Road Wheel Readiness

The Government is soliciting proposals to meet emerging requirements for improved readiness of tracked ground combat vehicles (over 40 tons), for all tracked legacy vehicles and current and future track system programs. This program will develop an R&D roadmap which benchmarks key rubber material properties of existing production road wheel compound. This effort develops and executes compounding studies that leverages best in class elastomers, filler and cure technologies which surpass current road wheel compounds. In parallel, “Best in Class” manufacturing technologies specifically engineered for highly loaded, dynamic solid rubber components will be explored and down selected to build prototype road wheel components. Accelerated Road wheel component testing will provide the basis for manufacturing and compound optimization activities. Down-selection of preferred rubber compounds, and manufacturing process will produce road wheels for vehicle testing and validation studies at the preferred test site. Accelerated track testing will be utilized to benchmark performance versus current production road wheels. Final report to include technical recommendations, cost analysis, life cycle and logistics impact, readiness and flanking impact and a recommended commercialization plan. The Contractor shall leverage facilities where appropriate to characterize material properties of R&D compound, manufactured prototypes and test in the laboratory component performance. Vehicle testing will be conducted at YPG leveraging accelerated track system protocols recommend by the Government. Additionally, the Contractor shall provide technical support, program management support for the specific task or effort, logistical support during testing of the system, systems engineering support to derive performance requirements and identify threshold performance values for legacy and developmental ground vehicle road wheel designs.