DOT, FED HWY ADMN, Office of Acquisition Management, 400 7TH ST, SW, Room 4410, Washington, DC 20590

A -- MODIFY THE GERMAN ROLLING FLASK METHOD DUE 080996 POC Mr. Dave Coletti, Western Research Institute, (307) 721-2261. The mission to be accomplished by the successful offeror is to adjust the size and operating conditions of the ''German Rolling Flask (GRF)'' method (DIN 52016) of plant mix simulation to produce large (nomally 180 g) single samples of asphalt having essentially the same properties as asphalts aged by Rolling Thin Film Oven Test (RTFOT) (AASHTO method T-240). This work will be performed as a subcontract to Western Research Institute under Federal Highway Administration Contract No. DTFH61-92-C-00170. The modified GRF (MGRF) method to be developed in this work must be adjusted to produce no less than 180 g final product. Further, the materials produced by the MGRF method must each be examined by the current AASHTO Provisional Specification for asphalt cements (Superpave Binder Specification), and the MGRF conditions adjusted to best match the Superpave binder specification results that are obtained when RTFOT is employed. The Superpave binder data must be acquired by a participant in the AMRL accreditation process. Proposers may be asked to acquire Superpave binder specification data at Western Research Institute's expense prior to award. A minimum of eight Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) ''core asphalts,'' or their approved replacements, must be studied. Early development may be done with few materials. The SHRP core asphalts may be obtained from the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Materials Reference Library in Sparks, NV. A copy of the German standard (DIN 52016) will be supplied with the request for proposal. Further work has been done in Germany to adjust the GRF to simulate RTFOT, but with a 100 g sample and a different measure of the aged product quality. This work was performed by Hans Hoppel, et al., and an English translation of this work will also be supplied with the request for proposals. It is recommended to start with the method described by Hoppel but with a 2L round bottomed flask (possibly a Morton flask) and an asphalt sample of about 200g. THIS IS A 100 PERCENT SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDE UNDER SIC 8731. Proposals must be received by close of business August 9, 1996 at Western Research Institute. FAX PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Proposals must be divided into two parts, a technical section and a financial section. Please supply seven copies of each. The technical section must address the above objective with a guaranteed final report containing a recommended Standard Operating Procedure. This section must show that you are a participant in the AMRL certification process to acquire Superpave binder specification data, or must show the same for any subcontractor that will acquire these data. The financial section must contain your proposed costs together with a copy of an audited statement from your cognizant Federal auditing agency. ALL QUESTIONS SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO MR. DAVID COLETTI AT WESTERN RESEARCH INSTITUTE, TELEPHONE NUMBER (307) 721-2261. FOR A COMPLETE SOLICITATION PACKAGE, INCLUDING ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF GERMAN REFERENCES, WRITE TO: MR. DAVID COLETTI, WESTERN RESEARCH INSTITUTE, 365 N. 9th STREET, LARAMIE, WY 82070. (0151)

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