B -- AIRCRAFT CATASTROPHIC FAILURE PREVENTION PROGRAM COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT (CRADA) OPPORTUNITY

Notice Date

August 30, 2001

Contracting Office

Commander, Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division, Code 210000D, 1 Administration Circle, China Lake, CA 93555-6100

ZIP Code

93555-6100

Solicitation Number

002

Response Due

December 31, 2001

Point of Contact

Willard P. Webster, Code 4T1100D, (760) 939-1074, websterwp@navair.navy.mil

Description

The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) is seeking potential industrial partners to participate in a multiple party Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) in aircraft fire suppression. Each selected industrial CRADA participant will be expected to provide a fire suppression system for test and evaluation in suppressing aircraft dry bay fires. The goal of the CRADA effort is to develop, demonstrate, test, and evaluate various techniques to prevent and suppress dry bay fires in commercial airlines that have experienced a failure and release of engine blades or disk fragments while on the ground. This effort is sponsored by the FAA Technical Center and is part of the Catastrophic Failure Prevention Program. A specific focus of this program is to demonstrate an ability to successfully prevent large ground fires by effectively suppressing catastrophically caused aircraft dry bay fires while the aircraft is on the ground. On rare occasions, engines on commercial airlines have experienced a failure resulting in the release of engine blades or disk fragments while on the ground. The common result is a dry bay fire, which spreads to a large ground fire as a result of the fuel pooling under the aircraft. Protection is required for dry bay areas in the near vicinity of the engine. For wing-mounted engines this area is the wing leading edge approximately 2 -- 3 engine diameters on either side of the engine and the dry bay above the wing pylon. For fuselage-mounted engines, this area is the dry bay area internal to the fuselage where flammable fluids are present, and also within a region approximately 2-3 engine diameters from the engine. The ballistic threat is assumed to be 1/3 of an engine turbine disk weighing 3 lbs. and traveling at a velocity of 300 fps. Testing will be conducted using a simulator, which incorporates the wing pylon dry bay and sections of the wing leading edge on either side of the pylon. The threat will be launched to break the integrity of the simulated wing fuel tank and cause a fuel leak. Normally, the fire ignition source is the fireball released from an engine case rupture. The threat will not be traveling fast enough to cause pyrophoric flash on impact to create an ignition source, so the fireball released by the engine case rupture will be simulated by providing an independent ignition source. The primary data sought will be whether the fire is suppressed or not by each fire suppression system submitted for testing by the CRADA participants. Temperature, pressure, fuel leak rate and the velocity of threat will be measured and recorded. Timing of events such as impact, ignition, detection, discharge, etc. will also be recorded. We are looking for partnerships with industry. Industrial participants should plan on actively participating in testing in addition to providing a dry bay fire protection system or partial system to be tested. Each CRADA participant must submit a fire suppression system for test and evaluation. This test is an opportunity to showcase advanced technology, and state-of-the-art or off-the-shelf hardware for commercial applications. Inability to suppress a fire will not be viewed as a failure but a learning experience enabling iterative development of the system. All testing is unclassified and will be documented and reported to FAA Technical Center under the Catastrophic Failure Prevention Program. All CRADA participants will be provided a final report documenting the final test results of the various fire suppression systems provided for test by the industrial CRADA participants. Proprietary and trade secret information on the individual fire suppression systems submitted for testing will be protected from disclosure to the other CRADA participants, only the final test results will be shared between participants. Interested parties must submit a white paper no longer than five pages describing their interest in participating in the test program and the system they would like to test. To qualify for consideration, the white paper must be received by the Technology Transfer Office at the address listed below on or before Dec 31, 2001. Final CRADA participants will be selected on the basis of the potential viability of the proposed fire suppression system described in their white paper and any additional supporting information that may be requested. Additional information specific to the fire suppression test program envisioned may be obtained from Mr. Hardy Tyson at (760) 939-8416. The objectives of the Navy Domestic Technology Transfer Program are: (1) to disseminate technology originally developed in support of military applications for alternative uses in the public and private sectors; (2) to provide joint cooperative development programs that address problems of critical concern to the Navy and other agencies or organizations; and (3) to leverage research and development opportunities of mutual interest to the Navy and industrial organizations. In pursuit of these objectives, the Navy transfers technology to other Federal Government agencies, state and local governments, small and large United States businesses, nonprofit organizations and such public service organizations as schools, hospitals and foundations. Under the Navy Domestic Technology Transfer Program, the Government is permitted to receive funds from a non-Federal party. However, the Government is not permitted to fund a non-Federal party. For more information contact Willard P. Webster of the Technology Transfer Office, Code 4T1100D, at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, CA 93555-6100, telephone: (760) 939-1074. This synopsis is for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute an RFB or RFP; it is not a commitment by the Government, and does not guarantee any future contracts to be let by the Government. Participation in this CRADA is strictly voluntary and does not in any way suggest, imply, or impose a U.S. Government obligation or guarantee for future contractual related services, agreements, or other considerations.

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010904/BSOL005.HTM (W-242 SN50W573)