Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division, P.O. Box 5152, Warminster, PA 18974-0591

A -- DEVELOPMENT OF ADVANCED COMPOSITE MATERIALS FOR NAVY AIRCRAFT SOL N62269-95-BAA-007 DUE 040596 POC Point of Contact: Colleen Perkins, Code 212000R89, (215) 441-1378 This Broad Agency Announcement is an unclassified solicitation to obtain fundamental proposals in advanced composite materials development. Responses to this Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) shall be received at the Procurement Office from April 6, 1995 to April 5, 1996. Responses are required to be submitted in accordance with the guidelines set forth herein. The selection of one or more sources for contract award will be based on scientific and engineering evaluation of the responses (technical and cost as it relates to technical effort) to determine the relative merit of the technical approach used to respond to this description. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Warminster is interested in receiving proposals for exploratory materials research and development programs designed to meet projected technology needs for Naval Air vehicles. The materials programs conducted under this solicitation will address the need for increased mission performance, operational capabilities and affordability of Naval Aircraft. New innovative and creative approaches are sought in the following areas: (1) Toughening of High Temperature Polymers; (2) Resin Transfer Molding Processes; (3) Repair of High Temperature Radar Absorbing Structures (4) Characterization of New Composite Materials and Processes. (1) Toughened High Temperature Polymers. Polymer composites are used on aircraft structures because of their design tailorability and structural efficiency. High temperature (300oC) polymer matrix composites offer considerable weight, performance and radar signature advantages over metals. The use of these high temperature composite structures is severely limited by low strain to failure and inherent brittleness of the polymer. High temperature composites with improved damage tolerance are needed to provide improved performance and survivability of future aircraft. A tougher high temperature polymer resin is required to meet these needs. This BAA solicits proposals for development of toughened high temperature resins, formulation/selection of toughness/modifiers, evaluation of resin modifier blends, determination of toughening mechanisms and fabrication and characterization of composite material using the toughened resin developed. For planning purposes this effort is estimated at 3 person years over a 24 month period. (2) Resin Transfer Molding Processes. Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) is a process that has potential to reduce the cost of composite parts and to provide a means to fabricate composite parts that cannot be made using traditional lay-up techniques. Aerospace structures require fiber volumes between 55 and 65%, low void content and consistent fiber architecture, these properties have not been consistently achieved in traditional RTM parts. Current design guidelines for RTM parts are based on a trial and error approach. The purpose of this work is to determine how various processing factors effect the level of fabrication difficulty for RTM parts so that generic design guidelines can be developed. This BAA solicits proposals for: evaluating baseline processing difficulty as a function of fabric type; improving processing capabilities for high quality, high fiber volume fraction panels; optimizing fabrication processes for different fabric lay-up orientations; and characterizing the effect of complex-shaped part geometry on resin infiltration and part quality. The RTM resin shall be a standard commercial RTM resin. The fiber reinforcement material shall be graphite in the following fabric forms: 3K 8 harness satin, 6K 5 harness satin, unidirectional prepreg, and 12K unidirectional weaves. A binder material compatible with the resin and fiber shall be selected. All tooling materials shall be instrumented so that resin infiltration and processing parameters can be fully documented. Both flat panels and parts representative of potential RTM applications on military aircraft shall be fabricated for this effort. For planning purposes this effort is estimated at 2 person years over a 24 month period. (3) Repair of High Temperature Radar Absorbing Structure. Next generation Naval Aircraft will contain significant amounts of radar absorbing structure (RAS). Repair of this type of material have not been developed as rapidly as the structures have been developed for aircraft. Repair of RAS structures is a time consuming and difficult process, these difficulties are compounded for high temperature RAS structures due to the added requirements for curing resins and adhesives and the difficulties in processing high temperature polymers outside of a production facility. This BAA solicits proposals to develop composite repair concepts applicable to high temperature radar absorbing structure (RAS). The effort shall focus on the development of repairs to engine front frame components. This effort shall include design and analysis of multiple repair concepts, demonstration of repairs on simulated structure, mechanical and electromagnetic testing of the repairs and application of a repair to the front frame article. For planning purposes this effort shall last for 36 months, requiring between 3.5 and 4.0 person-years. (4) Characterization of new composites and composite processing. New materials are continuously being developed which may have potential to significantly impact the mission performance, operational capabilities and affordability of Naval Aircraft. These developments include new fibers and resins as well as advanced processing methods which provide increased performance and reduced cost of composite structures. This BAA solicits proposals to study and characterize the mechanical and physical properties of advanced composite materials, fiber and fiber interfaces, the properties provided by and the cost savings resulting from advanced composite processing methods. A separate proposal may be submitted for any or all of the above listed areas. Early submission is encouraged. Offerors may submit more than one proposal. Proposals shall be evaluated as they are received. Award decisions will be based on the following criteria (1) Overall scientific and technical merit of the proposal as it relates to the DOD mission. (2) The offeror's capabilities, related experience facilities, techniques or unique combinations of these which are integral factors for achieving the proposed objectives. (3) Proposed cost, adjusted for cost realism. Proposals submitted should consist of a clear statement of objectives with expected contribution to the DOD mission, a description of scientifically supported ideas and concepts, a research approach, statement of work and milestones with special emphasis on a full description and rational of the critical concept milestone. In addition the proposal shall include a biographical section describing the education, experience, capabilities and scientific interests of key researchers, as well as a cost section. Details of any cost sharing to be undertaken by the offer should be included in the proposal. Contract type is anticipated to be CPFF Completion. Technical proposals should be limited to 50 total pages and five(5) copies of each proposal should be provided. The cost of preparation for the response to this BAA is not considered an allowable direct charge to the resulting contract or another contract. The government intends to award one or more contracts in the topical areas presented above. Individual proposals must be submitted for each area listed above. The NAWCADWAR Aerospace Materials Division (code 4.3.4) has technical cognizance and responsibility for these areas of interest. The technical point of contact for area (1) is Mr. Roland Cochran, Code 4.3.4.3, M/S 08, telephone (215) 441-2649. The technical point of contact for area (2) is Ms. Eileen Carroll, Code 4.3.4.3, M/S 08, telephone (215) 441-7238. The technical point of contact for area (3) is Mr. Kevin Miller, Code 4.3.4.3, M/S 08, telephone (215) 441-2933. The technical point of contact for area (4) is Ms. Denise Wong, Code 4.3.4.3 M/S 08, telephone 215-441-1353. The point of contact for contractual matters is Ms. Colleen Perkins, Code 2.1.2, M/S 89, telephone (215) 441-1378. Proposals should be forwarded to the following address, Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division, P. O. Box 5152, Attn: Mr. Jim Williamson, Code 2.1.2, M/S 89, Warminster, PA 18974-0591. The Proposal should be marked with the following BAA Number: N62269-95-BAA-007. The specific area the proposal addresses should also be on the exterior of the proposal package. No formal solicitation will be issued. This is the BAA. (0089)

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