4 ms·

I'm not sure there exists a more complex set of requirements for paint than for aircraft. Extreme cold to surface temperatures, the requirement to flex with adh

I'm not sure there exists a more complex set of requirements for paint than for aircraft. Extreme cold to surface temperatures, the requirement to flex with adhered surfaces without cracking, plus the desire for a paint job to last for years. It looks like conductivity is also desired, to some degree, to help the metal surfaces dissipate lightning.

throwaway0a5e 5y ago
>I'm not sure there exists a more complex set of requirements for paint than for aircraft. Extreme cold to surface temperatures, the requirement to flex with adhered surfaces without cracking, plus the desire for a paint job to last for years. That's basically a walk in the park compared to anything that needs to deal with unearthly temperatures and harsh chemicals at the same time. Furthermore, air (and airborne water) isn't very abrasive which helps a lot even if you do go through it at hundreds of miles per hour. You can more or less think most modern paint as a plastic coating. High speed air with the occasional water droplet or Canadaian goose, easy. Abrasives, hydrocarbons, high temperatures, not so easy.
- kuschku 5y ago
  Wouldn't e.g. landing and starting from an airport near the sea with constant saltwater droplets in the air also damage the paint?
- OldHand2018 5y ago
  I really liked the old American Airlines scheme where they just didn't paint the airplane. It was beautiful. But in the modern age, if you need a metal mesh around a carbon fiber fuselage then not painting the airplane is probably not an option. Sad.
  - nickff 5y ago
    >" I really liked the old American Airlines scheme where they just didn't paint the airplane." It wasn't quite that simple. I believe the 'bare metal' finish actually had a layer of protective varnish painted on, to protect the metal from oxidation (anyone who has handled bare aluminum can tell you that it develops a layer of oxide very quickly). In addition to that, the panels had to be specially chosen and very carefully handled, as small blemishes were very obvious.
    - OldHand2018 5y ago
      I found this page, you may like it :) https://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/aero_05/textonly/fo01txt.html https://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/aero_05/texto... > The decision to paint or polish the metal surfaces of airplanes is based on marketing, economic, and environmental considerations. Although the net operating cost of polished airplanes is slightly more than that of painted airplanes, no compelling reason generally exists to choose one type of livery over the other.
jaclaz 5y ago
Don't forget that besides the thermal effects, the plane hull contracts and expands due to external air pressure and internal pressurization.

throwaway0a5e 5y ago

>I'm not sure there exists a more complex set of requirements for paint than for aircraft. Extreme cold to surface temperatures, the requirement to flex with adhered surfaces without cracking, plus the desire for a paint job to last for years. That's basically a walk in the park compared to anything that needs to deal with unearthly temperatures and harsh chemicals at the same time. Furthermore, air (and airborne water) isn't very abrasive which helps a lot even if you do go through it at hundreds of miles per hour. You can more or less think most modern paint as a plastic coating. High speed air with the occasional water droplet or Canadaian goose, easy. Abrasives, hydrocarbons, high temperatures, not so easy.

kuschku 5y ago
Wouldn't e.g. landing and starting from an airport near the sea with constant saltwater droplets in the air also damage the paint?
OldHand2018 5y ago
I really liked the old American Airlines scheme where they just didn't paint the airplane. It was beautiful. But in the modern age, if you need a metal mesh around a carbon fiber fuselage then not painting the airplane is probably not an option. Sad.
- nickff 5y ago
  >" I really liked the old American Airlines scheme where they just didn't paint the airplane." It wasn't quite that simple. I believe the 'bare metal' finish actually had a layer of protective varnish painted on, to protect the metal from oxidation (anyone who has handled bare aluminum can tell you that it develops a layer of oxide very quickly). In addition to that, the panels had to be specially chosen and very carefully handled, as small blemishes were very obvious.
  - OldHand2018 5y ago
    I found this page, you may like it :) https://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/aero_05/textonly/fo01txt.html https://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/aero_05/texto... > The decision to paint or polish the metal surfaces of airplanes is based on marketing, economic, and environmental considerations. Although the net operating cost of polished airplanes is slightly more than that of painted airplanes, no compelling reason generally exists to choose one type of livery over the other.

jaclaz 5y ago

Don't forget that besides the thermal effects, the plane hull contracts and expands due to external air pressure and internal pressurization.