Office of Naval Research, 800 North Quincy St., Arlington, VA 22217-5660

A -- CONDITION-BASED MAINTENANCE: MACHINERY DIAGNOSTICS/PROGNOSTICS POC T. McKenna, ONR 342 (703) 696-4503. The Office of Naval Research (ONR) Accelerated Capabilities Initiative (ACI) in Condition-Based Maintenance is a five-year program beginning in FY96 aimed at enhancing safety and affordability of Navy and Marine Corps platforms and vehicles. The four ACI thrust areas are: Machinery Diagnostics / Prognostics, Oil Analysis, Corrosion Detection / Prevention, and Human Information Management and Embedded Training. This BAA addresses the Machinery Diagnostics / Prognostics thrust. ONR is interested in receiving white papers on the development of an affordable integrated system that processes sensor data from shipboard machinery, assesses machinery condition and provides prognostics to facilitate maintenance based on the condition of the equipment. The desired prognostic approach will combine sensor-driven analysis with structural and material models of the failure processes in complex machinery. An integrated product development teaming approach is encouraged to address appropriately the system development, integration and delivery. The term system is defined here to be a process model which has been fully implemented in hardware which begins with sensors and ends with diagnostic or prognostic assessments and which could in turn serve as a module for larger systems, such as the Integrated Condition Assessment System (ICAS), which monitors and advises maintenance actions for a multitude of shipboard machines. The diagnostic / prognostic system should utilize an open architecture to permit extension to other mechanical systems and to facilitate the incorporation of future enhanced diagnostic and prognostic algorithms. The system should enable condition-based maintenance on specific mechanical systems on Navy and Marine Corps platforms. Examples of mechanical systems of interest include: (1) Diesel engines (MCM 1, Submarine, AAAV), (2) Air systems (FFG 7 Start Air Compressor, High Pressure Air Compressor, MCM 1 Low Pressure Air Compressor), (3) Gas Turbines (LM 2500 Gas Turbine Engine, Ship's Service Gas Turbine Generator), (4) Pumps (Main Feed Pump), (5) Helicopter Rotor Head, (6) other machinery on current or future Naval platforms where maintenance costs or safety are significant issues. The pacage or system developed should include but not be limited to the following: (a) sensors appropriate for early fault detection, (b) signal analysis and pattern recognition techniques for real-time accurate fault detection, identification, and severity estimation implemented in compact hardware (see below), and capability to provide accurate real-time estimates of equipment condition and remaining component life based on best use of sensor data, service loads, and fault models. Sensor designs are strongly encouraged which utilize state-of-the art electronic / mechanical miniaturization techniques such as MEMS and VLSI. The sensors used should be reliable in the shipboard environment, possibly using redundant MEMS or self-calibrating sensors, and be easily installed. Self-powered and wireless communication capabilities should be exploited where appropriate. The signal processing should provide robust features for analysis by pattern recognition techniques. The pattern classifiers must be both accurate and adaptive so that manual recalibration and human interpretation are not essential for operation. Fault identification should specify fault type, and if possible, identify the faulted component. Advanced pattern recognition and signal analysis techniques in neural networks, statistics and AI are encouraged for diagnostics / prognostics. Sensor fusion should be employed to expand diagnostic coverage and provide sensor validation where more than one type of sensor is employed. The structural and component fault models adopted for prognostics should take into account the complex nature of the failure process (e.g. fatigue corrosion, stress corrosion, ripple loads, etc.). Component failure models with a physical basis in mechanics and micromechanics are of particular interest. The system design should effectively map the sensor data into the fault models to give updated estimates of the state of the components and structures. Preference will go to white papers and subsequent proposals which address all parts (a, b and c) of the diagnostic / prognostic system. Proposers providing a partial response should specify how their subsystem would interface with a complete system. Shipboard systems must interface with systems like ICAS and/or be implementable as software modules on these systems. Subsequent proposals should include plans for acquiring or producing fault data for the evolution of faults from nitiation to failure on one or more selected mechanical systems to develop and demonstrate appropriate diagnostic/prognostic capabilities. The proposed systems should be capable of embedded, automatic operation and not require additional manual inspections. The system should be capable of extension to other mechanical systems without major redesign, and be capable of being backfitted onto present ships as well as capable of integration into new ship designs. This notice constitutes ONR's Broad Agency Announcement as contemplated in FAR 6.102(d)(2). Readers should note that this is an announcement to declare ONR's intent to competitively fund research across a spectrum of scientific and technological disciplines and that no request for proposal (RFP), solicitation or other announcement of this opportunity will be made. Respondents are invited to an information conference on 24 Jan 1996 to provide more detailed technical information. The minutes of this bidders conference will be made available to those who request it. For information on the meeting site, to submit questions to be answered at the information meeting, or to request minutes from the meeting, please contact: Bill Boudouris, American Management Systems, 703-841-6557, fax: 703-276-3295, e-mail: bill_boudouris@mail.amsinc.com. Proprietary information should not be submitted to this contractor. White papers responsive to this request are to be submitted by 06 Feb 1996. The white papers should contain a concise statement of the technical objectives, describe the work to be performed, describe the technical approach, describe what will be developed, and what the cost will be. White papers should not exceed 10 pages. White papers should be submitted to: ONR 342, BT-1, Rm 823, 800 North Quincy Street, Arlington, VA 22217-5660, Attn: Machinery BAA (96-006). ONR will contact those who submit white papers as to whether the papers are competitive and fall within the focus of this BAA. Following a technical review of the white papers, proposers with white papers that are technically promising may be requested to provide a full proposal. An invitation to submit a full proposal does not guarantee funding. Full proposals will be due 19 Mar 1996. Full proposals should be for two years plus a one year option, and be based on cost plus a fixed fee. At the end of the 3 year period a downselection will be made based on proposals for the remaining 2 yers of this 5 year program. Factors in the down selection will include affordability, feasibility, and availability of test platforms for demonstrations. Submission of proposals is not restricted in any way to any particular entity. Government laboratory, university and industry teaming proposals are encouraged. Cost proposals where a government lab is included in the proposal as part of a team should be predicated on separate awards to the government lab and the team partners. Government agencies will not be in direct competition with industry. Proposers should state in their proposal that it is submitted in response to this BAA. Award decisions will be based on a competitive selection of proposals resulting from a technical review. ONR reserves the right to make no awards based on this BAA. Evaluations will be conducted using the following evaluation criteria: (1) Overall scientific, technical or socio-economic merit, (2) potential naval relevance and contributions of the effort to the agency's specific mission, (3) the offerers capabilities, related experience, facilities, techniques or unique combinations of these which are integral factors for achieving the proposal objectives, (4) the qualifications, capabilities and experience of the proposed Principal Investigator, team leader and key personnel who are critical in achieving the proposal objectives, and finally, (5) realism of the proposed cost and availability of funds. For awards made as contracts, the socio-economic merits will include the extent of commitment in providing meaningful subcontracting opportunities for small business, small disadvantaged businesses, woman-owned small business concerns, and historically black colleges and universities. This is to notify potential proposers that each grant or cooperative agreement that is awarded under this announcement or solicitation to an institution of higher education must include the following clause: ''As a condition for receipt of funds available to the Department of Defense (DoD) under this award, the recipient agrees that it is not an institution that has a policy of denying, and that it is not an institution that effectively prevents, the Secretary of Defense from obtaining for military recruiting purposes: (A) entry to campuses, or (B) access to directory information pertaining to students. If the recipient is determined, using procedures established by the Secretary of Defese to implement section 558 of Public Law 103-337 (1994), to be such an institution during the period of performance of this agreement, and therefore to be in breach of this clause, the Government will cease all payments of DoD funds under this agreement and all other DoD grants and cooperative agreements, and it may suspend or terminate such grants and agreements unilaterally for material failure to comply with the terms and conditions of award.'' If your institution has been identified under the procedures established by the Secretary of Defense to implement section 558, then: (1) no funds available to DoD may be provided to your institution through any grant, including any existing grant, (2) as a matter of policy, this restriction also applies to any cooperative agreement, and (3) your institution is not eligible to receive a grant or cooperative agreement in response to this solicitation. Points of Contact: for technical information contact one of the following: Dr. Thomas McKenna, ONR 342, phone 703-696-4503, email: mckennt@onrhq.onr.navy.mil, Dr. Peter Schmidt ONR 331, 703-696-4362, email: schmidp@onrhq.onr.navy.mil, and Dr. Robert Pohanka, ONR 332, 703-696-4309, email: pohankr@onrhq.onr.navy.mil. (0360)

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