 |
|
May 2005 Welcome to The CTMA Connector, a monthly newsletter designed to provide news and ideas about the Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities (CTMA) program. The CTMA program is a joint Department of Defense/National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (DoD/NCMS) effort promoting collaborative technology development between industry and the DoD maintenance and repair facilities. This newsletter highlights ongoing projects, serves as a forum for promoting new project ideas, and provides other news of interest to the program. Our goal is to stimulate your participation and solicit your input. Feel free to submit items for the newsletter as well as any suggestions to make it more useful. More information about the program can be found at http://ctma.ncms.org/. To subscribe or unsubscribe to the CTMA Connector, send a message to listserv@listserv.ncms.org with "subscribe CTMANewsletter" or "unsubscribe CTMANewsletter" in the subject line. Recently Completed Project: Light Armored Vehicle (LAV) Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) Life Cycle Logistics Support Tool DoD maintenance, supply chain management techniques and tools have not kept pace with the demands of 21st century warfare. At the same time, the service life of U.S. combat equipment is being stretched far beyond the originally intended life span. Maintenance costs are rising at an alarming rate. The modern battlefield has become much more widely dispersed and supply lines, once only miles, are now hundreds of miles long. Efficient logistical support and timely effective repairs, while critical to ensure that equipment is combat ready, have become increasingly complex and difficult to manage. The military, private industry and academia are researching Condition-Based Maintenance as a means of increasing readiness and operational availability while reducing operating and support costs. The objectives of this project were to develop, demonstrate and evaluate the tools, techniques, hardware and software that will be required to establish a viable LAV life cycle logistics support tool. This project delivered advanced sensor and energy management technology installed on two LAVs. An off-board diagnostic tool demonstrated the capability of performing a “health check” on the vehicle. Also demonstrated was on LAV communication via an on-board capability to send "health check" data to the Depot Data Center for immediate action on the affected vehicle. In addition, – Maintainers expressed enthusiastic support for the concepts of asset health monitoring as well as the ability to reach back to the SME to work collaboratively on difficult maintenance issues. – Operators saw the value in continuously knowing the condition of their vehicles at a glance, particularly when required to go into action on short notice. – Leaders saw this as a powerful support tool, providing real-time information on which to base decisions. – The Maintenance Depots will have access to detailed, usable data that will define mechanical faults that would otherwise be hidden. – The Program Manager’s Office will have greatly increased visibility of the vehicles they manage, and of the condition of each. Cost avoidance to the DoD of over $2 million per year is projected for this effort, with an additional benefit of a 10% improvement in mean time between repairs. NCMS contact is Mike Gnam, mikeg@ncms.org, 734-995-4971 Projects Seeking Participants (Industry and DoD): Durable Non-Skid Coating for Carriers Problem: Non-skid coatings don’t last long enough and/or are difficult to replace at sea. Traditional non-skid deck coatings usually consist of multiple layers of two part epoxy resin systems mixed with a rough aggregate. The coatings, although durable, have a limited lifetime and require considerable maintenance and repair. A new decking material is required to have greater durability, increased curing rate and simplified application. Approximately 80% of aircraft carrier flight deck nonskid coatings are replaced following each deployment. Nonskid coatings in arrested landing areas are removed and replaced 2 or 3 times per deployment cycle. Flight deck coatings have degraded during deployment to an extent requiring the platform to be diverted to a foreign port for repair. Repairs at foreign ports are expensive and result in temporary loss of platform availability Solution: New coating or material with better bonding NCMS Contact: Steve Hale, steveh@ncms.org, 734-995-2195 Direct Part Marking (DPM) For High Strength Metals and Painted Over Articles Problem: DPM of high strength metals & painted over articles is difficult. The overhaul cycles of the high strength steel components typically require shot blast or a grit blast process that only a fused on data symbol can survive. Other parts requiring Direct Part Marking requires the data symbol to get covered with paint to protect the part from corrosion. The problem is to find a non-invasive method that allows for the rapid fusion of a DPM to high strength metal substrates. Another related problem is to find a way to apply direct part marks to paint over articles allowing the data symbol to be read through the paint Solution: Find a non-invasive method that allows for the rapid fusion of a DPM to high strength metal substrates. NCMS Contact: Steve Hale, steveh@ncms.org, 734-995-2195 Mobile System for Cleaning and Sealing of Contained Areas Problem: Cleaning, cladding and painting of badly rusted & partially painted surfaces The feasibility of laser-based cleaning, cladding and painting of badly rusted and partially painted surfaces has been proven and preliminary corrosion testing was carried out, demonstrating the effectiveness of the developed techniques. Parameters for cleaning and cladding were developed to the point of demonstrating a functional capability. Initial corrosion testing, although limited in scope and duration, was conducted and the technology was shown to be effective in eliminating corrosion in the areas of concern. Technology is being developed initially for shipbuilding and ship maintenance applications, and has the potential of significantly extending repair intervals and reducing the lifecycle costs for military vehicles, not limited to the U.S. shipyards. Originally, the initial interest was in two limited areas of commercial shipbuilding. These were (1) cladding and coating of butt weld seams in the panel line area during new construction and (2) cladding of t-weld seams on assembly in uncoated tank spaces. Solution: Demonstrate cladding and coating of butt weld seams & T-weld seams NCMS Contact: Steve Hale, steveh@ncms.org, 734-995-2195 Extend Life of Gears Problem: Isotropic finishing process for gears isn’t adequate. Introduce the possibility of new coatings and other surface treatments. Utilize the extensive knowledge in wear parts and surfaces. Explore finishing processes using dry and wet abrasives and manufacture gear tools. Solution: Replace isotropic finishing process with micro shot peening process pilot NCMS Contact: Steve Hale, steveh@ncms.org, 734-995-2195 Kudos: Congratulations to Letterkenny Army Depot for meeting International Quality and Environmental Management Standards. Their Quality Management System (QMS) and Environmental Management System (EMS) were recognized for conforming to international standards. The depot is now registered to international ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001:1996 standards. “By aligning to these standards, the depot is performing to consistent quality and environmental practices”, said Colonel William A. Guinn, Depot Commander. A QMS involves applying comprehensive business strategies focused on customer requirements. It requires continual customer feedback. An EMS involves reviewing facility operations and choosing positive environmental impacts. It results in reliance on reclamation, reuse and recycling waste material reducing the amount of solid waste disposed in landfills. Under ISO, the depot will be able to better provide products and services to meet DoD needs while holding to sound environmental management practices. To learn more about ISO 9001:2000 QMS see the NSF-ISF registrar web site: http://www.nsf.org/NSF-ISR/standards/iso90012000.asp. For EMS information , see EPA's website http://www.epa.gov/compliance/incentives/ems/index.html New Project Ideas (click on topics to see descriptions), if you are interested, contact the project manager listed. We are also vetting emerging project ideas identified at the 2005 CTMA Symposium. Check out http://ctma.ncms.org/Symposium2005/presentations/Symposium2005results.htm and let us know where you are interested.
We appreciate your feedback. Please contact Chuck Ryan with suggestions or input on other topics that would be of interest to you in this newsletter. The CTMA Program is sponsored by the Department of Defense; the content of this newsletter does not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the government; no official endorsement should be inferred. |
|
|