COMMANDING OFFICER, NAVFAC CONTRACTS OFFICE BLDG 41 CODE 27, NCBC 1000 23RD AVE, PORT HUENEME CA 93043-4301

A -- BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT IN ADVANCED NAVAL FACILITIES TECHNOLOGY FOR ASSESSING PIER LATERAL RESISTANCE AND WATERFRONT STRUCTURES UPGRADING SOL N47408-96-R-6328 DUE 052496 POC Contract Specialist, ROSALIE HAMMONDS, 805-982-5097 This announcement constitutes the Broad Agency Announcement(BAA) for the Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center (NFESC) under FAR 6.102(d)(2) to solicit proposals for basic and applied research for new and innovative technology solutions to problems in the areas of ASSESSING PIER LATERAL RESISTANCE AND WATERFRONT STRUCTURES UPGRADING. Part of the proposed areas listed in this BAA are being considered 100% set-aside for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) or Minority Institutions (MIs) as defined by the clause at 252.226-7000 of the Defense Federal Aquistion Regulation Supplement. Interested HBCUs and MIs should provide the contracting office as early as possible, but not later than 15 days after this notice, evidence of this capability to perform the contract, and a positive statement of their eligibility as a HBCU or MI. If adequate response is not received from HBCUs and MIs, the solicitation will instead be issued, without further notice, as unrestricted, to academic institutions, non-profit organizations, and private industry. Awards may be made at any time throughout the year. Award decisions on proposals will be based on a competitive selection of proposals from a peer/scientific review. Evaluations will be conducted using the following evaluation criteria: (1) overall scientific or technical merit, (2) potential contribution of the effort to the mission of NFESC, (3) the offerer's capabilities, related experience, facilities, techniques or unique combination of these which are integral factors for achieving the proposal objectives, (4) the qualifications, capabilities and experience of the proposed Principal Investigator, team leader or key personnel who are critical in achieving the proposal objectives, and (5) the realism of the proposed cost and availability of funds. Persons contemplating submission of a proposal should obtain further information and all forms required for submitting a proposal by requesting in writing to the Commanding Officer, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Contracts Office, Code 2711, Naval Construction Battalion Center, Port Hueneme, CA 93043-4301, Attn: Rosalie Hammonds. All requests for the solicitation package and questions regarding this BAA may be faxed to (805)982-3015. THE NFESC technical point of contact is Dr. George Warren, (805)982-1236. Contact with the NFESC scientist identified in this announcement is encouraged to determine the extent of interest in a specific research project. The deadline for receipt of proposals is May 24, 1996. All proposals regarding these two BAA topics should be submitted in duplicate (2 copies) to the address noted above. In addition, all submissions should reference this announcement and should specifically identify the research area the proposal is responding to. Proposals will not be evaluated against each other since each is a unique technology with no common work statement. Proposals identified for funding may result in a contract, however, there is no commitment by the Navy to make any awards, to make a specific number of awards or to be responsible for any monies expended by the proposer before award of a contract. The following is a description of the research required for these two BAAs. TOPIC NO. BAA 96-001 for ASSESSING PIER LATERAL RESISTANCE. The objective of the research project is to develop nondestructive, structural response-based, diagnostic techniques coupled with computer modeling to rapidly assess pier lateral resistance. New ship designs require deeper dredging at berths which weakens the lateral resistance of existing Navy piers. Reconfigured fendering systems concentrate berthing forces into pier decks that were originally designed for uniform load distribution and are not balanced for more concentrated forces. These trends coupled with pile deterioration and increased vertical loading can lead to insufficient lateral resistance to counter increased demands for berthing and seismic loading. This work is based upon assessing the condition of the structure based upon deflection response to a known impact excitation. The methodology concept was proven in previous tasks. NFESC has successfully used impact loading by falling mass for evaluation of finite areas of pier decks and pile bents. The major challenge is to develop a rapid test method capable of exciting a measurable lateral motion in Navy piers. NFESC is seeking concepts that will impart a horizontal impact load to a pier deck at the fender pile reaction point (a horizontal impact load device). The concept design will include hardware (built-in sensors, data loggers, and signal conditioners) and software to sense, sample, and record lateral motion of the pier deck. The absence of a reference from which to measure deformation must be solved in sensor selection and the system must be made robust for the waterfront environment. The lateral load device will be trailer mounted and computer controlled. The data will be compared to predicted finite element response by a system identification process. In a parallel effort finite element algorithms and models will be developed for estimation of force distribution and lateral resistance as well as to simulate the experimental impact load tests to determine excitation requirements. This task does not address the development of lateral forcing functions for berthing or mooring ships. The analytical simulation will be to determine best shape, magnitude and length of load pulse for experimental excitation of the piers. That is, relationships between the force histories and pier lateral response will be generated for designing the lateral load test device. NFESC is seeking concepts of modeling that are compatible with current models using ADINA and ANSYS finite element codes that will accurately reflect pier response to lateral impact. Initially we will concentrate on determining those parameters that can be identified as sensitive to lateral resistance. The modeling consists of the deck, pile caps, curbs, and piles and must include soil and hydraulic viscous damping. The most significant change from the current modeling will be in the development of soil interaction with the buried bearing piles, batter piles and fender piles when subjected to lateral loading. The modeling will also account for lateral load distribution and interaction among closely spaced piles and pile bents typical of Navy piers. NFESC wants to use existing structural elements and add soil elements that are formulated with constitutive properties reflecting actual pile- soil behavior due to lateral loading. Funding for this effort may range from $100K to $400K depending upon the effort. TOPIC NO. BAA 96-002 for WATERFRONT STRUCTURES UPGRADING. The objective of the research project is to develop the capability to stabilize deterioration and to upgrade structural capacity of existing Navy reinforced concrete piers by adding layers of fiber reinforced plastic composite to the concrete surfaces. These composite sheets or plates are adhesive bonded to the tension side of the pier deck to increase bending and shear strength. The trend in the Navy to employ mobile truck mounted cranes for logistic support and to conduct pierside maintenance has created loading scenarios on deck slabs not foreseen in original designs which relied on track mounted cranes. Trackage systems are being abandoned at many Naval Stations for the more versatile truck mounted crane. The outrigger pads on the 140 ton truck cranes generate patch loads up to 230 kips which creates a punching shear issue for the deck slab. NFESC tests and analyses have shown that adding carbon fiber sheets in an epoxy matrix to the tension side have significantly increased the flexure and punching shear strength of reinforced concrete deck slabs. NFESC still does not have the understanding and therefore needs to determine the long term characteristics of carbon fiber composite in the Naval waterfront industrial environment and develop methodologies to stabilize and compensate for the deleterious effect of marinelife and environment on the concrete. The benefits of the expoxy composite addition should be realized for periods to exceed 20 years. NFESC has chosen several existing Navy pier sites to upgrade with epoxy composite to demonstrate and evaluate reliability and longevity. NFESC is seeking fiber epoxy composite that can be bonded to concrete decks and wrapped about piles to effectively increase the load carrying capacity of Navy piers. All materials must be compatible with reinforced concrete and durable in the marine environment. Constructability issues, such as overhead installation, adhesive viscosity, working temperatures, shelf life, and pot life, must be proofed. NFESC requires the installation of the epoxy composite on Navy piers and the non-destructabable determinination of the critical material parameters affecting material durability. Adhesives and resins must be workable in a wide range of temperatures from below freezing to tropical without heating or other special treatment. Funding for this effort may range from $100K to $400K depending upon the effort.(0096)

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