SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- Rudder Coating Systems
- Notice Date
- 5/7/2008
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Navy, Office of Naval Research, Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Ave. S.W., Washington, District of Columbia, 20375
- ZIP Code
- 20375
- Solicitation Number
- NRLRFI-Rudder
- Point of Contact
- Jamie Brown,, Phone: 202-767-4597
- E-Mail Address
-
jamie.brown@nrl.navy.mil
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This publication constitutes a Request for Information (RFI) and no formal Request for Proposals (RFP), solicitation, and/or additional information regarding this request will be issued. The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) will not issue paper copies of this request. The responses to this RFI will be considered in the planning and definition of Future Naval Capabilities programs. This is not a commitment to fund any effort submitted in response to this request. The Government will not reimburse any costs associated with the development and submission of materials in response to this request. This Sources Sought Announcement issued by NRL solicits industry and academic Sources to express their capability to provide advanced rudder coating systems for U.S. Navy ships. As discussed in more detail below, NRL seeks to develop new processes to increase substantially the performance of current coating systems. Contractors are encouraged to consider novel organic, inorganic, or hybrid resins and / or application processes to achieve the desired goals. In concert with consideration of new processes and materials, the Navy has also established goals which will also govern the development options. These are established with the intent of making near-final products available to the fleet by Government Fiscal Year 2011 (Starting October 2010). These supplementary goals include: (a) a goal of developing solvent and HAP free coatings but in no case should the VOC / HAP content exceed 95 g/l, (b) coating application should be via currently available technology—exceptions must be justified by cost / performance benefits and the alternative application process must be otherwise commercially available by October 2010, (c) resin choices should focus on available or nearly available technologies or combinations thereof to minimize the technology readiness (by October 2010) risk, (d) all coating shall meet the hazardous pigment, additive and toxicity requirements of the referenced military specifications—exceptions must be identified and justified on the basis of performance, and (e) recommended systems must also have a field repair technology—optimally this should also be a new technology (i.e., improved product)—alternatively current use materials might be considered as a short term repair and the new technology products would have to be compatible with them. To support the aggressive technology development / field demonstration schedule, an additional requirement is for the Source to demonstrate the capacity within any resultant contract to provide the Navy with substantial volumes of test coatings (e.g., > 50 gallons) to facilitate test applications shipboard. Collaboration and teaming between material / process developers and larger scale coating manufacturers is encouraged to achieve the technical goals and manufacturing capacity. The improved rudder coatings shall meet or exceed the 6-month, magnesium anode, cathodic disbondment requirement of MIL-PRF-23236C. In NRL-designed flow channel tests, these coatings shall out-perform current rudder coating systems which are based on a trowel-applied epoxy mastic technology at ~ ¼-inch thickness. The new coating shall improve cavitation resistance by a factor of 50% and erosion resistance by 20% versus current Navy standards. NRL has also identified rudder flexing (or “oil-canning”) as a factor in the failure. The coatings can be subject to considerable strain as the result of the rudder flex, especially under dynamic conditions. The selection of resins must balance the yield strength / fracture energy requirements possibility needed to enhance cavitation resistance with the ductility sought to overcome the local strain effects. These are key considerations for improved rudder coatings. These systems should have a minimum service life of 2 to 5 years. NRL is also seeking the co-development based on an extension of current submarine technology, of syntactic (closed cell) foam that might be installed into existing rudders to eliminate / reduce the rudder flex and extend the coating life. The syntactic foam would be installed in addition to the improved rudder coating to extend the life of the rudder system to 7 years without excessive disbondment. Key issues for the syntactic installation are a process and material that will allow the (near) complete filling of an internally-reinforced rudder from one fill point. Nominal dimensions for design consideration include a fill depth of 15-feet and a cross-sectional area of nominally 5-feet by 1-foot. Internal cross bracing is placed on nominal 2-foot centers and contains multiple through-holes within the brace-webbing. The syntactic material should demonstrate a high compressive strength (> 4,000 psi), light weight (S.G. < 0.75), and preserve buoyancy if the rudder shell is breached. Field testing will eventually include testing of the improved coatings alone and as a system with the syntactic foam. Coatings offered for evaluation should consider the tradeoff between increased film thickness, which is offered for improved erosion / cavitation resistance, vs. the increased cracking tendency for thick-films at points of maximum strain. Coating systems may also consist of one or more coats, including consideration of flex / cathodic disbondment resistant primers and erosion / cavitation resistant topcoats. Submissions To minimize costs to potential contractors in responding to the subject announcement, each contractor is encouraged to submit an initial White Paper of no more than five (5) pages in length for each specific coating technology offered. A single Source may submit multiple White Papers. White Papers may be submitted via e-mail to the Points of Contact Listed below. Alternatively Hard Copies (1 original + 2 copies) may be mailed to the Points of Contact. All White Papers must be received by the requested due date. The Navy requests that White Papers be provided by June 1, 2008. The Navy desires to initiate laboratory testing on initial trial products by July 2008. Items (a) through (d) listed above, technology maturity, and manufacturing capacity. Each Source should also provide a two (2) page maximum resume or curriculum vitae for the Principal Investigator. Each potential Source should identify the Advance Coating Technology area being presented for consideration. The document header or title should include one, and only one, of the following: (1) Stand Alone Rudder Coating or (2) Syntactic Foam / Rudder Coating. Immediate questions should be addressed in writing to Mr. Edward Lemieux, Naval Research Laboratory, Code 6136, PO Box 1739, Key West, FL 33041. Mr. Lemieux’s FAX number is (305) 293-4213 and the e-mail address is Lemieux@nrl.navy.mil. White papers should also be sent to Mr. Lemieux. The secondary POC is Dr. Airan J. Perez, Office of Naval Research. Dr. Perez may be reached via conventional mail at: Dr. Airan J. Perez, Office of Naval Research, 875 North Randolph Street, Arlington, VA 22203. Dr. Perez’s e-mail is airan.perez@navy.mil with a FAX number of 703-696-0934. The White Paper should also be sent to Dr. Perez by the date listed above via conventional mail or via e-mail. No phone calls please.
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- Place of Performance
- Address: Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, District of Columbia, 20375, United States
- Zip Code: 20375
- Zip Code: 20375
- Record
- SN01568406-W 20080509/080507220029-824ddc0a8b680bf3bfd94b67559f92b1 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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