SPECIAL NOTICE
99 -- 1 - Q400, Thermomechanical Analyzer TMA1 - Q5000, Thermogravimetric Analyzer TGA
- Notice Date
- 6/24/2008
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 334516
— Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Army, U. S. Army Materiel Command, RDECOM Acquisition Center - Natick, RDECOM Acquisition Center - Natick, ATTN: AMSRD-ACC-N, Natick Contracting Division (R and BaseOPS), Building 1, Kansas Street, Natick, MA 01760-5011
- ZIP Code
- 01760-5011
- Solicitation Number
- W911QYTGATMA
- Archive Date
- 9/22/2008
- Point of Contact
- stephen abate, 508-233-4018
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Under the authority of FAR 6.302-1, the U.S. Army RDECOM Acquisition Center, Natick Contracting Division, Natick, MA intends to award a Firm fixed Price Purchase Order to TA Instruments of New Castle Deleware, one(1)Thermogravimetric Analyzer (TGA) and one(1)Thermomechanical Analyzer (TMA) due to the needs of our research which are very specific, and as such the instruments must meet or exceed the following list of specifications in full. SPECIFICATIONS; Seamless interface with an existing TA Instruments system. Data files from the old TGA instrument must be able to be opened and overlaid with new TGA data files using the software from the new TGA instrument. The new TGA and TMA must be able to be run simultaneously off the same computer controller using the same software. Data files from the new TGA and TMA must be able to be opened and overlaid with our existing DSC and DMA instrument. Thermogravimetric Analyzer Specifications Temperature Range: The TGA instrument must allow for a measurable temperature range of ambient to 1200C Heating Rate Range: The instrument will be used for kinetics analyses, a wide range of achievable heating rates is critical. The instrument must be able to have linear, controlled, heating rates from 0.1C/min to 500C/min. These are controlled rates, not instantaneous or ballistic rates. These heating rates are necessary to our work and unique to this instrument by virtue of its infrared heating furnace system. Balance Sensitivity: The TGA balance must have a sensitivity of at least 0.1 mg (microgram). Balance Baseline Performance: Applications call for the highest sensitivity of the TGA signal. The TGA baseline must exhibit less than 10 mg (microgram) of drift over the temperature range ambient to 1000C. This drift is uncorrected, raw, performance and is not the drift after calibration, baseline subtraction, or other software manipulations. The TGA isothermal baseline must drift no more than 5 mg (microgram) over 18 hours (uncorrected). Purge Gas Control: The TGA must include digital mass flow controllers for at least two separate purge gases, such that the purge gas can be automatically switched via software during the experiment. The flow rate must also be adjustable via software during an experiment. The flow rates must be data logged into the resulting data file. Robotic Autosampler/Pan Punching: Because this instrument will be used extensively, and often on a 24 hour basis, it must come equipped with a robotic autosampler containing at least 20 sample positions. The autosampler must include a pan punching mechanism, by which samples can be kept sealed in a hermetic environment, and punched open just prior to loading. This pan punching must produce a large breach in the pan, rather than a pin-hole, as our materials rely on efficient sample/gas interaction. Variable Rate Control: The TGA instrument must include some form of automatic variable rate control to improve resolution. The heating rate must be continuously adjusted as a function of sample mass loss rate, as opposed to a stepwise isothermal approach. Automatic Calibration: The TGA instrument must allow for automatic, unattended calibration of both temperature (curie-point standards) and mass. No operator intervention of any kind should be needed once the weight and temperature calibration routine is started. These calibrations must be programmable and schedulable from within the operating software. The software must also be capable of sending automatic communications as to the status of these calibration/verification experiments, either by email or instant messaging, so that the operator is fully apprised of their status. In addition, the instrument software must be capable of performing auto-diagnostic tests through the scheduling component. These tests must verify the performance of various instrument components such as autosampler motors, electronic boards, mass flow controllers, etc. The results of these tests must be logged and the option to automatically report the result via email or instant messaging should be included. Software: As this TGA will be used by multiple researchers, it is critical that the analysis software be installed on multiple computers. As such, the analysis program must be un-keyed, and must include a site license such that it may be installed on an unlimited number of computers within US Army Natick. The data file format must easily allow sharing/transfer of data files as individual electronic documents, which are readable by the same data analysis package. The data analysis program also includes a.pdf generator, for the efficient export of analyzed plots. The operating software must also be capable of periodically and automatically checking for updates via an internet connection, and downloading/installing those updates if desired. The TGA software must be able to read Thermo-Nicolet IR Graham-Schmidt plots directly and overlay them with the TGA data. Thermomechanical Analyzer Specifications "Temperature range: -150 to 1200C "Temperature precision: +/- 1 "Heating rate range 0.1 to 100C/min. "Isothermal temperature control of 0.1C "Furnace cool-down time: less than 10 minutes from 600C to 50C "Measurement Precision: +/- 0.1% "Sensitivity: 15nm "Resolution (digital): 0.15 nm "Dynamic baseline drift: less than1 m (-100 to 500C) "Force range: 0.001 to 1 N (2N using additional weights) "Force Resolution: 0.001 N In addition to the above specifications, the TMA must be capable of being upgraded with the following features: "Ability to perform dynamic TMA tests and generate material viscoelastic properties (storage modulus, loss modulus, tan delta i.e A sinusoidal force (stress) is applied during a temperature ramp. Analysis of the resulting strain and phase data provides viscoelastic property parameters e.g., E, E tan ). "Ability to perform Modulated TMA: Temperature is programmed linearly, and simultaneously modulated at constant stress to generate signals relating to total displacement, CTE, and their reversing and non-reversing components. These permit detection of thermal transitions, and separation of overlapping events (e.g., Tg and stress relaxation). "Ability to generate temperature steps / ramps at constant strain, and constant force, plus force steps and ramps at constant temperature "Ability in enter sample geometry factors to compute rheological signals "Ability to generate temperature steps / ramps at constant strain, and constant stress, plus stress ramps at constant temperature "Ability to perform stress and strain steps / ramps at constant temperature "Ability to perform creep and stress relaxation measurements, with capability to compute creep and stress relaxation data in rheological units (%strain, creep compliance, recoverable compliance, relaxation modulus. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement in the future. Interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this requirement to the U.S. Army RDECOM Acquisition Center, Natick Contracting Division, via e-mail at stephen.abate@us.army.mil. No later than 26 June 2008, 09:00 am EDT.
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