Development of an Advanced Bearing for Extreme Service Environments Navy SBIR FY2013.2 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2013.2 Topic No.: N132-103 Topic Title: Development of an Advanced Bearing for Extreme Service Environments Proposal No.: N132-103-0439 Firm: Creare Inc. P.O. Box 71 Hanover, New Hampshire 03755 Contact: Michael Barton Phone: (603) 643-3800 Web Site: www.creare.com Abstract: Aircraft carriers are the backbone of the U.S. Navy's fleet, which operates around the globe, with the sole purpose of launching and recovering aircraft to support U.S. military and peacekeeping interests. The ability to quickly and safely launch aircraft can become a key limitation for an aircraft carrier when trying to deliver the maximum amount of warfighter capability. Currently, the wheel bearings on the launch gear equipment require ongoing maintenance, wear out prematurely, and need to be frequently replaced. Our goal for this project is to develop an advanced wheel bearing for the launch gear equipment on U.S. Navy carriers that does not require maintenance and can withstand up to 25,000 launch cycles between replacement intervals. In Phase I, we will develop a proof-of-concept wheel bearing and evaluate its feasibility for use in the launch gear system. During Phase II, we will expand on the Phase I feasibility results by fabricating a set of prototypical wheel bearings and evaluating them under real-world conditions. Benefits: The proposed advanced wheel bearing technology will greatly extend the overall reliability and reduce maintenance costs of the wheel bearings used in aircraft carrier launch gear equipment. This technology has the potential for widespread use in commercial applications relating to large agricultural machinery, the freight rail industry, and the automotive industry. The proposed advanced wheel bearing technology will therefore have substantial commercial potential for a wide range of highly loaded wheel bearing applications. Return