Novel Elastomeric Compounds and Formulations

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ISSUED BY THE NAVAL RESEARCH LABORATORY (NRL) FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY. NO AWARDS WILL BE MADE FROM THE RESPONSES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. HOWEVER, RESPONSES MAY BE USED TO DETERMINE THE APPROPRIATE ACQUISITION STRATEGY FOR A FUTURE ACQUISITION. 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 Announcement issued by NRL solicits industry and academic Sources to express their capability to provide advanced rubber coating systems for U.S. Navy ship rudders. As discussed in more detail below, NRL seeks to develop new processes to increase substantially the performance of current coating systems against cavitation erosion. Contractors are encouraged to consider novel elastomeric compounds and formulations to achieve the desired goals. Polychloroprene or EPDM compounds are preferred, but any type of rubber will be evaluated if there is reason to believe it will meet the requirements. The rubber material is expected to be a cold-bond rubber "sheet" applied over a suitable steel primer and adhesive tie-coat. A spray-applied "liquid-rubber" coating will be considered with adequate supporting data. In all cases the proposed materials must be tested and qualified together: primer, adhesive, and rubber. If a non-adhering rubber sheet material shows superior mechanical performance in flow testing, the Navy would also consider using a supplemental mechanical bonding approach to aid in retaining the material on the rudder substrate. In concert with consideration of new processes and materials, the Navy has also established goals which will 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 low solvent and HAP free coatings but in no case should the VOC / HAP content of the materials and adhesives exceed statutory requirements for marine coatings, (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, and (d) all coatings 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. 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 product to facilitate test applications shipboard. This may be estimated as 1,000 ft2 of material per ship-set. The improved rudder materials / coatings shall meet or exceed the 6-month, magnesium anode, cathodic disbondment requirement of MIL-PRF-23236C. The systems evaluated in this test shall be the full rubber / adhesive system proposed for in-service rudders. 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 the elastomer must balance the tensile strength and breaking elongation requirements possibly needed to enhance cavitation resistance with the elasticity sought to overcome the local strain effects. These are key considerations for improved rudder coatings. Based on previous testing, the Navy believes that rubber materials with properties in the range described below may be optimal. This remains to be confirmed but represents the current best-knowledge. Hardness (Shore A) ~ 40 - 50 Tensile Strength ~ 8-12 MPa Elongation ~ 600 to 700% Modulus (@ 300% Elongation) ~ 2-4 MPa Glass Transition Temperature ~ -45 ˚C min. These systems should have a minimum service life of 2 to 5 years. Testing will eventually include field application to Navy ships should initial screening tests prove promising. Coating systems may 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 Point of Contact Listed below. Alternatively, Hard Copies (1 original + 2 copies) may be mailed to the Point of Contact. All White Papers must be received by the requested due date. The Navy requests that White Papers be provided by 15 SEP 2009. The Navy desires to initiate laboratory testing on initial trial products by October 2009. Items (a) through (d) listed above, technology maturity, and manufacturing capacity shall be included. Each Source should also provide a two (2) page maximum resume or curriculum vitae for the Principal Investigator. Immediate questions should be addressed in writing to Mr. Edward Lemieux, Naval Research Laboratory, Code 6136, 4555 Overlook Avenue S.W, Washington, DC 20375. Mr. Lemieux's FAX number is (202) 767-4642 and the e-mail address is [email protected] . No phone calls please.