Air force 14. 1 Small Business Innovation Research (sbir) Proposal Submission Instructions
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| The current VSRD coating wears off after about 250 cycles and creates a problem where the drogue will get stuck in the refueling pod storage tube, thus precluding the MC-130J from performing its intended refueling mission. The thirty year life cycle estimate for rib replacement due to coating wear-out for the entire MC-130J fleet is approximately $112 million. The MC-130J program office is looking for a more durable, low friction material to recoat the rib. This would help extend the VSRD mean time between failures. The program office estimates that this will lower the life cycle cost to approximately $43 million.
The purpose of this SBIR effort is to overcome the above deficiencies by developing a new, more durable material that can facilitate the drogue entering and exiting the refueling storage tube for the drogue. There are many different types of coatings in industry, but none has the functionality needed for the harsh operating conditions in which the VSRD is used. The contractor that developed the VSRD researched and tested about eight candidates and determined that a Keronite base coat with a Xylan 1088 top coat provided the best combination of durability and low friction. What is needed is a coating which can withstand more cycles scraping against screw heads and the inside of the refueling pod storage tube and have a low coefficient of friction. The new coating must be able to be applied by field maintenance personnel to 6XXX series aluminum without the need for special equipment to apply or cure the coating. PHASE I: Define the coating requirements. Identify appropriate coatings for evaluation. Develop sample batches of potential coatings. Apply coatings to typical VSRD aluminum substrates. Perform laboratory validation to demonstrate/validate friction and wear performance. Downselect coatings to be demonstrated during Phase II. PHASE II: Apply the coating to a Variable Speed Refueling Drogue (VSRD) and test it in a relevant environment. Demonstrate field application. Develop production quantities of coating. Expected Technology Readiness Level of the coating by the end of Phase II is TRL 6, and preferably TRL 7. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Military Application: Air refueling pods; equipment that requires continued maintenance due to friction between control surfaces. Commercial Application: Industrial equipment where there is frequent contact between mechanical parts that leads to erosion of components. REFERENCES: 1. http://www.cobham.com/media/847796/variable_drag_drogue_datasheet.pdf. 2. http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Aerial_refueling. KEYWORDS: Refueling, abrasion, coating AF141-159 TITLE: Portable Drill-Fastener KEY TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Air Platforms OBJECTIVE: Develop a light weight, standardized, robust, affordable, portable drilling system capable of inserting fasteners and torquing associated nuts. The design should allow for growth (e.g. - insertion and upsetting of rivets for final installation). DESCRIPTION: Legacy sheet metal aircraft such as the C-130J have hundreds of thousands of fasteners with the vast majority drilled and installed by hand, one at a time. This work is labor intensive, increases the production span of aircraft, generates repetitive motion injuries, and is a source for quality issues. The manual drilling process requires other steps during the assembly operation including de-stacking the assembly, de-burring individual holes, applying sealant to the parts if required, reassembling the parts and wet installation of fasteners with sealant. Completing the fastener installation requires setting the torque for the threaded fastener nuts. Traditional fastener installation machines are very large, heavy, expensive, and immobile systems which perform the drill-fasten operation without the de-stack and de-burr processes. Major drawbacks to the traditional systems are: they are dedicated to a limited number of parts which greatly restricts the possible applications, they cannot access confined spaces, and they fall into the category of capital equipment. The envisioned system shall be capable of drilling, installing and setting threaded fasteners in common aircraft alloys on legacy aircraft assemblies in a production environment. As a possible future adaptation, consideration shall be given to the installation and upsetting of rivets. The system will be affordable, portable, and easy to integrate. It should be hand-held, with a target maximum weight of 15lb. Solutions that are heavier will be seriously considered if they offer a valid approach, for example, if the heavier system is supported by a tool balancer. The system should be priced low enough to allow it to be purchased in large quantities and to be applied across multiple applications/programs. The current target price for the hand-held tool is $30K but can increase based on the capabilities of the tool. An initial cost benefit analysis of any solution shall be performed near the end of the Ph II effort. The intent is to be able to drill and install fasteners in various assemblies with a common tool. The system must be able to accomplish these tasks without the de-stack and de-burr processes while producing a high quality hole. The system shall also be easy to maintain and utilize common components wherever possible. The expected output of the Phase I and Phase II topic is a prototype system that will be considered for implementation and therefore, needs to meet manufacturer specifications. It is highly encouraged that offerors are willing to work with and have a letter of support from the system OEM. Detailed specification information is proprietary but more information will be made available following Phase I and Phase II awards. The outlined tasks are: locate hole (through sheet metal template or pilot hole), provide sufficient clamp force to eliminate delamination during drilling which prevents inter-laminar burrs, drill through stack-up, apply sealant, insert fastener, retain fastener (upset rivet or thread on a nut). The maximum allowed burr on the exit side of the hole is 0.002". The requirement on sealant is that there must be a witness of sealant squeeze out under the head and the tail of the fastener. Torque accuracy requirements for application of nuts is +-4% + 2in-lb. Rivet tail requirement is tail height must be equal to 1 diameter and the tail diameter must be at least two diameters. Numerous companies in the aerospace industry provide high quality, self-feeding, portable, drilling systems, some of which possess the capability to provide clamp force usually through the mechanism of a pneumatic cleco. There also exists hand held automatic fastening systems capable of running nuts on threads from a preloaded “magazine”. The new technology would marry these two existing capabilities along with an automated fastener insertion device, and sealant applicator to create a complete single pass drill and fill operation. The fasteners are standard MS rivets and interference fit HI-Tigue threaded fasteners. It is not expected one unit to be able to install both rivets and threaded fasteners. It should be assumed that separate units will be used for the different fastener types. PHASE I: The focus of Phase I will be a feasibility study and the development of a preliminary design(s) for a Portable Drill-Fastener System. Initial estimates of unit size, weight, capabilities, and single unit cost are expected. Unit fabrication (prototyping) is not expected in Phase I. PHASE II: Phase II will be on the selection of a design from Phase I and the production of a prototype system. Demonstration/validation of the prototype shall be conducted in a simulated production environment. Evaluation will be based on unit and operational costs, robustness, ease of use/maintenance, human factors/ergonomics, portability, weight, safety, and ability to perform all tasks outlined in the OEM specifications. The contractor shall perform a cost benefit analysis of the prototype design. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Phase III will take the prototype demonstrated in a simulated production environment and further develop the system for production use. Upon completion of testing, any redesign effort would be completed to move the prototype into production. REFERENCES: 1. A quick change system for portable fastening tooling systems. Pinheiro, Rodrigo; Dibley, Charles; Olkowski, Jay; Lantow, Richard; Haylock, Luke. Source: SAE Technical Papers, 2009, SAE 2009 AeroTech Congress and Exhibition; DOI: 10.4271/2009-01-3269; Conference: SAE 2009 AeroTech Congress and Exhibition, November 11, 2009 - November 11, 2009; Publisher: SAE International. 2. A next generation drilling machine-a search for greater quality Shemeta. Paul; Wallace, Lyle Source: SAE Technical Papers, 2005, AeroTech Congress and Exhibition; DOI: 10.4271/2005-01-3298; Conference: AeroTech Congress and Exhibition, October 3, 2005 - October 6, 2005; Publisher: SAE International. 3. Automated Robot-Based Screw Insertion System. Lara, Bruno; Althoefer, Kaspar; Seneviratne, Lakmal D. King's College London. 4. Additional Q&A from TPOC to clarify requirements for AF Topic AF141-159, uploaded in SITIS 12/10/13. KEYWORDS: Portable drilling system, fasteners, drill starts, production, drill-fasten, drill and fill, rivets, man-hours, man hours, quality escapes AF141-160 TITLE: Abrasion Resistant Coating on Composite Substrates KEY TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Materials / Processes OBJECTIVE: Develop an abrasion resistant coating to help protect sensitive substrates during dry media blast coating- removal operations. DESCRIPTION: A significant need exists to develop an abrasion resistant coating for composite structures capable of protecting the substrates during media blast coating removal operations. This new coating would function as a protective barrier to the substrate and coatings beneath it. Successful transition of such a technology would have far reaching sustainment benefits to both the USAF and modern commercial aerospace platforms. The new coating must be compatible with currently fielded coating systems and must not impact the function of these existing materials. The technology must be thin (0.5-1.2 mils) and lightweight (compared to COTS coatings currently used of the same thickness) to serve as a dry media resistant barrier to be used on thin skinned composite substrates. The new material must be compatible to new or mechanically stripped composite substrates and the protective coating finish system, i.e. a outer mold line paint stackup. The thin coating should resist any discernible or measurable damage from the following dry media: wheat starch and MIL-P-85891, Type VII. During Phase I, the coating must be demonstrated on at least two representative 12" x 12" composite substrate specimens with a paint stack-up representative of the modern USAF weapon systems. The 12" x 12" specimens will be subject to the following laboratory tests: dry media blast, ASTM D4541 (PATTI), and composite flexibility testing. The coating should be semi-permanent -- it must have a documented removal process (non-media blast) that allows a maintainer to remove the new coating without damaging the coatings/substrate that resides below. The coating must exhibit acceptable adhesion properties to other common coatings and substrates used by the US Air Force. The coating must withstand temperatures, moisture reversion, and UV degradation in a normal operating aerospace environment. It is preferred the technology is compliant with standard coating application equipment so it can be applied by field units in an operational environment. PHASE I: Demonstrate the new coating to be an abrasion resistant and capable of protecting the substrates during media blast coating removal operations. Demonstrate initial testing to show proposed technology is compatible with and maintains adhesion with current coating stacks before removal. Demonstrate removal of developed coating does not damage coatings/substrate lower in the stack-up. PHASE II: Demonstrate the coating performance is resistant to conditions seen in operational environment. Perform scale-up activities to establish manufacturing capability to produce coating on a commercial level. Additional demonstrations shall be conducted to show weapon systems potential benefits from the new technology. A return on investment and/or cost benefit analysis will be provided by the contractor to the USAF to assist with transition efforts. Phase III transition plan must be developed. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Qualification activities shall be performed. Other activities leading up to a T-2 flight test shall be performed. REFERENCES: 1. MIL-P-85891A. 2. ASTM D4541 (PATTI), "Standard Test Method for Pull-off Strength of Coatings Using Portable Adhesion Testers". KEYWORDS: abrasion, coating removal, media blast, OML, maintenance AF141-161 TITLE: Remotely Controlled Exhaust Coating Defect Mapping System KEY TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Air Platforms The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with section 5.4.c.(8) of the solicitation and within the AF Component-specific instructions. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws. Please direct questions to the AF SBIR/STTR Contracting Officer, Ms. Kristina Croake, kristina.croake@us.af.mil. OBJECTIVE: Develop a compact, ruggedized remotely controlled exhaust coating defect mapping system. DESCRIPTION: Assessment of damage in inlets and exhaust cavities is necessary to evaluate aircraft readiness and flight safety. Current procedures rely on human performed inspections consisting of visually locating defects in these confined spaces and manually determining defect types, dimensions, and location for transfer to an assessment system. Manual procedures ensuring 100% inspection within small cavities can be difficult to perform due to maneuverability, are time consuming, and are prone to human error. The Air Force seeks an automated system capable of robotically traversing serpentine inlets, exhaust and other tight cavities with the ability to inspect 100% of the cavity surface and automatically identify defects such as cracks and missing material. These defects must be accurately referenced to known coordinates within the inlet or exhaust structure. Defect data from this mapping tool must be fed into structural coordinates and photographs must be captured to complete the mapping process. The system must generate a report with the locations, number, size and/or area of defects. The rover must be highly mobile using tracks or wheels and can be tethered with a cable for data and power. The rover must be capable of automatically traversing a programmed path through the cavity assuring 100% inspection based on the sensing modality. While an optical defect mapping head is envisioned (Line Scan, LIDAR or other optical technology), other sensing systems are acceptable. Modular system architecture with the ability to accommodate a variety of NDI sensing technologies is highly desirable. The mapping device must be used on fielded air vehicles and cannot damage the surface being traversed. Consideration should be given to collision avoidance and to ensure safe manual removal in the event of system, software, or power failure. The tool should pose no safety hazard to personnel or equipment and must be used in a fueled environment. It shall be capable of being approved for flight line operation. It is expected that this system will be transportable and operable by a single technician. Considerations during the design of any equipment used for this should include: robustness, use in the field, and Class I, Div II certification. This capability will improve confidence in defect location mapping for transfer to assessment systems. A reduction of maintenance induced damage from maintainers climbing in and out of inlets, exhaust and small cavities for inspections. Additionally, a reduction of maintenance man hours is expected. Inlets and exhaust are inspected before every flight. Detailed inspections on exhaust tailpipes are conducted at the end of every week and at 200 flight hours. These inspections take an hour per cavity plus mapping and reporting time. Maintainers are required to don full protective suits with respirators and locate missing material in extremely confined areas further extending inspections. An automated inspection system will free the maintainer from the demanding task and free them to address other needs. PHASE I: Develop a compact, rugged defect mapping sensor for inlets, exhaust and small cavities designed to fit onto a carriage. The system must identify cracks 0.010" Wide and map missing material greater than 0.35 sq in. Physical size constraints for the mapping system are 6" H x12" W x13" L. Begin integration onto a mobile, remotely controlled carriage that can traverse at least 14' into a pipe or duct. PHASE II: Finalize sensor/carriage integration and develop automated movement, damage registration and mapping. System must tolerate engine soot and fluids and recognize damage regardless. Damage mapping in areas of 7"H is required but fidelity must be maintained in larger areas of the cavity. Testing and development on a representative inlet, exhaust or cavity highly recommended, a structure may be provided for demonstration. System must map 100% of the cavity in 60 minutes. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: This automated inspection tool will benefit military aircraft which require frequenct inspection within small cavities. Commercial aircraft as well as other industrial applications requiring inspection of confined spaces should also benefit from this this technology. REFERENCES: 1. Roman Louban, “Image Processing of Edge and Surface Defects: Theoretical Basis of Adaptive Algorithms with Numerous Practical Applications,” Springer Series in Materials Science, 1st Ed., ISBN-10: 3642006825, ISBN-13: 978-3642006821, Springer, 2009. 2. M.L. Smith, “Surface Inspection Techniques: Using the Integration of Innovative Machine Vision and Graphical Modeling Techniques,” Engineering Research Series, 1st Ed., Duncan Dowson Ed., ISBN-10: 1860582923, ISBN-13: 978-1860582929, Wiley, 2001. 3. Robert E. Green, B. Boro Djordjevie, and Manfred P. Hentschel, Eds., “Nondestructive Characterization of Materials XI: Proceedings of the 11th International Symposium,” ISBN: 3540401547, Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. K, Berlin, Germany, June 24-28, 2002. 4. Dwight G. Weldon, “Failure Analysis of Paints and Coatings,” Revised Ed., ISBN: 978-0-470-69753-5, Wiley, 2009. KEYWORDS: Engine, inlet, ehxuast, defect, mapping, coordinates, automated inspection, defect/damage identification, defect/damage registration, nondestructive evaluation (NDE), nondestructive inspection (NDI) AF141-162 TITLE: Methods to Enable Rapid Qualification of Additive Manufacturing Processes KEY TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Materials / Processes The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with section 5.4.c.(8) of the solicitation and within the AF Component-specific instructions. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws. Please direct questions to the AF SBIR/STTR Contracting Officer, Ms. Kristina Croake, kristina.croake@us.af.mil. OBJECTIVE: Develop model assisted experimental processes that will rapidly estimate the dimensions of life-limiting defects and their probability of occurrence in additively manufactured and/or repaired components. DESCRIPTION: Additive Manufacturing (AM) is the process of taking a digital representation of a part or component and directly manufacturing the resulting product using an automated, three-dimensional fabrication technique such as Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (EBAM) or Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS). Current efforts to use AM for fabrication or repair of hardware require the iteration of empirical Design of Experiments (DOE) to optimize alloy selection and processing parameters. Each DOE yields a large number of physical specimens that are characterized using two-dimensional image analysis. Metallographic data is then analyzed and the process is optimized to yield a required microstructure free from defects such as cracks, un-melted particles, and porosity. Mechanical test specimens are then fabricated and tensile, creep, fatigue, and crack growth properties are determined and used for component design and reliability assessment. Finally, fabricated components are inspected and characterized to ensure their microstructure and properties align with the assumptions used for their design and reliability analysis. This process results in a significant level of effort and cycle time, and a number of iterations are usually required before the process parameters are optimized to design requirements and manufacturability. Rapid qualification of AM processes will require the development of a methodology that accurately captures the relationship between the key input parameters and location-specific microstructure, as well as the relationship between the microstructure and mechanical properties and component durability. The methodology would integrate process information, non-destructive evaluation (NDE), stress analysis and damage tolerance simulations into the design process. Key input parameters and location specific material microstructure, as well as a relationship between the microstructure and mechanical properties and component durability can be established via DOE – based on analysis for the parameters for which predictive physics-based models are available, or based on specimen testing (and microstructure/ fractography characterization) where such predictive models are not available. The probability of detection of these anomalies can be investigated with a NDE inspection simulation tool (e.g., XRSIM). The likelihood that the predicted array of anomalies will lead to a failure can be determined by a fatigue crack growth simulation. With this approach, the DOE provides initial anomaly information, the stress analysis provides a value for the critical size of an anomaly and the NDE assessment provides a detectability measure. The combination of these tools allows for accept/reject criteria to be determined at the early design stage and enables damage tolerant design philosophies. It is anticipated that this approach will address the stochastic nature of both process variability (e.g., machine to machine variability) and the geometric complexity typically found in aerospace components and will not be limited to simplified scenarios, such as plates, cylinders, or other simple geometric configurations. While the above integrated process characterization and modeling effort may add to the initial development cost of AM components, it is anticipated that it will only need to be performed once for a given material system and then form a basis for a probabilistic predictive system that can be relatively easily adjusted for a variety of components of different volumes, geometries and applications. The result is an integrated modeling environment for uncertainty quantification and risk assessment that can be effectively utilized for rapid process optimization and components qualification. PHASE I: Demonstrate a proof of concept capability that integrates process information, material properties, non-destructive evaluation (NDE) models, and damage tolerance simulations into the design process. With assistance from the TPOC verify relevance and viability of the approach with prospective users. Particular attention should be given in the proposal to the validation protocol of the technique. 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