AMCB_CJAB_RFI_Final.pdf

DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE;

DISTRIBUTION IS UNLIMITED.

UNCLASSIFIED: DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE;

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY

US ARMY RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND ENGINEERING COMMAND

TANK AUTOMOTIVE RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND ENGINEERING CENTER

6501 E. 11 MILE ROAD

WARREN, MI 48397-5000

REPLY TO ATTENTION OF

SUBJECT: Advanced Modular Composite Bridge (AMCB) Durability Test Support/ Composite Joint Assault Bridge (CJAB) Development Request for Information

1. Purpose: This document is a Request for Information (RFI), which covers information being requested by the Government regarding the availability of (i) test-support services for durability testing of the Advanced Modular Composite Bridge (AMCB), as well as (ii) development services to extend the capabilities for an existing design for a prototype Composite Joint Assault Bridge (CJAB) for potential use on the Joint Assault Bridge platform.

2. Participation in this RFI does not represent or create any contractual obligation by the

Government. The U.S. Government is not soliciting samples, nor is the Government under any obligation to issue a solicitation or award a contract to any individual or manufacturer because of this RFI. Vendor participation is entirely voluntary and by participating, each Vendor agrees that its participation does not create any rights for the Vendor to submit any claims, monetary or otherwise, against the Government.

3. The data supplied by Vendors in response to this RFI will be used for internal Government purposes only, and will not be disclosed to any outside third parties. By Federal Law, Government employees are bound by criminal statute not to disclose contractor proprietary information, which the Government has requested, and therefore, separate non-disclosure agreements between Vendors responding to this RFI and the Government are neither appropriate nor necessary.

4. Background: The Bridging team is currently requesting information on available commercial industry capability to fulfill the following U.S. Government needs:

(a) Test support for the performance of AMCB durability testing on an existing AMCB prototype unit that was designed and produced under a previous development contract with the Department of Defense.

(b) Continued development to add additional capabilities to an existing prototype design for a composite assault bridge, or CJAB, which is intended to replace the Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge on the Joint Assault Bridge platform.

UNCLASSIFIED:

The following table lists some of the design requirements that have currently been established for the CJAB, as well as the current capability of the CJAB prototype design. The requirements are described in terms of Thresholds (T) and Objectives (O). Threshold requirements are those that must be met prior to system acceptance. Objective requirements are those that are desired to provide increased capability or performance but are not mandatory.

Requirement Threshold (T) Objective (O) Current Maximum Span 24 m 26m 24 m Military Load Class 85 T/W 100 T/W 100 T/W Weight 26,000 lbs 22,500 lbs 21,306 lb Treadway Width 1.5 m 1.5 m (same as T) 1.5m Overall Width 4.15 m 4 m 4 m

Additionally, the modified CJAB design must continue to interface with the Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge and Joint Assault Bridge launcher.

5. The Government is interested in gaining information on the ability of commercial industry to fulfill the following requirements for AMCB durability test support at Aberdeen Test Center

(ATC).

a. Train and assist ATC personnel in setting up and assembling the AMCB prototype bridge into suitable test configurations over the test gap and on the Bridge Crossing Simulator

b. Guide ATC personnel on potential weak locations on the bridge which require monitoring during durability testing.

c. Perform ultrasonic testing, tap testing and visual inspections of the AMCB

d. Install acoustic emission instrumentation and collect acoustic emission data throughout the performance of the test

6. The Government is interested in gaining information on the current capability of commercial industry to fulfill the following requirements for upgrading the current design for a prototype composite assault bridge for the Joint Assault Bridge program:

a. Complete design of the bridge’s center hinge to account for multiple load types and corrosive environments

b. Complete design of the bridge’s mid-span section, intercostals to treadway attachment, and side wall/ bulkhead interfaces between the bridge and the Joint Assault Bridge launcher

c. Upgrade the current CJAB design to enable loads greater than the Objective requirement specified in Paragraph 4 to be carried

d. Fabricate and test the current CJAB design

e. Update the current CJAB design based off of the test results

7. Evaluation: The Government will analyze the information that is received using the following considerations.

‒ AMCB Durability Test Support o Familiarity with the current AMCB design: Potential sources must be familiar with the design of the AMCB to enable them to (i) readily guide ATC personnel on how to assemble the prototype bridge into various test configurations; and (ii) identify where best to place sensors to monitor the prototype bridge for potential failures during durability testing o Experience in the use and installation of acoustic emission and ultrasonic instrumentation for field testing o Ability and experience in performing tap tests and visual inspections on fiber reinforced composite materials being subjected to durability tests.

‒ CJAB Development o Familiarity with the current CJAB design: Potential sources must be familiar with the current design of the CJAB and have sufficient knowledge of the previous work that went into the current design to enable them to complete the design work required for this effort.

o Experience in the design, analysis and fabrication of fiber reinforced bridging structures

7. Submission: Responses to this RFI are due no later than 1:00 P.M. (Eastern), 09 Sept 2015. Only electronic responses are requested. Please submit all responses and any questions prior to full response to Bernard Sia via email at bernard.j.sia.civ@mail.mil. Please format the subject line of the response email as follows; “[Organization Name] response to RFI – AMCB Durability and CJAB Development.”