Vendor Questions and Technical Responses Rev2.pdf

Vendor Questions and Technical Responses

Vendor Question 1:

Is it possible to get test sample drawing for each part number?

Technical Response 1:

See attached PDF, NAVSEA Test Specimen Drawings

Vendor Question 2:

Is it possible to get Government supply material dimension for each sample?

Technical Response 2:

See attached PowerPoint, NAVSEA PBF Specimen Blank Extraction

Vendor Question 3:

Do you have any required test temperatures for the listed tests?

Technical Response 3:

All tests except for charpy impact testing shall be room temperature. Charpy impact testing shall be tested at room temperature, 0 degrees C, -25 degrees C, and -55 degrees C. This info is all described in the PWS which is included in attachment N0016721Q0040 Machining_Testing

Rev1.

Vendor Question 4:

What condition is the 17-4 (e.g. H1150, H1025)?

Technical Response 4:

All builds will be provided stress relieved at 650 °C. Builds will be stress relieved for 1 hour, starting when the temperature recorded reaches 620 °C, or within 5% of the stress relieving temperature. After 1 hour, the furnace will be turned off and the build will be furnace cooled.

This is the condition the 17-4 will be delivered in.

Vendor Question 5:

Will there be 1 material blank per part or should we expect to yield 2-3 per part as illustrated in the schematics for tensile coupons?

Technical Response 5:

Apologies for the confusion, the PowerPoint depicts each wall coupon that will be provided.

Each wall coupon will yield multiple “blanks” that will then be machined into test specimens.

Each blank will provide one test specimen.

Vendor Question 6:

Are you able to share the flatness spec?

Technical Response 6:

To our knowledge there is no flatness spec required for the test specimens, but please refer to the ASTM code referenced in the SOW to verify that. The wall coupons will be provided in the as-built condition from a laser powder bed fusion process, which we also do not have a flatness spec for.

Vendor Question 7 in blue font with Technical Responses in black font:

Hardness & Heat Treat Condition:

What is the hardness range of this material?

o The hardness can range from 298-317 HV

Has the material been heat treated?

o See response to vendor question #4

Specimen Quantity & Extraction:

Are the figures in the Performance Work Statement visual representations of specimen orientation for reference only or will the specimens need to be extracted from a blank as shown in the figure?

o The figures in the PWS are included as a visualization of the different orientations for each specimen. The specimens should be extracted from each wall coupon as shown in the powerpoint.

Are the quantity of blanks the total number of blanks for each orientation or are the quantity of blanks the total number of blanks that will be received?

o There is a 1:1 for blanks to coupons, for example there will be one blank for one singular z-axis tensile specimen and another blank for one singular x-axis tensile specimen. Each blank will be machined out of the wall coupons provided(shown in the PowerPoint).

Tensile – Thick:

o For example, there are two versions of the “thick” tensile as provided in the drawing package – XY Build & Z Build. Therefore, will you provide 30 blanks for each orientation for a total of 60 blanks or 15 blanks for each orientation for a total of 30 blanks?

There will be 30 blanks with 10 specimens in each of the three orientations.

Tensile – Thin:

o Similarly there are two versions of the “thin” tensile – XY Build & Z Build. Therefore, will you provide 15 blanks for each orientation for a total of 30 blanks or 8 blanks for one orientation and 7 blanks for the other orientation for a total of 15 blanks?

There will be 15 blanks with 5 specimens in each orientation

Fatigue:

o 12 blanks with 6 specimens each for a total of 72 test specimens or 12 blanks with 1 specimen each for a total of 12 specimens?

Fatigue will all be machined in the Z-axis orientation, so 12 blanks with 1 specimen each

Charpy:

o 16 blanks for each orientation or 8 blanks for one orientation and 8 blanks for the other?

There will be 16 blanks with 8 specimens in each orientation

FCGR:

o 9 blanks for each orientation for a total of 18 blanks or 6 blanks for XY Build and 3 blanks for Z Build for a total of 9 blanks?

There will be 9 blanks with 3 specimens in each orientation

Please see the breakdowns below for reference: Breakdown B is closer to what it is, although you are missing the 45 degree orientation for some of the testing. We forgot to include that in the original

PowerPoint so see the revised version attached.

Breakdown A:

Breakdown B:

Powerpoint Slides (see attachment NAVSEA PBF Specimen Blank Extraction_Updated):

Several of the slides have a “#X” on them. What does that indicate, the number of specimens to be extracted from each blank?

o It indicates the number of blanks, and therefore test specimens, to be extracted from each wall coupon. For example, slide 3 shows 5x meaning 5 blanks will be extracted with each blank being turned into a test specimen.

Tensile:

The drawing package provides 2 drawings for each thickness for a total of 4 different test samples.

How many blanks for each type will you provide?

It appears that the coupon layout for the Tensile_Thin and Tensile_Thin_Modified from the PowerPoint file indicate a thickness of 0.150” and the drawing for each indicate a finish thickness of 0.150”.

How do you propose we achieve the desired end-product given that the starting thickness and finish thickness are the same?

o Are you willing to accept a tensile in as-received condition with a machined reduced section and the top and bottom surface of the reduced sectioned lightly sanded?

This should be acceptable. The 0.150” measurement is the maximum thickness value we want so we expect the final value to be thinner.

Figure 1 shows a tensile at a 45° angle, but is not called out anywhere else in the PWS or otherwise. Is Figure 1 strictly for reference of visual representation only?

o All figures should be referenced for the orientations that they will be tested in(except for the fatigue which has been changed to z-axis only). This means testing in the 45 degree angle should be included

Fatigue:

Figure 2 shows three orientations, however, the PowerPoint only shows one coupon in the Z orientation.

How many blanks will be provided for fatigue, 12 blanks for 3 separate orientations for a total of 36 blanks, or 12 blanks for 1 orientation?

The Performance Work Statement states “Specimens shall be tested at a range of stresses to generate a fatigue curve. There shall be 4 stress levels with 3 specimens subjected to each level to generate the fatigue curve. ”

What does that mean in relation to how many blanks will be received?

Is it such that a total of 12 blanks will be received, and divided into 4 groups of 3 blanks so that each group is tested at a different stress level?

o 12 blanks will be provided all to be tested in the z-axis machined orientation as shown in the powerpoint, with each blank providing one specimen. Ignore the figure in the PWS only for the fatigue specimens.

Charpy:

For the XY Build, was the block printed continuously so that the surface is homogenous or are three troughs, divots or breaks located on the blank?

o Each layer was printed continuously with no interruptions. It was printed using powder bed fusion so the surface will not be smooth

What does the picture from the PowerPoint for the Charpy XY (Build 2) depict?

o It depicts the blanks in each wall coupon, which these blanks will then each be machined into one test specimen

Fatigue Crack Growth Rate:

Figure 4 does not match the PowerPoint slide provided.

Will there be 9 blanks with three specimens coming out of one blank each for a total of 27 specimens as shown in Figure 4? Or is Figure 4 for visual reference only?

o Each blank only yields one specimen, so there will be three blanks in each orientation for a total of 9.

The PowerPoint slide shows XY orientation & Z orientation coming out of one blank and the 45° orientation coming out of a separate blank. Please reconcile the wording & Figure 4 provided in the Scope of Work vs the information provided in the PowerPoint slide. Which is it?

o Figure 4 shows the different orientation a specimen can be extracted from a blank. The powerpoint slide shows where the blanks will be extracted from on our wall coupons.

Non-Destructive Examination:

The PWS does not include a line item for NDE, however, the drawing package has a drawing for

CORGI_Machined blank/specimen and PT_Machined blank/specimen.

Are both of these to be disregarded in the quote? If not, how many of each are to be machined and tested?

If included, what type of testing is required for the CORGI specimen?

o The NDE coupons are not a part of this quote and should be ignored.

Marking & Labeling:

How is traceability to be maintained?

What kind of specimen identifiers are to be used for each type of test sample?

o The following convention will be provided used Build Layout # - Build # - Specimen Type - Specimen Orientation - Specimen # o So, a Z-oriented Charpy specimen from the first print of Build Layout 2 would be 2-1-CH- Z-1, for example.

Turn-around:

Is the 30 days from date of award a hard deadline or is there room to extend the deadline to 45 or 60 days from award?

o Since the tensile and charpy specimens will need to be returned to us for NDE prior to testing, it would be acceptable for the deadline to be pushed to 30-45 days where the contractor has the specimens in their possession. This would mean the time spent in shipping and during our NDE process would be excluded from the number of days the contractor has to perform the work.

Award Timeframe:

How long after deadline will an award decision be made?

o Answered by contracting department: Estimated timeframe is 14 days.

Vendor Question 8:

The Q&A does not provide a breakdown on quantity to test per temperature.

Technical Response 6:

This is the total number of specimens that should be tested.

17-4 stainless steel specimens, 0.35” thick specimen –Tensile (quantity 30) 30 total specimens(XY+45*+Z) 17-4 stainless steel specimens, 0.15” thick specimens - Tensile (quantity 15) 15 total specimens(XY+45*+Z) 17-4 stainless steel specimens, 0.6” thick specimens - Fatigue (quantity 12) 12 total specimens (Z only) 17-4 stainless steel specimens, 0.5” thick specimens - Charpy (quantity 16) 16 total specimens(XY + Z) 17-4 stainless steel specimens, 0.35” thick specimens - FCGR (quantity 9) 9 total specimens(XY+45+Z)

As for temperatures the only test that requires variable temperatures is charpy impact.

room temperature, 4 of the 16 total specimens 0 degrees C, 4 of the 16 total specimens -25 degrees C, 4 of the 16 total specimens -55 degrees C, 4 of the 16 total specimens