SOURCES SOUGHT
H -- REQUEST FOR INFORMATION - Laboratory Capabilities to Conduct Material and Component Level Tests on Fiber-Reinforced Plastic Specimens from Cargo Tank Motor Vehicles
- Notice Date
- 12/15/2017
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541380
— Testing Laboratories
- Contracting Office
- Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Research, Development & Technology, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, District of Columbia, 20590, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20590
- Solicitation Number
- 6913G618RFI0002
- Archive Date
- 2/15/2018
- Point of Contact
- Hailing Yu, Phone: 6174942554, Peter Wallace, Phone: 6174943644
- E-Mail Address
-
hailing.yu@dot.gov, peter.wallace@dot.gov
(hailing.yu@dot.gov, peter.wallace@dot.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- BACKGROUND: The Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe) is currently conducting a study to establish experimental testing procedures and develop a finite element analysis (FE) framework that can be used to evaluate the performance and determine the specifications of cargo tank motor vehicles (CTMV) made with fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) materials. Because the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) do not address the specific performance requirements for FRP CTMVs, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has been issuing special permits with renewable terms for commercial companies to manufacture, sell and use FRP cargo tanks for the highway HM transportation. With increasing omnipresence and acceptance of the FRP CTMVs as an industrial standard for transporting corrosive HM, there have been calls to include FRP CTMV performance requirements in the HMR, so as to not only maximize the FRP CTMVs' safety potential but also relieve both the PHMSA and the industrial stakeholders of the burden of the special permit application, authorization and renewal processes. The ultimate goal of the Volpe study is to provide performance data and technical parameters for PHMSA's consideration in possible rulemaking of the FRP CTMVs. The first phase of this study will include obtaining FRP specimens from commercial FRP cargo tank packaging manufacturers, conducting material and component level testing on the FRP specimens, and developing FE model parameters using the material and component level test data. A second phase of the study will include developing full scale FE models of FRP CTMVs and conducting numerical simulations to evaluate their performance. SCOPE: Volpe is defining the requirements for the material and component level tests to be conducted on FRP materials used in the manufacture of FRP CTMVs. While the test matrix is not fully defined, it is expected to yield material parameters describing static/dynamic anisotropic elasticity, static/dynamic anisotropic strengths, impact strength and toughness, corrosion resistance, durability, fire resistance and/or thermomechanical properties, and performance under fatigue loading. Volpe is reviewing the ASTM FRP test standards, ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code and HMR Part 178, Subpart J, among other documents, as a basis for defining the test matrix. Volpe is seeking responses to this RFI from federal laboratories, academic and research institutions and any consulting firms with the capability and experiences to conduct experimental testing on FRP specimens at the material and component level in any or all of the above defined test categories. Responses to this RFI may address the following items of interest to Volpe: 1. Descriptions of your facility, equipment, experience, test capacity and staff preparedness for testing FRP materials and components; 2. Descriptions of your familiarity with government and industrial standards on FRP material and component level testing (you are encouraged to submit publications of relevant past work); 3. Laboratory hourly rates, technical personnel rates, general facility and equipment usage charges, overhead and other expenses, etc. 4. Descriptions of staff/facility/equipment availability ; 5. Information on your typical post-test laboratory analyses and report formats, and your ability to tailor report/data formats to customer requirements; 6. Recommendations on material and component level test requirements, types of material and component level tests to be conducted, number of repeated tests to establish repeatability, specimen geometry, specimen size, etc. 7. Disclosure of your current and past involvement in the design, development, test, evaluation, analysis and/or simulation activities with FRP CTMV manufacturers and/or their representatives is requested for possible conflict of interest considerations. Volpe will use the information obtained in response to this RFI to guide our development of an FRP material and component test matrix and the subsequent market research and contract development. See related Sources Sought 6913G618RFI0001 regarding FRP specimens from FRP CTMV manufacturers. Responses to this sources Sought shall be submitted electronically to hailing.yu@dot.gov and peter.wallace@dot.gov or by mail to the address provide below. The information will be used by the Government to develop requirements for a potential upcoming research and test project. There is no requirement to respond to this Sources Sought in order to be eligible to submit a proposal in response to any formal Request for Proposal (RFP) that may result from this potential project. However, the Government places tremendous value on the information received and may utilize it to finalize its acquisition strategy. Interested small business companies are strongly encouraged fully use this opportunity to describe their capabilities. DISCLAIMER This notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e) responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract/agreement. Respondents are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this Sources Sought. Any information provided in response to this Sources Sought will not be returned. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the review. NO FORMAL SOLICITATION EXISTS AT THIS TIME.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/notices/3a8377adc5e2ac977d912d042ad6aba8)
- Place of Performance
- Address: US Department of Transportation Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, ATTN: Hailing Yu V-333, 55 Broadway, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02142, United States
- Zip Code: 02142
- Zip Code: 02142
- Record
- SN04768888-W 20171217/171215231229-3a8377adc5e2ac977d912d042ad6aba8 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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