 10 cycles
of the following cycle: at
(220 ± 2) °C for 2 h, 10 h
in salt spray
B.1.2, B.3 24 h after application, cut
paint film through to
substrate diagonally to
form a crosscut; 10 cycles
of the following cycle: at
(220 ± 2) °C for 2 h, 10 h
in salt spray
4 © BSI 1 February 2005
Test method Requirement
BS 3900-E13 There shall be no cracking at an
(coating indentation depth of 3.8 mm
downwards)
BS 3900-E1, using The coating shall not become
a type 1 apparatus damaged or detached
with a 10 mm
mandrel
BS 3900-E6, kclass 1
1 mm spacing
BS EN ISO There shall be no penetration
1518:2001 of the needle to the substrate
under a load of 2 000 g
a) Method 1, One hour after removal, shall
procedure A of show no blistering or other film
BS 3900-G5:1993 defects
b) BS EN ISO One hour after removal, shall
1518:2001; scratch show no penetration of the
on reverse side to needle to the substrate under a
crosscut load of 1 200 g
BS EN ISO 3248; On cooling to room
place test panels in temperature, shall show no
an air circulating blistering or other film defects
oven at room
temperature in an
upright position
BS 3900-F12 There shall show no blistering
or other film defects. Corrosion
shall not spread more than
two millimetres from the
crosscut. There shall be no
corrosion pitting deeper than
the diameter of the pit.
BS 3900-F12 There shall show no blistering
or other film defects. Corrosion
shall not spread more than
two millimetres from the
crosscut. There shall be no
corrosion pitting deeper than
the diameter of the pit.
 BS X 38:2005

Table 4 — Tests on dry film, type B

Test Test panel, Condition Test method Requirement
preparation
and paint
system
1. Colour B.1.3, B.3 24 h after application, BS 3900-D1 Shall match the colour
under diffuse daylight specified by the purchaser

2. Specular gloss B.1.3, B.3 24 h after application BS EN ISO Shall be as followsa: high
using a 60° gloss meter 2813:2000, gloss, 85 units or above;
using a type 1 semi-matt, (15 ± 3) units;
apparatus with a matt,k5 units
10 mm mandrel

3. Flexibility B.1.3, B.3 24 h after application BS 3900-E13 There shall be no cracking

(impact) (coating at an indentation depth
downwards) of 3.8 mm

4. Flexibility B.1.3, B.3 24 h after application BS 3900-E1, The coating shall not become
(bend) using a type 1 damaged or detached
apparatus with a
10 mm mandrel

5. Adhesion B.1.1, B.3 24 h after application BS 3900-E6:1996, kclass 1

(cross hatch) B.1.2, B.3 1 mm spacing
B.1.3, B.3

6. Hardness B.1.3, B.3 24 h after application BS EN ISO There shall be no penetration

(scratch) 1518:2001 of the needle to the type A
coating under a load of 2 000 g

7. Hydraulic fluid B.1.3, B.3 24 h after application,
resistance cut paint film through
to substrate diagonally
to form a crosscut;
immerse at (70 ± 2) °C
in tri-n-butyl phosphate
for 168 h
a) Method 1, One hour after removal, shall
procedure A of show no blistering or other
BS 3900-G5 film defects
b) BS EN ISO One hour after removal, shall
1518:2001, show no penetration of the
scratch on reverse needle to the type A coating
side to crosscut under a load of 1 200 g

8. Heat resistance B.1.1, B.3 24 h after application, BS EN ISO 3248, On cooling to room
B.1.2, B.3 cut paint film through place test panels temperature, shall show no
to substrate diagonally in an air blistering or other film defects
to form a crosscut; at circulating oven
(220 ± 2) °C for 1 000 h at room
temperature in an
upright position
a Unless otherwise specified by the purchaser.

© BSI 1 February 2005 5

BS X 38:2005

Annex A (normative)
Type approval

A.1 When the manufacturer is required to prove product conformity to this British Standard, the following
shall be provided:
a) test results conforming to this British Standard;
b) wet samples of all materials;
c) a declaration of composition, including the percentage and nature of all ingredients;
d) reference values if required, e.g. VOC content.

A.2 After type approval has been granted, there shall be no change in the product formulation unless this
is approved by the approving authority.

Annex B (normative)
Preparation of test panels
B.1 Preparation of a substrate
B.1.1 Where specified (see Clause 6), use test panels made from magnesium sheet conforming to
BS ISO 3116:2001 ISO-MgAl3Zn1 (commonly designated AZ31), and measuring approximately
150 mm × 100 mm × 10 mm thick and chromated to BS M 93. Unless otherwise specified.
B.1.2 Where specified (see Clause 6), use test panels made from magnesium sheet conforming to
BS ISO 3116:2001 ISO-MgAl3Zn1, and measuring approximately 150 mm × 100 mm × 10 mm thick and
anodized to BS M 93. Unless otherwise specified.
B.1.3 Where specified (see Clause 6), use test panels made from unabraded aluminium sheet conforming
to BS L 163, and measuring approximately 150 mm × 100 mm × 0.8 mm thick and grit blasted to
BS 7079-D2. Unless otherwise specified.
B.2 Type A application
B.2.1 Prepare the material by thorough mixing (if pigmented) and thin as necessary with the appropriate
thinners as recommended by the manufacturer.
B.2.2 Spray the paint on the test panels [which may be pre-heated to (60 ± 10) °C] at a spreading rate
sufficient to produce a single dry coat with a film thickness of (20 ± 5) þm unless otherwise specified, and
allow to dry vertically, with free air access for 10 min, unless otherwise specified. Alternatively, where
dipping is the preferred method of application, then dip the test panels [which may be pre-heated to
(60 ± 10) °C] into a suitably prepared material in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, at a
spreading rate sufficient to produce a single dry coat with a film thickness of (20 ± 5) þm unless otherwise
specified, and allowed to dry vertically, with free air access for 10 min, unless otherwise specified. Load the
coated test panels into a suitable air circulating oven at room temperature (or not greater than 150 °C) and
heat cure for a time and at a temperature (not greater than 200 °C) recommended by the manufacturer for
complete cure.
If the test panels are to be over-coated with type B materials then the maximum cure temperature shall
be 150 °C.
B.3 Type B application
B.3.1 Prepare the material by thorough mixing and thin as necessary with the appropriate thinners as
recommended by the manufacturer.
B.3.2 Spray the paint on the test panels that have been coated in accordance with B.2, at a spreading rate
sufficient to produce a single dry coat with a film thickness of (25 ± 5) þm, unless otherwise specified, and
allow to dry vertically, with free air access for 10 min, unless otherwise specified. Load the coated test
panels into a suitable air circulating oven at room temperature (or not greater than 150 °C) and heat cure
for a time and at a temperature (not greater than 200 °C) recommended by the manufacturer for complete
cure.

6 © BSI 1 February 2005

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BS X 38:2005

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