SOURCES SOUGHT
95 -- METALLIC SEAMLESS CYLINDERS
- Notice Date
- 5/3/2012
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 331319
— Other Aluminum Rolling and Drawing
- Contracting Office
- NASA/Langley Research Center, Mail Stop 12, Industry Assistance Office, Hampton,VA 23681-0001
- ZIP Code
- 23681-0001
- Solicitation Number
- SS-MSC-2012
- Response Due
- 5/15/2012
- Archive Date
- 5/3/2013
- Point of Contact
- Rosemary C. Froehlich, Contracting Officer, Phone 757-864-2423, Fax 757-864-8541, Email Rosemary.C.Froehlich@nasa.gov
- E-Mail Address
-
Rosemary C. Froehlich
(Rosemary.C.Froehlich@nasa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- NASA LaRC is hereby soliciting information from potential sources on theircapability to fabricate, inspect, and heat treat large single-piece cylinders.Inparticular, NASA is interested in capabilities using aluminum alloy 2219. NASA seeksinformation from entities which have demonstrated fabrication of similar cylinders. No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If asolicitation is released it will be synopsized in FedBizOpps and on the NASA AcquisitionInternet Service. It is the potential offerors responsibility to monitor these sites forthe release of any solicitation or synopsis. NASA is exploring advanced designs, high fidelity analysis methods, near-net shapemanufacturing technology, and advanced materials that will enable improved performance,safety, and reliability along with reductions in fabrication cost and weight of cryogenictanks.Current cryogenic tank barrels are of multi-piece construction, manufactured fromthick plate material that is heavily machined to create integral stiffeners, formed tocurvature, and then welded to assemble tank barrels. This manufacturing method createsover 30,000 linear inches of welds in a typical Space Shuttle External Tank, known sitesof reduced material properties and risk of defects. Consequently, current cryogenictanks are overdesigned to ensure that adequate safety margins exist. Eliminating weldswill improve performance, increase safety and reliability, and also reduce structuralweight by eliminating weld lands. In addition, NASAs Shell Buckling Knockdown Factor Project (SBKF) has demonstrated thatimplementation of improved (i.e., less conservative, more robust) shell buckling designfactors (a.k.a. knockdown factors) during launch vehicle design can enable significantweight savings in these vehicles. Design trade studies have predicted that additionalperformance improvements and reductions in weight can be realized by eliminating weldsand associated weld lands. NASA has been developing near-net shape (NNS) manufacturing methods to producesingle-piece cryogenic tank components that eliminate welds, improve material usageefficiency, and reduce manufacturing costs. During the Constellation program, NNSmanufacturing methods were successfully deployed for fabrication of single-piececryogenic tank spin formed domes and roll forged y-ring adapters. Some commercial launchproviders have baselined roll forged barrels and spin formed components as elements increw capsule designs. NASA seeks to apply similar technology to tank barrels in order toreplace the current multi-piece construction, realize the benefits of eliminating welds,and explore the increased design space afforded by single-piece manufacturing. NASA seeks to fabricate a sub-scale single-piece cryogenic tank barrel and performtesting to quantify the performance improvements and weight saving associated witheliminating longitudinal welds. Prior testing of an 8 ft.-diameter integrally machinedstiffened cylinder in the SBKF program provides a baseline geometry and measure oftypical structural performance of a built up welded structure.A tank barrel of similarsize, but without welds, can be fabricated from a single-piece seamless cylinder. Thegeometry of the planned test barrel is shown in Figures 1-3, with the current plan forthe government to do the machining.NASA seeks to procure two (2) single-piece seamless cylinders from which integrallystiffened test barrels will be fabricated. Material for fabricating the cylinders willbe purchased by the vendor performing the fabrication and will NOT be supplied by theGovernment. The preliminary specifications are set forth below. Please advise if therequirement is considered to be a commercial or commercial-type product. A commercialitem is defined in FAR 2.101.We request your comments on the requirements andstandards set forth below. The seamless cylinders shall be fabricated from aluminum alloy 2219 and shall conform tothe chemical composition limits shown in AMS 4144F, determined in accordance with AMS2355. The cylinders shall have approximate dimensions of 96.5 in. outer diameter (OD), 94in. inner diameter (ID), and 90 in. length. The final dimensions prior to fabricationwill be negotiated with and approved by NASA LaRC. The cylinders shall be solution heat treated, mechanically stress-relieved, andprecipitation heat treated to the -T851 condition. Heat treatments shall be performed inaccordance with AMS 2772F. Results from mechanical property qualification testing, perAMS 4144F, and chemical composition certificates will be provided to the government withthe completed cylinders. The cylinders are to be inspected by ultrasonic methods andshall meet or exceed ASTM B594, Class B specification.NASA expects delivery of a final report with the fabricated cylinders that includes acomplete description of the fabrication methods, photographic documentation of thefabrication steps, certification of material composition, mechanical property testresults, quantitative NDE, and dimensional measurements.Interested offerors/vendors having the required specialized capabilities to meet theabove requirement should submit a capability statement and the following information:1) Proposed fabrication plan Describe the method that will be used to fabricate thecylinders, including forming operations, and thermo-mechanical steps to accomplish heattreatment to a -T851 condition, per AMS 2772F.How will you meet the requirements forheat treatment per AMS 2772F? Do you have in-house heat treating facilities or will anexternal vendor be used? Define the dimensional tolerances on ID and OD, cylindricity,parallelism, and waviness along the length of the cylinder that can be met for a cylinderof the approximate dimensions provided in the description. These tolerances are necessaryto demonstrate to the government the extent to which cross-sectional profiles will becircular, in parallel with each other, and perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder. 2) Inspection Describe an NDE inspection plan to ensure that manufactured cylinders arefree of forming defects. Identify the inspection method to be used and at which stepsduring the fabrication process where inspection will occur. Describe any preparatorymachining and/or cleaning necessary to facilitate inspection. Can you meet therequirements of ASTM B594 practices?3) Validation testing Describe in-house test capabilities and/or partners that will beused to perform validation testing per AMS 4144F. How will you meet the testingrequirements in AMS 4144F?4) Machining capability While it is the intent for the government to machine the testbarrels from the single-piece cylinders, include a description of in-house machiningcapability or where final machining of the test barrel could be pursued.5) Final report Can you provide the information cited in the description for inclusionin a final report?6) Fabrication history of similar cylinders Please identify any cylinders that you haveproduced without welds, fabricated from 2219, and heat treated to T8 temper. Describecurrent and past production examples of similar cylinders, including the materials andprocesses used to produce them. Interested organizations having the required specialized capabilities to meet the aboverequirement should submit a capability statement indicating the ability to perform allaspects of the effort described herein. We request that this capability statement belimited to 15 pages. Responses should include the following: name and address of firm,size of business; average annual revenue for past 3 years and number of employees;ownership; whether they are large, or any category of small business, number of years inbusiness; affiliate information: parent company, joint venture partners, potentialteaming partners, prime contractor (if potential sub) or subcontractors (if potentialprime); list of customers covering the past five years (highlight relevant workperformed, contract numbers, contract type, dollar value of each procurement; and pointof contact - address and phone number). This synopsis is for information and planning purposes and is not to be construed as acommitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited. Response requested by 4:00 p.m. EST, May 15, 2012. Interested firms should submit responses and any routine communications concerning thisnotice to Marcia Domack at marcia.s.domack@nasa.gov and Rosemary C. Froehlich atrosemary.c.froehlich@nasa.gov Point of Contact Name:Rosemary C. FroehlichTitle:Contracting OfficerPhone:757-864-2423Fax:757-864-8541Email:Rosemary.C.Froehlich@nasa.gov
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