Low Cost Titanium Casting Process and Design for Net Shape Components for the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle Navy SBIR FY2004.2 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2004.2 Topic No.: N04-153 Topic Title: Low Cost Titanium Casting Process and Design for Net Shape Components for the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle Proposal No.: N042-153-0 Firm: UES, Inc. 4401 Dayton-Xenia Road Dayton, Ohio 45432-1894 Contact: Radhakrishna Bhat Phone: (937) 255-1319 Web Site: www.ues.com Abstract: UES Inc., a small business company, with support from a titanium casting company, proposes to develop an innovative titanium casting methodology that combines the low cost and high quality. When fully developed this new casting methodology will enable replacement of currently used expensive wrought titanium structural components of the EFV with affordable net shape castings. This program will demonstrate the engineering, manufacturing, and economic feasibility of affordable titanium casting process. In Phase I, UES will demonstrate feasibility of a low cost melting and casting practice and will establish, through appropriately designed experiments, relationships among final properties and key variables of the casting process. Phase II will design optimized processing parameters to produce idler wheel and sprocket carrier of the EFV, develop property database, and a commercialization plan. Benefits: The benefits of successful implementation of the casting methodology developed in this SBIR include i) the ability to produce lower cost components with improved properties, ii) significant quality enhancements, and iii) the ability to produce net shape components with minimal processing effort. These benefits will directly apply to the Department of Defense, its suppliers, commercial airline companies, and other commercial sectors such as automotive, energy, biomedical, and sports, around the world. UES will license the technology developed in this SBIR to Flowserve which will produce the castings for the EFV. The castings will be marketed to USMC through its prime contractor, General Dynamics. UES and Flowserve will also identify, develop, and market additional applications of low-cost high quality titanium castings in the above mentioned commercial sectors. Return