Attch_1_BAA_FA8650-19-S-5011_Basic_SOO.pdf

FA8650-19-S-5011

Attachment 1

Statement of Objectives (SOO) for

Advanced Behavior and Life Prediction of Aerospace Materials

1.0 Background: The US Air Force (AF) is pursuing technologies which will provide its warfighter with a competitive edge against adversaries. These technologies should increase performance and readiness; reduce sustainment and fuel costs; add acquisition agility; enhance long-range operational performance; enable freedom of operation in contested environments; and improve energy efficiency. The majority of aircraft structures, spacecraft structures, and advanced high velocity weapons, such as airframes, turbine engines, satellites, and munitions, are enabled by advanced materials, including metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites. Air Force Research Laboratory, Materials & Manufacturing Directorate, Structural Materials Division (AFRL/RXC) research teams execute on-site research efforts at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in support of the Air Force’s science and technology (S&T) needs by addressing technical challenges related to these technologies.

This program specifically seeks to develop and transition aerospace structural material discovery, processing, performance assessment and prediction tools enabling: (a) shortening of the material, component, and system design cycle, (b) rapid qualification and insertion of improved materials and efficient components, (c) rapid certification of aerospace structures, (d) increases in efficiency and readiness of turbine engine components, (e) structural protection against high energy events, and (f) decreases in system sustainment costs. Hence, there is a need for: (a) new material development capability, (b) validated models and simulation capabilities for predicting the durability and reliability of components, (c) efficient multi-scale material characterization and property testing methods, (d) advanced processing techniques, (e) approaches to ensure digital linking of material and component-scale models, and (f) curation of experimental data.

This program will build upon the accomplishments of previous AFRL/RXC-funded on-site research efforts to further enhance: (a) the utilization of advanced materials and processing techniques for future, new, or legacy structural components, (b) models that simulate processing, predict performance, reduce uncertainty, and give insight into component design, performance, and life management issues, (c) multi-scale and in-situ characterization methods to validate and parameterize models, and (d) the development of advanced material models that can be continuously improved and transitioned to AF and Department of Defense (DoD) customers.

2.0 Scope: The Advanced Behavior and Life Prediction of Aerospace Materials Program shall advance state-of-the-art materials performance assessment and prediction capability by developing more efficient and comprehensive methods across modeling, simulation, and experimental domains on-site at AFRL/RXC located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Research efforts shall range from proof-of-concept to technology development, demonstration, and transition.

Materials to be investigated include metals, ceramics, polymers, composites, and hybrid/multifunctional materials used in aerospace components produced through traditional and advanced manufacturing techniques. Data, including material properties, required for probabilistic design methods and life assessment of components shall be generated throughout the effort. Testing capability and procedures should be developed and maintained for the timely and comprehensive evaluation of coupon and simple elements for each major material class.

Experimental testing methodologies that accurately simulate AF relevant thermal-mechanical-environmental conditions shall be enhanced and/or developed. The enhanced and/or developed methods shall incorporate the multi-scale heterogeneity of the material (including microstructure/morphology/geometry), capture its evolution and build towards a probabilistic prediction of material performance for engineered components. Simulation methods and material models are expected to span from high performance computing techniques to approaches and codes that are deployable in an engineering environment. Principal activities include, but are not limited to, designing experiments and characterization directly tied to simulation; error and uncertainty quantification; methods and protocols for design systems, including validation under relevant loading and environmental conditions; and advancing basic materials science.

3.0 Objective: The objective of the program is to conduct on-site research at AFRL/RXC to develop a comprehensive understanding of the performance of aerospace materials under anticipated usage conditions in order to:

a. Understand and predict the influence of processing and material variation on the resulting material performance;

b. Develop next-generation validated deformation, damage initiation and evolution, and material property/performance probabilistic prediction methodologies incorporating multiscale and other characteristics necessary for forecasting initial performance, durability, and reliability during service;

c. Characterize and accurately model/simulate the variability in material behavior and properties to enable design and field usage assessment of aerospace propulsion and structural components along with components of weapons systems; and

d. Accelerate the development and insertion of materials that have been optimized for critical location-specific properties through advanced manufacturing techniques such as additive manufacturing.

4.0 Requirements:

4.1 Advancing Research on Aerospace Materials. This program shall enhance established techniques, research methods, protocols, and procedures developed under previously AFRL/RXC-funded on-site research efforts and develop novel approaches in the field of thermal and mechanical performance assessment and prediction of aerospace materials. A multidisciplinary research program is required to conduct on-site research and development and technology maturation in the area of materials behavior and probabilistic performance prediction. The contractor shall utilize advanced numerical, analytical, simulation, and experimental techniques to characterize and model variability in materials behavior, and the initiation and evolution of damage under anticipated service-relevant conditions. Under this effort, the contractor shall emphasize physics and mechanism-based, probabilistic approaches for performance assessment and prediction, ensuring maximum impact in materials performance and life prediction needs for legacy and emerging DoD systems. Verification and validation is essential for all modeling/simulation tools under this effort.

4.2 Research in Emerging High Impact Areas. Research in emerging, high impact areas shall be conducted. Examples of relevant, high-impact research areas include, but are not limited to propulsion, structures, and hypersonic applications and performance/property characterization, assessment, and probabilistic prediction in:

(a) Metallic, ceramic, and composite structural materials systems

(b) Metals with gradient microstructures;

(c) Materials with desired location-specific properties;

(d) Components containing residual stresses;

(e) Materials/components fabricated using advanced manufacturing techniques such as additive manufacturing or cold spray technologies;

(f) Joined metallic, composite, and hybrid structures;

(g) Hybrid materials containing combinations of materials systems (polymers, ceramics, metals, etc.);

(h) Multifunctional materials development and multiphysics testing of materials

(i) High temperature ceramic and organic matrix composite systems; and

(j) Short-term and long-term performance and durability assessment of materials under complex thermal-mechanical loading conditions and environmental exposure.

Aerospace materials systems subject to investigation include, but are not limited to, aluminum, titanium, steel, high entropy alloys, nickel-based alloys, advanced intermetallics, ceramics, ceramic matrix composites, silicon carbide (SiC) fibers and matrices, advanced structural fibers, carbon-carbon composites, inorganic polymers and their composites, and polymer matrix composites. In addition, complex composite material architectures such as 2D laminates, 3D weaves and braids are of interest.

4.3 Data Management and Curation. The contractor shall establish an integrated laboratory environment in the on-site facility to streamline data acquisition, data storage, data management, data analysis, and data curation. Specifically, computer software, data architectures, and data analysis tools to support rapid data acquisition and analysis shall be developed.

4.4 Laboratory Planning. The contractor shall develop a laboratory modernization plan in collaboration with the government to identify needed equipment, networking capability, data repositories, and interfaces to optimize the research from data acquisition to data analysis and data archiving in a way that maximizes discovery and utility based on current and anticipated AF priorities.

4.5 Laboratory Activities. Activities in the laboratory include fabrication of test samples, maintaining and modifying on-site laboratory equipment and computer software associated with research, and the acquisition of new Special Test Equipment (STE) or computer software to realize new capabilities.

4.6 Coordination of Efforts. This program requires close coordination with highly flexible and inherently diverse research programs at AFRL’s Structural Materials Division, AFRL/RXC. Additionally, it is anticipated broader coordination with other divisions in AFRL will be required.

4.7 On-Base Testing: It is anticipated that the Contractor will perform on-base testing throughout the period of performance (e.g., tensile, creep, and fatigue tests) and may occasionally perform off-base testing at specialized facilities.

5.0 Program Management/Reviews:

5.1 Contract Administration. The contractor shall exercise program, administrative, and financial management functions at the task order and project levels, including establishing activities and milestones; tracking performance, costs, and schedule;

overseeing quality performance; planning; forecasting, and reporting funding and funding changes; and preparing appropriate documentation.

Program reviews will be an informal, ongoing activity due to the nature of the on-site research work. More-specific review will occur during the weekly Research Group (RG) meeting held between the government and contractor personnel. The contractor shall actively participate in both the informal meetings and the formal RG meetings.

6.0 Deliverables:

• Data Items: The contractor shall deliver data in accordance with DD Form 1423-1, Contract Data Requirements List (CDRLs) (see BAA Attachment 4). Specific CDRLs will be identified for each task order.

• Computer Software: To be specified on individual task orders as applicable.

• Hardware: To be specified on individual task orders as applicable.

• Test Samples and Residual Material: To be specified on individual task orders as applicable.

7.0 Operational Security Requirements: All contractors shall participate in all activities associated with the disciplines of the organization’s OPSEC following appropriate measures in each program as required for this particular contract. This is required in an effort to reduce program vulnerability from successful adversary collection of possible sensitive unclassified and/or proprietary information and violations of export control requirements. The prime contractor will ensure that all subcontractors, if applicable, conform to these requirements as required by the prime contractor. Guidance can be provided by AFRL/RX Security as needed.

Program Protection Plan (PPP) – Any potential critical program information (CPI) generated as part of this effort will be reviewed to determine the need for a PPP, or to be included as part of an existing PPP.