SAP PURCHASE REQUISITION: 4200259057. THIS PROCUREMENT IS FOR SINGLE CRYSTAL SUPERALLOY SLAB CASTINGS MADE…

Public award description

SAP PURCHASE REQUISITION: 4200259057. THIS PROCUREMENT IS FOR SINGLE CRYSTAL SUPERALLOY SLAB CASTINGS MADE OF SIX NEW SUPERALLOY COMPOSITIONS. AFTER DIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION, THE SINGLE CRYSTAL CASTINGS SHALL ALL BE HEAT TREATED TOGETHER IN A SINGLE BATCH HEAT TREAT LOAD ACCORDING TO THE PARAMETERS PROVIDED IN THE STATEMENT OF WORK. THE RESULTS GENERATED ON PRIOR ALLOYS HELPED DESIGN IMPROVED, OPTIMAL ALLOYS FOR TURBINE BLADE APPLICATIONS. THE QUALITY AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF ADVANCED SUPERALLOYS ARE HIGHLY SENSITIVE TO THE PROCESS AND HANDLING TECHNIQUES EMPLOYED DURING CASTING BY A VENDOR. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE FOR SINGLE CRYSTAL SUPERALLOY AIRFOIL MATERIALS, WHERE SINGLE CRYSTALS ARE GROWN USING A DIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION PROCESS. THE HEAT TRANSFER CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PROPRIETARY CASTING EQUIPMENT AND ITS ENVIRONMENT DURING THE DIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION PROCESS INVARIABLY INDUCE LOCALIZED, DENDRITIC SEGREGATION IN COMPOSITION AND MICROSTRUCTURE OF A SINGLE CRYSTAL CASTING. THIS SEGREGATION HAS SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS ON IMPORTANT MECHANICAL PROPERTIES SUCH AS CREEP RESISTANCE, AS WELL AS MICROSTRUCTURAL PHASE STABILITY. AFTER SOLIDIFICATION, HEAT TREATMENTS ARE PERFORMED TO REDUCE SOME OF THE SEGREGATION IN CHEMISTRY AND TO REFINE THE PRECIPITATE MICROSTRUCTURE. THE HEAT TREATMENT EFFECTS ON THE CASTING MATERIAL ARE AGAIN SENSITIVE TO THE PROPRIETARY DESIGN AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FURNACES AND COOLING SYSTEMS USED IN THESE HEAT TREATMENTS. . THE UEET ($1M) AND SUBSONICS FIXED WING AIRFOIL PROJECTS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTING COMPREHENSIVE INVESTIGATIONS OF THE EFFECTS OF EXPERIMENTAL COMPOSITIONS ON CREEP AND OXIDATION RESISTANCE, AS WELL AS PHASE STABILITY. IN THIS WORK, THE UNIQUE PROPRIETARY EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURES TO CONSISTENTLY CAST AND HEAT TREAT SINGLE CRYSTAL AIRFOIL MATERIALS TO OUR SPECIFIC COMPOSITIONS AND SPECIFICATIONS. GRC HAS SPENT OVER THE LAST SIX YEARS OVER $1M MEASURING THE EFFECTS OF COMPOSITION ON AIRFOIL PROPERTIES USING CREEP TESTING, ANALYTICAL SCIENCE, METALLOGRAPHIC, AND FRACTOGRAPHIC EVALUATIONS ON APPROXIMATELY 15 DIFFERENT ALLOY COMPOSITIONS. THE RESULTS REPRESENT A COMPREHENSIVE DATABASE ON SINGLE CRYSTAL AIRFOIL ALLOYS, ALL BASELINED ON THE CASTING AND HEAT TREATING OPERATIONS PERFORMED. GRC WOULD NEED TO REPEAT A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE $1M ALREADY INVESTED IN ORDER TO ENSURE COMPATIBILITY WITH ANY NEW VENDOR. GRC CAN NOT FORCE THE COMPANY TO RELEASE ALL INFORMATION ON THESE PROPRIETARY OPERATIONS. THE TESTING AND EVALUATION OF MATERIAL FROM AN ALTERNATE VENDOR WOULD EVEN THEN STILL BE VERY DISADVANTAGEOUS AND RISKY TO THE SUCCESS OF THIS PROGRAM, BECAUSE THE SEPARATION OF DIFFERENCES IN TEST RESULTS DUE TO THE VENDOR FROM THOSE DUE TO THE MATERIAL COMPOSITION AND PROCESSING PROPERTIES WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT, IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE. THE PROGRAM CANNOT INCUR THE RESULTING CONSUMPTION OF ADDITIONAL FUNDS AND SCHEDULE FOR THIS CONTINGENCY.