TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Ground/Sea Vehicles, Materials/Processes

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PMS 325G, Small Boats and Craft

OBJECTIVE: Develop advanced structural concepts for combatant craft that will directly reduce small boat and combatant craft acquisition and lifecycle costs while addressing the need to provide improved payload capacity and ballistic protection in challenging operating environments. Novel approaches that address the ability to increase the mission payload capacity of the craft by significantly reducing hull structural weight fractions are of interest, including, but not limited to novel hull structure concepts or advanced material applications.

DESCRIPTION: Today�s riverine forces employ combatant patrol and assault craft that rely on speed, acceleration, and maneuverability for survivability and multi-mission success. These capabilities are at risk because of the increasing demand to carry more extensive payloads (e.g. combat troops, more expensive C4ISR equipment, weapons, and ballistic armor, etc.) As the payload demand increases, the craft�s speed, agility, survivability decreases, while at the same time increasing the acquisition costs. The unique environments in which these crafts operate expose the vessels to, sand, mud, oils, and seawater spray as well as potential ballistic hazards. The current method of protecting against ballistic threats is through the installation of heavy armor plates applied adjacent to existing craft structure.

This topic seeks to identify and apply innovative advanced hull form or material solutions for the hull structure that will allow for reduced acquisition and life cycle costs, and improved small boat and craft payload capacity. The elimination of weight in order to reduce weight fractions by 25 to 30 percent and deliver improved mission payload on the order of one to two thousand pounds are key objectives. If successful, this would enable a quantum leap in combatant craft mission capability while reducing acquisition and life cycle costs. Successful innovation and technology transition will provide a solution for the top science and technology objective for maneuvering of advanced hull forms published in FY 2007 by Navy Expeditionary Combat Command.

PHASE I: Demonstrate the feasibility of durable, lightweight material and structural concepts for the proposed application. Provide a preliminary concept design and an associated component validation plan.

PHASE II: Finalize the design from Phase I and fabricate prototype components. In a controlled laboratory environment, demonstrate and validate the proposed material solution. As required, perform additional modeling and simulation as a means of validation.

PHASE III: The small business shall work with the Navy to pursue innovative naval prototypes and new acquisition craft, and with the global commercial market in applying the new technology to commercial craft.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: The vendor will be able to market the new capabilities to over twenty boat builders who serve the U.S. military and commercial markets, as well as the international small boat commercial industry.

REFERENCES:
1. American Bureau of Shipping. "Guide for Building and Classing High Speed Craft." October 2001.

2. Collette, Matthew. "Strength and Reliability of Aluminum Stiffened Panels." PhD Thesis. University of Newcastle, Newcastle Upon Tyne. June 2005.

3. Det Norske Veritas. Rules for Classification of High Speed, Light Craft and Naval Surface Craft. July 2007.

4. NECC Science and Technology Strategic Plan. October 2007

5. Rosén, Anders. "Loads and Responses for Planing Craft in Waves." PhD Thesis. Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering Division of Naval Systems. Stockholm, Sweden. 2004.

6. Small Craft Design Guide. David Taylor Report # 23086. January 1977.

KEYWORDS: affordability; weight-fraction; small boats; combatant craft; materials; riverine

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

DoD Notice:   Between November 12 and December 7, 2008, you may talk directly with the Topic Authors to ask technical questions about the topics. Their contact information is listed above. For reasons of competitive fairness, direct communication between proposers and topic authors is not allowed starting December 8, 2008, when DoD begins accepting proposals for this solicitation.

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