Air Force sbir 04. 1 Proposal Submission Instructions
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| The structural configuration of greatest concern is constructed of a four-layer sandwich. This sandwich is comprised of two Ti-6Al-4V lug panels. At the splice zone, each titanium plate is machined to a taper to accommodate the tang from the aluminum wing plank that inserts into the lug panel assembly (tongue and groove configuration). In addition, the splice incorporates a fourth layer of aluminum rib flanges. The sandwich is fastened using three rows of flush-head, stainless steel Taper-Lok shear bolts. Because of the tongue and groove configuration, the thickness of the titanium and aluminum layers varies inboard to outboard. The extreme case inboard, from the wing lower external surface to the top layer 0.38 inch of titanium, 2.0 inches of aluminum and 0.38 inche of titanium and 0.64 inches of aluminum. The extreme case outboard consists of 0.9-inch of titanium, 0.9 inch of aluminum, 0.9 inch of titanium and 0.5 inch of aluminum. Access is open to the lower wing surface. Access is very restricted at the upper side of the structure. Polysulfide sealant may not be present between each layer of the splice joint sandwich. For the wing carry-through, the flaws of most concern are corner cracks initiating at the fastener bore within the tapered aluminum tang of the wing plank. The current goa is 0.050-inch corner flaw detection sensitivity.
PHASE I: Demonstrate concept feasibility. Demonstrate the ability to detect fatigue damage within the borehole of an aluminum structure with steel fasteners installed. The inspection must be conducted through a total of 0.4 inch of titanium and 2 inches of aluminum. The fatigue flaws shall be place within the fastener bore at the back surface of the 2-inch aluminum plank. The Government can provide these specimens. Design the prototype system to be built in Phase II. PHASE II: Develop and demonstrate the system prototype on a demonstration article representative of the actual B-1B structure containing known fatigue damage. Review prototype design with AF personnel for robustness, comformance with existing practices and ability of AF personnel to have the prototype unit maintained and repaired. Build the prototype unit. Demonstrate the operability to AF personnel. It is desired to have an integrated team approach to the development of the prototype that will incorporate user feedback. DUAL USE COMMERCIALIZATION: Potential applications include inspection of metallic structures including commercial aircraft, naval vessels, automobiles, rail systems or building structures. Potential customers include aerospace, nuclear, marine, and automotive concerns, FAA, DoD and the DOE. REFERENCES: 1. ASM Handbook, Nondestructive Evaluation and Quality Control, vol. 17, J.R. Davis, S.R. Lampman, ASM International, 1994 2. Ultrasonic Testing of Materials, Krautkramer, Krautkramer, Springer Verlag, 1990. KEYWORDS: nondestructive inspection, crack detection, AF04-135 TITLE: Lean Techniques for Project Management in the Acquisition Environment TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes OBJECTIVE: Establish a teaching module using simulation to demonstrate how lean concepts can provide benefits to project management in the acquisition environment. DESCRIPTION: Project managers involved in acquisition processes are routinely estimating project task completion dates. In large projects, the uncertainty of these approximations and an extensive set of milestone dates, precedence constraints and resource limitations can combine and lead to unrealistic predictions and the development of very complex analytical program management tools. Lean concepts (i.e., more specifically Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) from the Theory of Constraints) are simple concepts that are typically applied to work content. However, when these concepts are applied to the way work is scheduled rather than performed, significant reductions in cycle times may also be achieved, independent of the work content. Applying lean techniques such as CCPM may be the most simple and promising approach available today to reduce development cycle time and cost. It could take advantage of hidden capacity in program execution to reduce acquisition development cycle time/costs. PHASE I: Demonstrate the concept that the application of lean techniques (CCPM) to project management, either independent or in conjunction with lean tools applied to work content, can reduce cycle time and costs. It could be applicable to any project and provide similar benefits that lean techniques have done for manufacturing. A focus on a literature search for applicable project management studies could facilitate the concept demonstration. PHASE II: Implement the concept demonstrated in Phase I by developing an education module that uses/expands simulations completed to date that explains the dynamics of project management and how lean concepts (i.e., such as CCPM) can improve schedule performance and reduces negative individual behaviors which are barriers to accomplishing program schedule objectives. Additionally, obtain expert review to verify completeness of simulation. DUAL USE COMMERCIALIZATION: The developed product would have potential applications in commercial acquisition environments as well as in DoD applications. Follow-on activities are expected to be aggressively pursued by the offeror, namely documenting the results in commonly available media and potentially selling of the product as a program management training tool. REFERENCES: 1. "Critical Chain Project Management;" Lawrence P. Leach; Artech House; February, 2000. 2. "The Measurement Nightmare;" Debra A. Smith; Saint Louise Press; December, 1999. 3. "Program Management in the Fast Lane;" Robert C. Newbold; CRC Press; February, 2000. 4. "Critical Chain;" Eliyahu Goldratt; North River Press Publishing Corp; April, 1997.5. "Theory of Constraints;" Eliyahu Goldratt; North River Press Publishing Corp; June, 1990. KEYWORDS: risk management, program management, theory of constraints, lean production, critical chain program management, risk analysis tools, project management tools, Parkinson's Law, multi-tasking AF04-136 TITLE: Waste Disposal/Waste Management System for Low Observable (LO) Composite Materials TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes OBJECTIVE: Develop a waste disposal system that is capable of destroying LO waste materials generated by the maintenance operations of fighter aircraft. DESCRIPTION: Fighter aircraft use composite materials that are very high strength and have low reflection to radar. These materials may be of value to enemy intelligence organizations. Construction, maintenance, and repair of these aircraft will result in scraps and residues that should not enter the normal waste stream, and should be completely destroyed. Consequently, a waste disposal system is needed to convert these materials into a condition that is of no intelligence value (i.e grind, chop, etc). The purpose of this topic is to develop and deliver a waste disposal system capable of destroying generated composite waste in an environmentally acceptable manner. The system shall be easy to operate, requiring only one person for startup. Once started, it shall process wastes without operator participation. PHASE I: Evaluate potential destruction methods. Down select to a particular technology that is most effective. Design, build, and demonstrate a bench scale system to demonstrate the technical feasibility. Conduct a series of experiments to evaluate the system's performance. PHASE II: Design, build, and test a prototype waste disposal system that can handle composite wastes generated by AF maintenance operations. Verify operation on actual waste materials. Determine composition of processed residues, including solid, liquid (if any), and gaseous effluents. Evaluate solids to determine if these materials can be disposed in a landfill. Determine if liquids can be discharged into a sanitary sewer. The protoype unit will be a deliverable of the Phase II program. DUAL USE COMMERCIALIZATION: A successful development of a waste disposal/waste management system will have a multitude of commercial applications in addition to AF operations. Similar composites, although without the radar absorbing qualities, are used in commercial aircraft construction, sporting goods including golf clubs, surf boards, bicycle frames, and pressure vessels. Destruction of wastes from the manufacture of these items, as well as disposing of these products at the end of their useful life could be accomplished using this disposal system. Depending on the characteristics of the waste disposal system developed, a broad range of solid wastes could be destroyed, including the entire organic fraction (over 80 percent of the waste stream) of municipal solid waste. REFERENCES: 1. Solid waste, US EPA Website, http://www.epa.gov/municipal/facts.htm 2. MAS 603 Military Aircraft Development, http://faculty.erau.edu/ericksol/courses/ms603/military 3. Land Disposal restrictions: summary of requirements, http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwastes.sum.pdf KEYWORDS: waste disposal, waste management, composites AF04-137 TITLE: Reusable Internal Mandrels For Composites Repair or Fabrication TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes OBJECTIVE: Develop a reusable compound-curved/complex-shape internal mandrel with the ability to rapidly create a precisely dimensioned component. DESCRIPTION: Internal mandrels for compound-curved repair or fabrication can be very expensive to develop, produce, and remove from a cured component such as ducting. Removal of the mandrel is often a tedious or slow process and exposes the cured part to handling damage, especially with lightweight, thin-walled sections. The mandrel fabrication is time consuming, and every new part requires its own mandrel. In addition, the materials used for melt-out or breakout mandrels are often employed once and then thrown away, requiring disposal as hazardous or noxious waste materials. Innovative internal mandrel production and removal technologies are needed that will significantly speed up and reduce the costs of developing, producing and removing internal mandrels from cured composite components. Preferred tooling technologies would incorporate, in a single system, a rapid, low cost method for producing hard mandrels from existing parts or patterns, and an equally rapid method for extracting the mandrel from the finished composite part, which removes the need for dedicated molds to produce the mandrels. A preferred mandrel material would not only be rapidly shaped and hardened but would also be reusable without requiring extensive reprocessing. Requirements for a mandrel forming and removal system include the following: 1) imprint an existing component or master, 2) rapidly create a precisely dimensioned, compound-curved/complex-shape internal mandrel, 3) compatible with autoclave cure cycles of up to 100 PSI and 375 °F, 4) be easily extracted from the cured part, and 5) rapidly reconstitute the mandrel material for the next production or repair cycle. PHASE I: Identify candidate materials and demonstrate the feasibility of the selected concept for reusable tooling. The contractor demonstration may be at a laboratory scale but should demonstrate properties that are comparable to existing mandrel concepts. PHASE II: Develop, demonstrate and deliver a prototype tooling system which creates a dimensionally accurate, autoclave-tolerant, rapidly removable, reusable or reusable-material mandrel with minimum dimensions of 48 inches in length, 12 inch minimum diameter, and incorporating at least two out-of-plane bends of 45 degrees or more. DUAL USE COMMERCIALIZATION: The Air Force has a variety of aircraft applications where a successfully developed mandrel concept could be used, including ducting, stiffeners and wings. The Navy and Army have similar applications and also have applications in shipbuilding and rotorcraft. Commercial applications include recreational sporting industry, commercial aircraft and ship building. REFERENCES: 1. Lombardi, J.L. et al., "A Water Soluble Mandrel Material for Fabricating Complex Polymer Composite Components," Proceedings of the 46th International SAMPE Symposium/Exhibition, The Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering, Covine, CA, May 2001. 2. Crowley, T.J., "Innovative, Water Wash-Out, Trapped Mandrel System for Composites," Proceedings of the 32nd International SAMPE Technical Conference, The Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering, Covine, CA, November 2000. 3. Jacobson, T., Crowley, J., Stratton, R, and Clements, L., "Characterization of Low-Cost Reformable Multiuse Tooling System for Composite Repair Applications," Proceedings of the 47th International SAMPE Symposium/Exhibition, The Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering, Covine, CA, May 2002. KEYWORDS: composites, processing, mandrel, fabrication AF04-138 TITLE: Improved Processes for Joining of Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) Thermoplastic Components TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes OBJECTIVE: Develop environmentally friendly concepts and processing procedures for structural joining of PEEK components. DESCRIPTION: While advanced thermoplastic materials have been placed on advanced fighter aircraft from the F-117 to the F/A-22, methods for performing bonded repairs fabricated with these materials have been limited. The problem is especially acute for parts fabricated from PEEK, which does not lend itself to a bonded-patch repair. Currently approved adhesives and surface preparation methods have provided inadequate adhesive strengths and have driven the repair procedure to bolted patches. Bolted repairs are not feasible for repairing some damaged areas of these panels, and could result in having to replace an entire component. Innovative approaches that will significantly improve the bonding process to PEEK, and reduce program costs for aircraft repair and existing aircraft part fabrication, are sought. Ideally this process improvement will consider environmentally friendly surface treatments, selection of repair materials (adhesive and patch) and on-aircraft curing on curved surfaces. The program goal is a method to prepare these surfaces and bond with existing adhesive materials, or development of an alternate adhesive material (for a 250 - 275 °F bond temperature), although other materials and processes may be considered. The process improvement must be cost effective and not require excessive capital equipment or labor. Any materials must be compatible with the military aircraft environment. The preferred method of repair will be one that not only returns adequate strength and durability, but also maintains the aircraft's outer mold line characteristics. Unfortunately, PEEK (a thermoplastic) does not lend itself to traditional surface preparation concepts employed for bonding of thermosets (e.g. surface abrading). It requires techniques (e.g. corona discharge, plasma treatments, acid etches, oxidizing flame treatments) that either rely upon the use of hazardous chemicals, are not readily adaptable to on-aircraft repair, are limited to relatively small areas, or require a significant investment in capital equipment. Processing procedures for structural joining is not limited though to only the consideration of surface preparation techniques, but could include the evaluation of concepts such as welding, resistance heating, or fusion bonding of thermoplastics for example. The processing procedures should be able to be performed, without removing the part from the aircraft (i.e. on-aircraft repair), at the depot-level but ideally at the field-level as well. PHASE I: Identify candidate processes and demonstrate procedures to achieve mechanical and physical properties. The contractor shall demonstrate, at a laboratory scale, properties that are comparable to existing materials and adhesives. Issues to consider include cure time, service temperature, repair environment, and power requirements. PHASE II: Refine and optimize the process investigated during Phase I. The repair process shall be demonstrated and strength tested on a US Air Force representative composite structure with equipment and skill level compatible to a field base location. DUAL USE COMMERCIALIZATION: The Air Force has a variety of aircraft applications that a successfully developed material would find use in. Commercial applications include recreational sporting industry. REFERENCES: 1. Wu, Szu-I Y.; Schuler, A.M.; and Keane, D.V.; "Adhesive Bonding of Thermoplastic Composites, 1. The Effect of Surface Treatment on Adhesive Bonding", 19th International SAMPE Technical Conference, pg. 277-290, October 13-15, 1987. 2. Silverman, E.M. and Griese, R.A., "Joining Methods for Graphite/PEEK Thermoplastic Composites", SAMPE Journal, Vol. 25, No. 5, pg 34-38, September/October 1989. 3. Kodokian, G.K.A. and Kinloch, A.J., "Surface Pretreatment and Adhesion of Thermoplastic Fibre-Composites", Journal of Materials Science Letters 7, pg. 625-627, 1988. 4. Holmes, S.T.; McKnight, S.H.; and Gillespie Jr., J.W.; "Scaling Issues in Resistance Welded Thermoplastic Composite Joints, CCM 93-39, Center for Composite Materials, University of Delaware, 1993. 5. Don, R.C.; Gillespie Jr., J.W.; and McKnight, S.H.; "Bonding Techniques for High-Performance Thermoplastic Compositions", U.S. Patent No. 5643390, issued July 1, 1997. KEYWORDS: composites, thermoplastics, surface preparation AF04-139 TITLE: Fatigue Life Enhancement of Fastener Holes Manufactured from High-Strength Aluminum Alloys TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes OBJECTIVE: Develop an understanding and demonstrate fatigue life enhancement techniques (for example, cold working holes) that will eliminate fastener hole cracking and improve fatigue life of high-strength aluminum alloys. DESCRIPTION: Current high strength aluminum alloys (7050, 2297 Al-Li) have a tendency to crack when traditional life enhancement techniques (split sleeve cold working) are performed. Sensitivity to fastener hole life extension techniques (cold hole expansion) has been shown to cause cracking in the short transverse grain orientation. A program to evaluate new and existing techniques, limits and the practical use for fatigue enhancement of mechanically fastened joints is required. PHASE I: Select and demonstrate the feasibility of new and existing fastener hole technologies specifically in the area of cold working holes. These technologies shall be aimed at eliminating the cracking of holes in the short transverse grain orientation and to improve the fatigue life of mechanically fastened joints involving advance high-strength aluminum alloys. Data generated in Phase I shall provide sufficient information to support a viable Phase II effort. PHASE II: Fully develop and test the most viable fastener hole technique demonstrated in Phase I. Phase II testing shall consist of mechanically fastened joints or elements that are representative of actual AF aircraft components and shall document the improvements of the most promising technique. Testing shall be conducted to evaluate the practicality, joint effectiveness, and degree of fatigue life enhancement. In addition, the viable technique must also be rated for cost effectiveness. DUAL USE COMMERCIALIZATION: After a viable technique has been identified, the technology would have broad impacts. The aerospace industry relies heavily on high-strength aluminum alloys, especially ones that are lighter than traditional alloys. This would not only give aircraft manufacturers a new design alternative but could also impact materials insertion for DoD's aging fleet. REFERENCES: 1. R.J. Burt and S.E. Minarecioglu, Finite Element Analysis of Stresses Surrounding Cold Expanded Holes in Aluminum-Lithium Plate, presented at the 2002 USAF Aircraft Structural Integrity Program Conference, December 2002. KEYWORDS: fastener hole techniques, cold-worked holes, fatigue life enhancement, high-strength aluminum alloys AF04-140 TITLE: Enabling Materials Processing Technology for Low-Cost Fabrication of Integral Bladed Rotors (IBR) TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes OBJECTIVE: Explore and demonstrate innovative materials and manufacturing technologies that enable affordable fabrication of IBRs for advanced gas turbine engines. DESCRIPTION: Alloys of titanium and nickel base superalloys have long been used as compressor disk and blade materials for both small and large gas turbine engines. The more advanced engines use IBRs throughout the compression section to reduce weight and improve performance. However, integral blade-to-disk designs inherently limit the ability of conventional manufacturing processes to affordably produce IBRs: thus the costs for this type of components have remained high. Therefore more cost-effective innovative manufacturing methods must be developed to significantly reduce the cost of this type of component. This dual use technology project should demonstrate the capability to produce fine-grained materials to enable manufacturing of IBRs at 35-50 percent below current production costs. This project should address the metallurgical challenges associated with affordably producing fine grained materials and their application to minimize the largest drivers of IBR manufacturing costs - raw material consumption, rough machining and final machining. Emerging materials and manufacturing processes have shown the capability to produce fine-grained superalloys that enable IBRs to be produced well below current cost levels while gaining improvements in inspectability. However, to warrant industry support and investment, these processes and their application to IBRs must be further developed. In addition, rigorous economic analysis must be conducted to address both the technical and business issues associated with implementation and qualification. Proposals for laser additive manufacturing processes are not sought at this time. PHASE I: Demonstrate the engineering, manufacturing, and economic feasibility of emerging processes to fabricate fine-grained IBRs from titanium or nickel based superalloys by specifically targeting the high-cost elements of current manufacturing methods. The feasibility to economically produce materials conditioned for subsequent near net shape forging is to be demonstrated. Upon successful conditioning, material samples shall be processed at representative deformation parameters for forging IBRs, heat treated, and microstructurally characterized. Temperature and flow stress improvements shall be quantified to assess the capability to forge full-scale, very near-net shape geometries. Additionally, a detailed process assessment shall be made to document the potential of fine-grained, near-net shape forgings to minimize the cost of rough and final IBR machining operations. An economic model of the process shall be constructed to quantify the potential savings and the cost drivers and their respective influence on overall process economics. An initial commercialization plan shall be developed and a business case established to quantify future investments, including equipment changeover and qualification expenses. PHASE II: Demonstrate full scale manufacturing processes to produce low cost IBRs with net or near net shape blades using innovative metalworking and machining methods. Tooling and processes to produce full-scale prototype preforms and final forgings will be fabricated to demonstrate process reproducibility under relevant production conditions. Techniques eliminating or minimizing rough and final machining requirements shall be demonstrated and cost reductions validated. Methods for cost-effectively generating finished airfoils shall be assessed for compatibility with near-net forged IBRs. Full-scale forgings shall be produced, heat treated using low distortion techniques, and evaluated using conventional nondestructive inspection, dimensional inspection, and microstructural analysis methods to demonstrate acceptable material quality and metallurgical characteristics. Material property testing shall be conducted to obtain engineering data per standardized testing techniques to document material acceptability for future industrial use. The cost savings potential of the demonstrated processes shall be validated. Finalized commercialization plans and qualification requirements shall be established to offer low-cost IBR manufacturing processes to the aerospace industry for production transition and qualification in Phase III. 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