Advanced Materials and Manufacturing, ASA(ALT), Phase I
Engineered Domestic Hardwood Replacement for Critically Endangered Species Hardwood
Objective
The purpose of this topic is to demonstrate engineered hardwoods capability to replace critically endangered Asian Apitong species that are currently being utilized as trailer decking. This prototype/testing effort will proactively manage the obsolescence of Apitong as it nears extinction, by;
- Exploring sustainable engineered domestic hardwood product sourcing
- Revitalizing American small business forest industries/workforce
- Resulting in trailer fleet lifecycle cost savings.
The replacement shall be capable of providing the same or improved benefits over the existing decking in terms of life, service, structural properties, durability and reliability.
Further objectives for this project include: utilizing industry established American Wood Protection Assoc. (AWPA) lab and environmental field exposure test protocols; conducting Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association (TTMA) based cyclic load testing on test beds at set accelerated environmental exposure intervals; and avoiding obsolescence of Apitong decking due to it becoming extinct (classified as critically-endangered by IUCN 1998). In the end, success in this project will provide a domestic alternative and monetary cost savings.
Description
Currently, Apitong decking requires replacement up to 5 times over a 40 year lifecycle, resulting in downtime, steel structural damage, and an estimated lifecycle cost of $20K per trailer (in today’s dollars @ $4K each to re-deck every 8 years). Today’s alternatives to Apitong are being researched. Upon testing, a replacement can be developed that will be capable of providing equivalent or better performance over Apitong.
This prototype effort will proactively manage the obsolescence of Apitong as it nears extinction, by; exploring sustainable panelized laminated/engineered domestic hardwood product sourcing, revitalizing American small business forest industries/workforce, and result in trailer fleet lifecycle cost savings.
Among all currently available options for Tactical Trailer decking, including metals/plastics, US hardwood products are the most; environmentally friendly (negative carbon footprint), sustainable, robust, tractive, and cost-effective material that can perform well in a wide range of; temperature, relative humidity, anti-spark, and salinity conditions.
Vehicle readiness will increase by avoiding future potential non-mission-capable dead-line situations. Additionally, ‘Buy American’ and Trade Agreements Act compliance achieved. The project will result in an increased understanding of materials and potential industrial base production-implementation challenges.
Phase I
Design, Develop, and Evaluate Domestic Hardwood Replacement prototypes, in scaled form, IAW the following protocols:
a. Industry established American Wood Protection Assoc. (AWPA) lab and environmental field exposure test protocols.
b. Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association (TTMA) based cyclic load testing will be conducted on test beds at set accelerated environmental exposure intervals.
c. The offeror shall demonstrate the capabilities of the prototype in simulated operational environments that demonstrate loading, unloading, cribbing, and abuse (examples: track vehicle turning, tracked vehicle sudden stop, overloading events, and other events consistent with trailer usage).
In addition technical merit, feasibility, commercial potential and performance quality will be determined at this time based on the results.
Phase II
Offeror shall demonstrate the down selected Domestic Hardwood Replacement on a military trailer platform IAW the following protocols:
a. Industry established American Wood Protection Assoc. (AWPA) lab and environmental field exposure test protocols.
b. Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association (TTMA) based cyclic load testing will be conducted on test beds at set accelerated environmental exposure intervals.
c. The offeror shall demonstrate the capabilities in an operational environment that demonstrates loading, unloading, cribbing, and abuse (examples: track vehicle turning, tracked vehicle sudden stop, overloading events, and other events consistent with trailer usage).
Upon successful completion and review by ESAs/SMEs the offer shall have created detailed drawings, manufacturing plans, to support Phase III implementation
Phase III
Pursue small business commercialization objectives from the above efforts, including supply chain establishment and formalization of competitive DoD decking specification.
This topic is mainly geared towards truck and trailer decking, which will have a significant impact on both military and commercial use cases. As this species of hardwood nears extinction, this engineered hardwood could also be used in more applications that currently utilize Apitong.
For the actual submission dates and to submit your full proposal package, visit the DSIP Portal.
References:
Hardwood Review Weekly; 2020, October 2; Volume 36, Issue 2; Hardwood Publishing, Charlotte, NC.
Hardwood Review eGlobal Asia; 2020, September; Hardwood Publishing, Charlotte, NC.
Kukachka, B. F. 1970. Properties of imported tropical woods. Conference of Tropical Hardwoods held at the State University College of Forestry, Syracuse University, August 18-21, 1969. U.S. Dep. Agric. For. Serv. Res. Pap. FPL 125. For. Prod. Lab., Madison, Wis.
National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA). 2019. RULES FOR THE MEASUREMENT & INSPECTION OF HARDWOOD & CYPRESS. Memphis, Tennessee.
USDA Forest Service. Forest Products Laboratory. Tropical timbers of the world, by Martin Chudnoff. Madison, Wis., Forest Prod. Lab., For. Serv., USDA, 1979. 831 p.
USDA Forest Service. Forest Products Laboratory. 2010. Wood handbook—Wood as an engineering material. General Technical Report FPL-GTR-190. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory. 508 p.
USDA Forest Service. 2020. Forests of New York, 2019. Resource Update FS-250. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 2 p. https://doi.org/10.2737/FS-RU-250
Objective
The purpose of this topic is to demonstrate engineered hardwoods capability to replace critically endangered Asian Apitong species that are currently being utilized as trailer decking. This prototype/testing effort will proactively manage the obsolescence of Apitong as it nears extinction, by;
- Exploring sustainable engineered domestic hardwood product sourcing
- Revitalizing American small business forest industries/workforce
- Resulting in trailer fleet lifecycle cost savings.
The replacement shall be capable of providing the same or improved benefits over the existing decking in terms of life, service, structural properties, durability and reliability.
Further objectives for this project include: utilizing industry established American Wood Protection Assoc. (AWPA) lab and environmental field exposure test protocols; conducting Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association (TTMA) based cyclic load testing on test beds at set accelerated environmental exposure intervals; and avoiding obsolescence of Apitong decking due to it becoming extinct (classified as critically-endangered by IUCN 1998). In the end, success in this project will provide a domestic alternative and monetary cost savings.
Description
Currently, Apitong decking requires replacement up to 5 times over a 40 year lifecycle, resulting in downtime, steel structural damage, and an estimated lifecycle cost of $20K per trailer (in today’s dollars @ $4K each to re-deck every 8 years). Today’s alternatives to Apitong are being researched. Upon testing, a replacement can be developed that will be capable of providing equivalent or better performance over Apitong.
This prototype effort will proactively manage the obsolescence of Apitong as it nears extinction, by; exploring sustainable panelized laminated/engineered domestic hardwood product sourcing, revitalizing American small business forest industries/workforce, and result in trailer fleet lifecycle cost savings.
Among all currently available options for Tactical Trailer decking, including metals/plastics, US hardwood products are the most; environmentally friendly (negative carbon footprint), sustainable, robust, tractive, and cost-effective material that can perform well in a wide range of; temperature, relative humidity, anti-spark, and salinity conditions.
Vehicle readiness will increase by avoiding future potential non-mission-capable dead-line situations. Additionally, ‘Buy American’ and Trade Agreements Act compliance achieved. The project will result in an increased understanding of materials and potential industrial base production-implementation challenges.
Phase I
Design, Develop, and Evaluate Domestic Hardwood Replacement prototypes, in scaled form, IAW the following protocols:
a. Industry established American Wood Protection Assoc. (AWPA) lab and environmental field exposure test protocols.
b. Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association (TTMA) based cyclic load testing will be conducted on test beds at set accelerated environmental exposure intervals.
c. The offeror shall demonstrate the capabilities of the prototype in simulated operational environments that demonstrate loading, unloading, cribbing, and abuse (examples: track vehicle turning, tracked vehicle sudden stop, overloading events, and other events consistent with trailer usage).
In addition technical merit, feasibility, commercial potential and performance quality will be determined at this time based on the results.
Phase II
Offeror shall demonstrate the down selected Domestic Hardwood Replacement on a military trailer platform IAW the following protocols:
a. Industry established American Wood Protection Assoc. (AWPA) lab and environmental field exposure test protocols.
b. Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association (TTMA) based cyclic load testing will be conducted on test beds at set accelerated environmental exposure intervals.
c. The offeror shall demonstrate the capabilities in an operational environment that demonstrates loading, unloading, cribbing, and abuse (examples: track vehicle turning, tracked vehicle sudden stop, overloading events, and other events consistent with trailer usage).
Upon successful completion and review by ESAs/SMEs the offer shall have created detailed drawings, manufacturing plans, to support Phase III implementation
Phase III
Pursue small business commercialization objectives from the above efforts, including supply chain establishment and formalization of competitive DoD decking specification.
This topic is mainly geared towards truck and trailer decking, which will have a significant impact on both military and commercial use cases. As this species of hardwood nears extinction, this engineered hardwood could also be used in more applications that currently utilize Apitong.
For the actual submission dates and to submit your full proposal package, visit the DSIP Portal.
References:
Hardwood Review Weekly; 2020, October 2; Volume 36, Issue 2; Hardwood Publishing, Charlotte, NC.
Hardwood Review eGlobal Asia; 2020, September; Hardwood Publishing, Charlotte, NC.
Kukachka, B. F. 1970. Properties of imported tropical woods. Conference of Tropical Hardwoods held at the State University College of Forestry, Syracuse University, August 18-21, 1969. U.S. Dep. Agric. For. Serv. Res. Pap. FPL 125. For. Prod. Lab., Madison, Wis.
National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA). 2019. RULES FOR THE MEASUREMENT & INSPECTION OF HARDWOOD & CYPRESS. Memphis, Tennessee.
USDA Forest Service. Forest Products Laboratory. Tropical timbers of the world, by Martin Chudnoff. Madison, Wis., Forest Prod. Lab., For. Serv., USDA, 1979. 831 p.
USDA Forest Service. Forest Products Laboratory. 2010. Wood handbook—Wood as an engineering material. General Technical Report FPL-GTR-190. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory. 508 p.
USDA Forest Service. 2020. Forests of New York, 2019. Resource Update FS-250. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 2 p. https://doi.org/10.2737/FS-RU-250