VEXTEC Corporation — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: DLA122-001

Description

It is increasingly difficult for companies to enter the spare parts business. To produce a spare part, the manufacturer must recreate the form, fit and function of the original part, which can be especially difficult with high strength forged metal parts. There are processes available to the forging engineer to recreate the geometry and material chemistry of original part; however, getting the part to function safely with the same durability as the original can be extremely difficult. This is because durability is governed by the material microstructure and the materials microstructure evolves during the manufacturing process creating numerous variations. The traditional method of determining durability is expensive laboratory testing. The Phase I objective is to determine feasibility of a software product that can be used by forging manufacturers, OEM and fleet owners to predict the durability of their forged parts without extensive testing. VEXTEC will work with our OEM partner to identify attributes that are particular to forging that need to be addressed in the software product. Phase I will determine the feasibility of addressing the first order effects such as geometry, residual stress, microstructure and in-service loads. During the Phase I option period, a detail architectural plan will be completed for the software to be developed in Phase II.