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Fretting Wear Elimination in Gear Box Housings

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Air Force
Contract: FA8501-09-C-0010
Agency Tracking Number: F051-129-1595
Amount: $349,745.00
Phase: Phase II
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 2009
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
902 Hendricks Drive
Lebanon, IN 46052
United States
DUNS: N/A
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Solomon Berman
 President
 (765) 482-9802
 solomon@in-motion.net
Business Contact
 Jason Reynolds
Title: Operations Manager
Phone: (765) 482-9802
Email: ibcadmin@in-motion.net
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

A new high-performance anti-wear coating is being developed under an SBIR program with the Air Force Research Laboratorys Materials Directorate for the Joint Strike Fighter. This coating is based on the Micro-Plasma Oxidation process, which is a high-voltage electrochemical process of oxidation which creates micro discharges on the surface of the part immersed in an electrolyte. This results in the creation of a nanostructured ceramic coating of a dense, ductile oxide layer. The oxide layer improves mechanical, wear, thermal, dielectric and corrosion properties of the surface. Test results under the Phase I SBIR program have shown a 10X improvement in wear life over the baseline. IBC Materials will apply the Micro-Plasma Oxidation process to repair worn-out missile launcher rails in combination with Friction Stir Weld and Cold Spray build-up processes to restore the missile rails to specified dimensions. IBC will also adapt and optimize a wear-protective coating based on the Micro-Plasma Oxidation process to improve the wear life of the rail. A localized coating fixture will be developed to allow coating of the missile rail outside of the bath and to avoid the need to mask the part. BENEFIT: The forward hanger and missile rail for the AIM-9X missile system are currently experiencing a large amount of fretting and galling wear due to excess vibration & play of the system. As a result several hundred missile rail units are scrapped each year due to excessive wear, costing the Air Force millions of dollars in parts and labor. A repair method to build the materials back to specified dimensions, as well as an improved protective coating, will restore the rails to full service life and possibly extend the life of the missile rails. This will result in a large labor and cost savings for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy AIM-9X programs. These repair methods can also be applied to other DoD missile systems, as well as gearboxes, landing gear, pumps, and hydraulic equipment.

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

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