N131-026 TITLE: Life of Ship Flexhose

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: Advanced Submarine Systems Development (SEA073R)

OBJECTIVE: The objective is to develop an affordable flexible hose that last the average life of a ship.

DESCRIPTION: Flexible hoses (Flexhoses) are versatile hoses used aboard US Navy ships for many applications. Flexhoses are primarily used for resilient mounted equipment to mitigate shock and sound attenuations. Flexhoses are currently used as piping for various fluids, such as freshwater, seawater, and lubrication oil, and in several different types of equipments, see reference.

However, there are several limitations to the flexhoses currently available. Flexhose failures are difficult to predict and assess. Some common causes of flexhose failures include UV, sunlight exposure, high temperature fluids, and pedestrian traffic. Furthermore, flexhoses often fail from the inside. Little, if any, indication is provided on the outside that the internal hose wall might be wearing away. This is a big problem, especially since the internal hose material that erodes away can damage equipment downstream. As a result, flexhoses are currently replaced approximately every six years as preventative measures. This requires a significant amount of time and money. The current industry options for flexhoses that best meet Navy requirements are made by synthetic rubber. Although synthetic rubber hoses are typically cheaper than other hose options (synthetic rubber flexhoses can sometimes range between $5-$45), they are often soft and susceptible to internal wear and tear. The more durable hose options, for example thermal plastic, Teflon, silicon, corrugated metal options, are too costly. For example, Teflon hoses can within stand high temperatures but is too brittle and is too easily damaged.

The purpose of this SBIR is to develop concepts for a flexhose that is flexible, durable, affordable, and can last the average life of a ship (approximately 40 years) without being replaced. The hose must be comparable or better in affordability as the current synthetic rubber hoses used and meet the current MIL requirements for hose and fittings, see references below. The flexhose concepts must also be durable; able to withstand fluid temperatures in excess of 200 degrees Fahrenheit without degradation and UV and sunlight exposure. Furthermore, the flexhose concepts must be adaptable for nominal hose sizes and be able to use reusable fittings.

PHASE I: The company will develop concepts for flexhoses that meet the requirements described above. The company will demonstrate the feasibility of the concepts in meeting Navy needs and will establish that the concepts can be feasibly developed into a useful product for the Navy. Feasibility will be established by material testing and/or analytical modeling. The small business will provide a Phase II development plan with performance goals and key technical milestones, and that will address technical risk reduction.

PHASE II: Based on the results of Phase I and the Phase II development plan, the small business will develop a prototype for evaluation as appropriate. The prototype will be evaluated to determine its capability in meeting the performance goals defined in the Phase II development plan and the Navy needs for flexhoses. Evaluation results will be used to refine the prototype into an initial design that will meet Navy needs. The company will prepare a Phase III development plan to transition the technology to Navy use.

PHASE III: If Phase II is successful, the company will be expected to support the Navy in transitioning the technology for Navy use. The company will develop flexhoses for evaluation to determine its effectiveness in an operationally relevant environment. The company will support the Navy for test and validation to certify and qualify the system for Navy use.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: Flexhoses are currently used in many industry applications, from automobiles to airplanes. A successful SBIR project has many commercial and private applications and can easily be commercialized.

REFERENCES:
1. Banks, Carl "Navy Flexible Hose Assemblies," SAE Technical Paper 871384, 1987, DOI: 10.4271/871384.

2. MIL-H-24135B Specifications for hose, synthetic rubber, wire reinforced for flexible hose assemblies.

3. MIL-F-24787 Specifications for fittings for flexible hose assemblies.

KEYWORDS: Life of ship flexible hoses; durable; affordable; flexhose

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

DoD Notice:   Between 16 November, 2012 through 16 December 2012, you may talk directly with the Topic Authors (TPOC) 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 17 December, 2012, when DoD begins accepting proposals for this solicitation.

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