The US Department of Defense is partnering with industry and academia on an initiative to test and identify new rubber-silica compound formulations to develop a better track pad solution for a particular model of tank. These novel compound formulations will be tested and demonstrated to ensure that they meet the specific testing requirements.

Design, development, and optimization of ten (10) rubber-silica compound formulations will be created for ground pads through research and development compounding experiments. Three (3) compounds will be down-selected from the ten that demonstrate 20% improvement in energy management and a 30% durability improvement over current compounds and/or requirements for scale-up. Final rubber samples will be delivered to the government sponsor to allow them to corroborate the results. These improvements shall be verified in a group of tests for qualities including tensile strength, hardness, rebound, strain, heat build-up, and tear strength.

If you feel your organization has the technical capabilities and would like to be considered for this project, please complete the form below and upload your organization’s technical capabilities statement.

Interested Submissions Due by 8/15/2023.

We encourage participation of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs), including Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) and Women’s Business Enterprises (WBEs).