You are here

Explosively Clad Liners for Extended Barrel Life

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Navy
Contract: M67854-10-C-6505
Agency Tracking Number: N091-004-0680
Amount: $99,997.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N091-004
Solicitation Number: 2009.1
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2009
Award Year: 2010
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2009-10-23
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2010-11-20
Small Business Information
3921 Academy Parkway North, NE
Albuquerque, NM 87109
United States
DUNS: 055145320
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Douglas Taylor
 Manager Explosive Claddin
 (505) 342-4428
 dtaylor@tplinc.com
Business Contact
 Rodney Kreutzian
Title: Contracts Manager
Phone: (505) 342-4471
Email: rkreutzian@tplinc.com
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

Gun barrel life is limited by erosion, heat and wear. Barrel steels and failure mechanisms have changed little since the end of World War II. Performance requirements of modern gun systems continue toward higher velocities, greater rates of fire and longer projectile ranges result in greater in-bore pressures, heat and erosion. A critical need exists to increase barrel life, and therefore, sustainability. Coatings are of limited use for over-heating problems. Thicker liners have been tried, but are problematic when they are not bonded to the barrel. Using a proprietary explosive, TPL developed a unique explosive cladding process to metallurgically bond high-temperature, corrosion-resistant liners to steel or lighter weight barrel materials. TPL has demonstrated that solid liners, thicker than coatings and metallurgically bonded to the barrel, extend barrel life by 5-7 times. TPL will adapt this technology to small caliber machine gun barrels. Phase I Objectives include developing bonding parameters, verifying the metallurgical bond and producing test pieces. Barrel blanks will be clad and tested. Option tasks include cladding, machining and test firing a prototype Commercial support is lined up to help develop and market this technology. TPL has experience in barrel cladding and a site to perform the explosive work.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

US Flag An Official Website of the United States Government