N252-087 TITLE: Repair Solution for Optically Transparent Canopies and Windscreens
OUSD (R&E) CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Advanced Materials;Sustainment
OBJECTIVE: Develop a repair solution to address scratch and pitting damage to acrylic transparencies or their transparent coatings that is usable within optically critical zones, is executable on-aircraft by intermediate or organizational level maintainers, and decreases aircraft downtime compared with component replacement or depot-level overhaul.
DESCRIPTION: Scratches and pits to the acrylic outer ply of canopies and windscreens cause optical distortion as well as structural vulnerability, and these types of damage cause significant readiness degradation. Currently, available repair methods are costly, time-intensive, and extremely limited in the scope of damages that can be addressed, such that damages greater than 10 mils (measurement of unit thickness) in depth are essentially unrepairable. Furthermore, the optical requirements of canopies and windscreens are exacting, and repairs to transparencies must meet the original optical requirements of the components without inducing even minor distortion. The requirements for the baseline material can be seen in the military specification, MIL-PRF-25690 [Ref 2]. Novel repair materials and processes are needed to facilitate optically acceptable repairs larger than the current state of the art. Candidate repair concepts will be compatible with acrylic substrates, executable on aircraft, optically transparent in accordance with baseline aircraft requirements, able to endure in aval aircraft environments, and capable of being inspected for acceptability to existing standards using existing or novel inspection techniques.
PHASE I: Define and develop a repair material or concept that meets the requirements listed in the Description. Perform analysis to determine feasibility of the concept.
The Phase I effort will include prototype plans to be developed under Phase II.
PHASE II: Develop and demonstrate a prototype kit and/or process that meets the requirements listed in the Description. Prototype testing and demonstration will be performed at the canopy shop at Fleet Readiness Center Southwest – North Island.
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Perform final testing at organizational and intermediate level repair locations, and transition for use on H-53 and/or F/A-18. The developed technology will also be applicable to commercial aviation and general aviation.
REFERENCES:
KEYWORDS: Transparency; Acrylic Outer Ply; Canopy; Window; Windscreen; Repair; Optical Zone; Scratch and Pit Repair
** TOPIC NOTICE ** |
The Navy Topic above is an "unofficial" copy from the Navy Topics in the DoD 25.2 SBIR BAA. Please see the official DoD Topic website at www.dodsbirsttr.mil/submissions/solicitation-documents/active-solicitations for any updates. The DoD issued its Navy 25.2 SBIR Topics pre-release on April 2, 2025 which opens to receive proposals on April 23, 2025, and closes May 21, 2025 (12:00pm ET). Direct Contact with Topic Authors: During the pre-release period (April 2, 2025, through April 22, 2025) proposing firms have an opportunity to directly contact the Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) to ask technical questions about the specific BAA topic. The TPOC contact information is listed in each topic description. Once DoD begins accepting proposals on April 23, 2025 no further direct contact between proposers and topic authors is allowed unless the Topic Author is responding to a question submitted during the Pre-release period. DoD On-line Q&A System: After the pre-release period, until May 7, 2025, at 12:00 PM ET, proposers may submit written questions through the DoD On-line Topic Q&A at https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil/submissions/login/ by logging in and following instructions. In the Topic Q&A system, the questioner and respondent remain anonymous but all questions and answers are posted for general viewing. DoD Topics Search Tool: Visit the DoD Topic Search Tool at www.dodsbirsttr.mil/topics-app/ to find topics by keyword across all DoD Components participating in this BAA.
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| 4/21/25 | Q. | The time-intensiveness of current repair processes is noted. Is there an objective time-to-cure on a per location or per volume (depth X width X length) basis? |
| A. | While efficiency of repair solutions is a consideration, there is no objective time-to-cure target. Any repair solution would ideally be faster than total replacement of the transparency, and cost and replacement transparency supply limitations are also factors to be considered. Very generally, if a repair can be fully cured within one week, it would meet minimum timeframe requirements, though faster repair processes are of course permitted as well. | |
| 4/21/25 | Q. | Can you provide details on minimum (threshold) and optimal (objective) repair depth, width and length? In other words, you note the current solution has limitations, to what extent are you aiming to improve upon current repair technology limitations? |
| A. | The range of depths we hope to be able to repair with this topic’s solution is on the order of 10 mils to 100 mils. The current repair solution is capable up to a depth of approximately 10 mils, so the threshold repair depth must improve on this limitation. The size we are targeting is within an area of 0.125 square inches or less. | |
| 4/3/25 | Q. | Is there an interest in a method to detect scratches and pitting damage, or does this topic only address the repair? |
| A. | This topic is focused on a repair solution, but a method for detecting scratches and pitting damage could constitute a portion of a solution. |