Patent Application
20240060757
The present disclosure relates to the field of projectile production. Particularly, the disclosure concerns a projectile that is provided with at least one marker substance in one of its interior parts, and a corresponding method to produce such a projectile.
The traceability of a shot ammunition, which is the possibility to assign the said ammunition to a certain source after the ammunition's deployment, e.g. to a producer, a user group, a used weapon, a specific shooter or even the owner of the weapon, is an important aspect of ballistic forensics. Through the means of a reliably traceable ammunition, the legality of its use can be controlled.
A known method from the state of the art to supply traceable ammunition is the addition of a marker agent that can be identified after the deployment.
From the patents EP 1 528 051 B1 and WO 2020/024024 A1, the processes for the addition of a marker agent to the propellent of the ammunition is known. The patent WO 2001/019758 A1 also describes the addition of a marker agent to the ignition of the ammunition. However, the above listed solutions do not allow the reliable detection of the marker agent on the target, because only very little to no residue propellant or ignition can be found when the target is far away, that the level of leftover marker agent could be too low for detection.
Furthermore, the patent WO 2020/024024 A1 describes the marking of a metallic projectile of caliber 0.38 (8.99-9.09 mm outer diameter) with an inorganic marker agent by carburizing or forging, thereby forming an outer layer on the projectile surface that contains the marking agent. The projectile can then be identified by comparing fluorescent colors under infrared excitation after the ammunition's use. The outer layer containing the marker agent allows detection of the marker agent to a depth of 0.5 μm from the outer circumference of the projectile after ammunition's use. However, because the marker agent is present only on a relatively thin layer on the projectile surface, this marking technique does not ensure reliable traceability, especially for frangible projectiles, since the marker would not be detectable on the majority of the projectile's remnants.
Frangible projectiles are those that break into multiple smaller fragments or into powder upon impact with a hard target, i.e. frangible (or breakable) projectile, whereby the English designation “frangible” has been taken over into the realm of the German language. Fragmentation on impact with the target has the ballistic effect of reducing the penetration depth of the projectile. This can reduce the target damage. Through the action of fragmentation, the potential for collateral damage of objects or people standing nearby is further reduced, and for this reason frangible projectiles are often used for training purposes. Compared with other projectile types, frangible projectiles have a reduced risk of friendly fire through ricochet and are therefore particularly suitable for close quarter battle (CQB) and police operations in urban areas.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the embodiments and to enable a person skilled in the pertinent art to make and use the embodiments.
The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Elements, features and components that are identical, functionally identical and have the same effect are—insofar as is not stated otherwise—respectively provided with the same reference character.
In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiments, including structures, systems, and methods, may be practiced without these specific details. The description and representation herein are the common means used by those experienced or skilled in the art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components, have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring embodiments of the disclosure.
The present disclosure aims to overcome the shortcomings of prior art, in particular to provide a projectile that ensures more reliable traceability, also in the case of a frangible projectile.
A solution to this object is provided by a projectile of ammunition according to the disclosure. That is, to provide in the projectile interior at least in parts with a detectable identification agent, in particular a rare earth metal or a compound thereof, preferably an oxide thereof. The object is further solved through a method to manufacture such a projectile for ammunition according to the disclosure, and an ammunition according to disclosure,
The term “projectile” may refer in the present application to a projectile which can be fired at a target by means of a weapon. A projectile is in this sense a particular part of an ammunition further comprising a propellent charge, upon the activation of which the projectile can be fired through the barrel of the weapon. In contrast, other components of the ammunition, like a cartridge case which may comprise the propellant charge, cannot be fired, though they can, for example, be ejected through an ejection window of the weapon after firing.
The identification agent can be or comprise a rare earth metal or a compound thereof, preferably an oxide thereof. The identification agent thus comprises or is a material that is rarely found in nature and is not used in the production of weapons and ammunitions, so that an unambiguous identification of the projectile through the detection of the identification agent comprised in the projectile remnants could be achieved. The identification agent or the rare earth metal can be or comprise elements like gadolinium (Gd), neodymium (Nd), erbium (Er), holmium (Ho), cerium (Ce) and/or Lanthanum (La), a compound of these elements, in particular an oxide thereof. The identification agent or the rare earth metal can especially be or comprise substances like gadolinium (III) oxide (Gd2O3)
The identification agent could be detected optically and/or chemically after its deployment. After the projectile has been fired, the identification agent can be detected in projectile residues. Examples of instances of identification substance's detection are: 1 on the firearm, in particular by rubbing, particularly by rubbing the barrel of the firearm with, for example, a cloth or a towel, 2 at the point of fire, like on a glove worn by the shooter, and/or 3 on a target hit with the projectile, by collecting projectile residues in a close vicinity of the hit target or the point of hit, for example by scraping or dabbing the hit target, or by collecting projectile residue powder close to or below the hit target. Particularly, for the collection of the projectile residues in a vicinity of the struck target or on the point of impact, a brush, a sponge, a pen sample plate (stub), a porous pad, scraper for scraping, or the like may be used.
Alternatively, or additionally, the identification agent can be detected after the projectile has been fired in projectile residues that remain during the projectile's trajectory of fire at one or more intermediate targets that the projectile penetrates on its way to the target or at which the projectile ricochets. At such “intermediate targets”, projectile residues to be examined can be collected in the same way as at the hit (end) target as described above, in particular using the same tools that can be used for collecting projectile residues in a close vicinity of the hit (end) target or the point of impact. The intermediate target may be, for example, a penetrable plate, in particular one made of paper or cardboard. The penetrable plate may in particular be equipped with separate projectile residue collection points, for example in the form of pin sample plates (stubs) or porous cushion pads attached to the plate.
The identification agent can be detected on the projectile residues after the projectile has been fired, in particular by optical and/or chemical detection. The identification agent can be detected in particular either by spectrometry, for example Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) or Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES), or by microscopy, for example electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
The “projectile interior” can be defined in such a way that a cross-sectional area of the projectile interior, especially the cross-sectional area of the interior perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the projectile, has at least in parts a radial distance from an outer circumference of the projectile of at least 0.7% or 1%, preferably at least 10%, or particularly preferably at least 20% of the projectile outer diameter. This means that the projectile interior should cover at least a partial cross-sectional area of the projectile, which comprises particular partial regions or locations of the cross-sectional area of the projectile and has a radial distance to the outer circumference or outer surface of the projectile of at least 0.007 times or 0.01 times, preferably at least 0.1 times and especially preferably at least 0.2 times the projectile outer diameter or projectile caliber, and stretch over the entire length of the projectile in the longitudinal direction or over a part thereof, whereby the length of the projectile extends between the front-side projectile tip (bullet head) and the rear-side projectile base.
The identification agent or respectively, the rare earth metal or the compound thereof can be provided in the interior of the projectile beyond a radial depth from the outer periphery of the projectile. The radial depth may be of at least 0.7% or 1%, preferably of at least 10%, or more preferably of at least 20% of the projectile outer diameter.
The identification agent or respectively, the rare earth metal or the compound thereof may be provided in the projectile interior beyond a radial depth from an outer circumference of the projectile of at least 60 μm or of at least 90 μm and, particularly in the case when the projectile has a caliber of 9 mm or more, of at least 0.9 mm or of at least 1.8 mm. The projectile interior can thus have, at least in sections, a radial distance from the outer circumference of the projectile or a depth from the outer circumference of the projectile of at least 60 μm or of at least 90 μm, and, particularly in the case when the projectile has a caliber of 9 mm or more, of at least 0.9 mm or of at least 1.8 mm.
The projectile according to the disclosure is thus provided with the identification agent or respectively, the rare earth metal or the compound thereof in its interior, whereby the interior of the projectile not only forms a relatively thin layer on the outer surface of the projectile, but rather occupies deeper areas of the projectile when viewed radially from the outer circumference of the projectile. A minimum depth at which the identification agent is present within the projectile can be defined through the radial distance from the outer circumference of the projectile according to the disclosure. And as a result, the detectability of the identification substance on projectile remnants, in particular on the target, can be improved compared to solutions known from the prior art, in which the identification substance is present only in a relatively thin layer on the outer surface of the projectile, therefore ensuring better traceability. This is especially true if the projectile is a frangible projectile. Even after the projectile has been fired and the associated disintegration of outer layers of the materials in the gun barrel, the identification agent or respectively, the rare earth metal or the compound thereof is still present in the interior of the projectile when the projectile leaves the gun.
In some embodiments, the cross-sectional area of the projectile interior may intersect a central longitudinal axis of the projectile. The central longitudinal axis of the projectile may be a longitudinal axis about which the projectile has rotational symmetry. In particular, the central longitudinal axis of the projectile may be located at the center of the circular cross-sectional area of the projectile. The central portion of the cross-sectional area of the interior of the projectile near the geometric center of the cross-sectional area of the projectile represents in this case an example of a cross-sectional area that has a radial distance from the outer circumference of the projectile of greater than 1% of the outer diameter of the projectile. At the center of the cross-sectional area of the projectile, i.e., where the longitudinal axis of the projectile and the cross-sectional areas of the projectile interior intersect, the radial distance to the outer circumference of the projectile is exactly equal to the radius of the projectile, i.e., exactly half of the projectile outer diameter or the caliber.
The projectile according to the disclosure could have an outer diameter or a caliber of 2.7 to 24 mm, or preferably from 4.6 mm to 12.7 mm, or especially preferably from 6.5 mm to 9 mm Thus, the projectile according to the disclosure may be a small caliber projectile or a medium caliber projectile.
The cross-sectional area of the projectile interior may cover part of the cross-sectional area of the projectile itself. For example, the projectile interior may extend partially radially outward in cross-sectional area from the center of the projectile or from the intersection of the central longitudinal axis of the projectile with the cross-sectional area of the projectile interior, wherein the projectile interior may be at least partially enveloped by an outer projectile surface area in which no identification agent needs to be provided. The cross-sectional area of the projectile interior may, according to other examples, in cross-section extend radially inward from the outer circumference of the projectile to a depth that is, at least in part, 0.7% or 1% or more (or 10% or more or 20% or more) of the projectile outer diameter, such that the projectile interior at least partially encompasses the outer circumference of the projectile and envelops a projectile core region in which no identification agent needs to be present. According to other examples, the cross-sectional area of the projectile interior may comprise neither the outer circumference of the projectile nor the intersection of the central longitudinal axis of the projectile with the cross-sectional area of the projectile interior, as long as it comprises, at least in parts, locations that have a radial distance from an outer circumference of the projectile of at least 0.7% or 1%, preferably at least 10%, or more preferably at least 20% of the projectile outer diameter.
In some embodiments, the cross-sectional area of the projectile interior may completely cover or, in other words, overlap the cross-sectional area of the projectile, such that the projectile would have the identification agent or respectively, the rare earth metal or the compound thereof at least partly throughout its cross-sectional area. The cross-sectional area of the projectile interior may thus be congruent with the cross-sectional area of the projectile, in particular over the entire length of the projectile in the longitudinal direction or over a part thereof. This may especially be the case if the projectile is made from one piece of the identification agent or respectively the rare earth metal or the compound thereof. The projectile may be made entirely of this material, such that the cross-sectional area of the interior of the projectile completely covers the cross-sectional area of the projectile along the entire length of the projectile in the longitudinal direction. This improves the detectability of the identification agent after deployment of the projectile and consequently the tracing of the projectile, especially so in the case of a frangible projectile, since this allows the identification agent to be detectable on any fragment of projectile residue.
The material from which the projectile is made, particularly when made in one piece, can be or comprise a mixture material which has a base material to which the identification agent or respectively, the rare earth metal or the compound thereof is added in a way that the identification agent or respectively, the rare earth metal or the compound thereof is present at least partly in the interior of the projectile, and/or in such a way that the interior of the projectile is permeated at least in parts by the identification agent or respectively the rare earth metal or the compound thereof.
The mixture material may further comprise a metal, in particular copper, tungsten, zinc, iron and/or tin, or a metal alloy, in particular an alloy of one or more of said metals, such as a copper alloy, a zinc alloy, a copper-zinc alloy, for example brass or tombac, and/or a copper-tin-zinc alloy. Alternatively, or additionally, the mixture material may comprise a plastic, particularly a polymer such as nylon or polyester. The mixture material may be, for example, a mixture of copper powder and the identification agent, but may also be a mixture between metal or metal alloy powder particles and a polymer in which the powder particles and the identification agent are embedded such that the polymer acts as a binder.
In particular, the mixture material may be a frangible material, so that the projectile according to the disclosure may, in particular, be a frangible projectile. As used herein, a frangible material may be a material which, when deformed, fragments into multiple pieces rather than plastically deforms as a whole.
In some embodiments, the mixture material may comprise a homogeneous concentration of the identification agent or respectively, the rare earth metal or the compound thereof. This ensures that the identification agent or respectively, the rare earth metal or the compound thereof can be detected in any sample quantity of projectile residue or fragment, and that the measured concentration of the identification agent is independent of the sample quantity used for the measurement. Thus, the reliability or unambiguity of traceability through the identification agent or respectively, the rare earth metal or the compound thereof can be further improved. The identification agent or respectively, the rare earth metal or the compound thereof may, in some embodiments, be homogeneously distributed throughout the entire projectile volume.
According to some embodiments, the mixture material may comprise a concentration of the identification agent or respectively, the rare earth metal or the compound thereof, of at least 0.01 wt %, at least 0.1 wt %, at least 0.5 wt %, or at least 1 wt %. In particular, the concentration of the identification agent may be a predetermined value. This makes it possible to assign the use of a projectile according to the disclosure, by detecting this known concentration of the identification agent, to a specific shooter or weapon owner, on whom such a predetermined concentration of the identification agent could be found.
For example, the projectile according to the disclosure may be made by sintering or injection molding the mixture material. Thus, in some embodiments, the mixture material may be a sintered material, or an injection molded material.
The disclosure further relates to a method for manufacturing a projectile for ammunition. By means of the method, a projectile according to the disclosure can be formed, in particular according to one of the embodiments described above.
In the method according to the disclosure, a base material and an identification agent are mixed to form a mixture material. The base material may in particular be a material of which the majority of the projectile to be manufactured is made. For example, the base material may be supplied in the form of powder or granules. The base material may comprise or be a metal, like copper, tungsten, zinc, iron and/or tin, or a metal alloy, particularly, an alloy of one or more of said metals, such as a copper alloy, a zinc alloy, a copper-zinc alloy, or by way of example, brass or tombac, and/or a copper-tin-zinc alloy. Alternatively, or additionally, the base material may comprise or be a plastic, particularly a polymer such as nylon or polyester. The base material may be copper powder but may also for instance be realized in the form of powder particles of metal or of a metal alloy embedded in a polymer, in which the polymer acts as a binder.
The resulting mixture material then comprises the base material and the identification agent. The identification agent and the mixture material may in this case refer to the identification agent and the mixture material explained above for the projectile according to the disclosure, respectively. The identification agent may in particular comprise or be a rare earth metal or a compound thereof, preferably an oxide thereof, for example gadolinium (Gd), neodymium (Nd), erbium (Er), holmium (Ho), cerium (Ce) and/or lanthanum (La) or a compound thereof, or more particularly an oxide thereof. Particularly as an example, the identification agent may comprise or be the substance gadolinium (III) oxide (Gd2O3).
The projectile is made at least in parts from the resulting mixture material. In other words, after admixing the identification agent to the base material, the resulting mixture material is used to form at least a portion of the projectile. In this way, the entire projectile or at least a portion thereof is formed from the mixture material. The resulting projectile made from the method, or at least a portion thereof, should thus comprise the identification agent immediately after manufacture. In particular, the projectile itself, just as the mixture material, may comprise the base material and the identification agent in substantially equal proportions immediately after manufacture, without the need to post-process the projectile by addition or application of the identification agent.
In some embodiments, at least a portion of the projectile may be formed from the mixture material, in which at least a portion of the projectile makes up a projectile interior. In those, a cross-sectional area of the projectile interior has, at least in parts, a radial distance from an outer circumference of the projectile of at least 0.7% or 1%, preferably at least 10%, or more preferably at least 20% of the projectile outer diameter. Alternatively, or additionally, the cross-sectional area of the projectile interior may intersect a central longitudinal axis of the projectile.
In some embodiments, the entire projectile may be formed from the mixture material, particularly in a single piece. And in some other embodiments, the mixture material may be a frangible material. Thus, the projectile produced by the method according to the disclosure may particularly be a frangible projectile, or preferably a frangible projectile formed in one piece from the frangible mixture material. In this way, since the identification agent is present not only in individual parts of the projectile, but rather in the entire mixture material from which the projectile is produced, detectability of the identification agent is improved, by ensuring the detectability of the identification agent on any projectile fragment or any portion of the projectile residual powder.
In some embodiments, the identification agent may be in powder form. In particular, the identification agent may be mixed with the base material by agitation and/or by rotating and/or shaking a container containing the base material and the identification agent. For example, a powdered identification agent may be added to a base material, which is also powdered, by putting both powdered materials (base material and identification agent), into the same container and then driving the container in a way that it is rotated about an axis of rotation and/or shaken to mix the two materials together. The resulting mixture material may then be a granule comprising the powdered base material and the powdered identification agent, in which the base material and the identification agent are mixed.
In an exemplary embodiment, the identification agent may be mixed homogenously with the base material so that the mixture material comprises a homogeneous or uniform concentration of the identification agent. This means that the identification agent is mixed with the base material in such a way that the concentration of the identification substance is uniform throughout the mixture material. A measurement of the concentration of the identification agent would thus give essentially the same result regardless of the measurement partial mass or the measurement partial volume, with a tolerance variation of up to 5%, preferably up to 2%, or even more preferably up to 1%.
According to the disclosure, the projectile may be formed by heat-treating the mixture material, wherein the heat-treating may comprise, in particular injection molding and/or sintering of the mixture material. Forming the projectile from the mixture material may further comprise a compression process in which the mixture material is pressurized. In some embodiments, forming the projectile, or at least a portion thereof, from the mixture material may comprise heat treating the projectile, or at least parts of the projectile, simultaneously with the mixing of the base material and the identification agent.
Forming the projectile from the mixture material may comprise, for example, melting a metal powder (base material) into a fine-grained rare earth powder (identification agent) so that the two materials fuse and mix together, whereupon the projectile, or at least part thereof, is formed by injection molding of the fused mixture material and subsequent cooling. According to other examples, the metal powder may be mixed with the powdered identification agent, whereupon the projectile or at least a portion thereof is formed by pressing and then heat treated through sintering and cooling.
The presence of the identification agent in the mixture material from which the projectile is made ensures reliable traceability when the finished projectile is deployed. The mixture material from which the projectile is formed, either in part or particularly in whole, partially disintegrates during firing, so that residues remain at the firing location or on the firearm, especially in the barrel of the firearm. The mixture material, of which the projectile is at least partially made of, may smear over the interior surface of the firearm barrel, particularly during firing. If the projectile has hit a target (and/or an intermediate target), the identification agent contained therein is also detectable at the target (or the intermediate target), in particular in projectile residues or in projectile fragments in dust forms.
In firing tests carried out by the inventor, in which projectiles according to the disclosure were fired at different angles of impact (e.g. 45° and 50°) and against different test targets (e.g. a steel plate and a sand-lime brick), the identification agent could be detected both on the fired weapon itself and in the close vicinity of the target hit. In this respect, it can be assumed from the test results that the traceability of the identification agent is not only independent from the angle of impact but also independent from the material composition of the target.
The identification agent can be mixed with the base material at a predetermined concentration. This makes it possible to assign the use of a projectile according to the disclosure, by detecting this known concentration of the identification agent, to a specific shooter or weapon owner, on whom such a predetermined concentration of the identification agent could be found. In some embodiments, the predetermined concentration of the identification agent may be at least 0.01 wt %, at least 0.1 wt %, at least 0.5 wt %, or at least 1 wt %.
Thus, the mixture material may comprise 99.99 wt % base material (particularly metal) and 0.01 wt % identification agent, or 99.9 wt % base material (particularly metal) and 0.1 wt % identification agent, or 99.5 wt % base material (particularly metal) and 0.5 wt % identification agent, or 99 wt % base material (particularly metal) and 1 wt % identification agent. As an example, 1 kg of mixture material may comprise 999.9 g base material and 0.1 g Gd2O3, or 999 g base material and 1 g Gd2O3, or 995 g base material and 5 g Gd2O3, or 990 g base material and 10 g Gd2O3. However, other compositions are possible. For example, if the mixture material comprises both a metal and a plastic, in particular a polymer, in addition to the identification agent or rare earth metal, the mixture material may comprise over 90 wt % metal, up to 10 wt % plastic, and up to 1 wt % identification agent. For example, 1 kg of mixture material may comprise 998.9 g of metal (e.g., Cu), 1 g of plastic (e.g., polymer), and 0.1 g of identification agent, or 989 g of metal (e.g., Cu), 10 g of plastic (e.g., polymer), and 1 g of identification agent, or 945 g of metal (e.g., Cu), 50 g of plastic (e.g., polymer), and 5 g of identification agent, or 901 g of metal (e.g., Cu), 89 g of plastic (e.g., polymer), and 10 g of identification agent. However, other compositions and/or ratios are possible.
With regard to the projectile volume, the volume fraction of the identification agent may be negligible in some embodiments, particularly compared to the volume fractions of the remaining components of the mixture material, particularly a metal and/or a plastic. For example, a projectile according to the disclosure may have 65% vol % or more metal (e.g., Cu), up to 35 vol % or less plastic (e.g., polymer), and a negligible volume fraction of the identification agent (e.g., a Gd oxide, particularly Gd2O3).
The exact composition and/or concentration of the identification agent can be individually set for a particular user, so that projectile residues in which the identification agent can be detected with a given composition and/or in a given concentration can be uniquely assigned to the corresponding user. The exact combination of composition and concentration of the identification substance can be individually assigned to a specific user or user group during manufacture or disposal to enable unambiguous traceability.
For example, for a first user or user group, projectiles may be made from a first mixture material in which the identification agent is present at a first concentration, while for a second user or user group, projectiles may be made from a second mixture material either in which the same identification agent is present at a second concentration different from the first concentration, or in which an entirely different identification agent is present. By detecting the concentration of the identification agent in projectile residues, for example on the barrel of a deployed firearm and/or on a target hit with the projectile, it can be determined if the deployed projectile belongs to the first user or user group or to the second user or user group, even when the projectile is a frangible projectile.
However, the concentration of the identification agent detected in a certain examination of projectile residues does not necessarily need to correspond exactly to the concentration that was originally present in the projectile or before the shot. This is especially true when the projectile residue is not examined in isolation, but in combination with other materials. For example, a scraper may be used to scrape the target struck by the projectile in a close vicinity to the point of impact to obtain a sample that may comprise both the projectile residue and residue of the material that made up the target. In such cases, the concentration of the identification agent measured on the sample may differ from the originally concentration present in the projectile; particularly, the concentration may be lower.
The disclosure also relates to an ammunition which comprises a projectile according to the disclosure and/or, comprises a projectile manufactured according to the method in the present disclosure. The ammunition may further comprise a cartridge case in which the projectile is inserted. In particular, the ammunition may be a small caliber ammunition for short-barreled rifles such as pistols, like Glock 19 pistols or carbines. However, the ammunition may likewise be a medium or large caliber ammunition.
After the mixing process, a projectile is formed from the mixture material by pressing the mixture material (112) in a pressing tool (114) at step 103 and subsequently sintering the formed mixture material in a sintering device (116) at step 104. In the sintering device (116), the formed projectile is first sintered at a temperature below the melting temperature of the mixture material and then cooled to form the finished projectile.
Although the methods in
Thus, the frangible projectile (20) in
The frangible projectile (20) in
In particular, the frangible projectile (20) in
The cartridge case (12) has an internal receiving space in which a propellant powder charge (14) is received. The ammunition may further comprise an ignition element (16) for igniting the propellant powder charge (14). When the ignition element (16) is activated, for example by percussion from a firing pin of a firearm, the propellant powder charge (14) ignites, creates a pressure wave that separates the frangible projectile (20) from the cartridge case (10) and initiates the firing of the projectile (20). The ammunition (20) of
Upon impact at the target, the frangible projectile (20) is shattered to powder form or into, at least in parts, many small projectile fragments (20′), as shown schematically in
In the trials summarized in
The 4th column of the table indicates how the respective sample to be examined was obtained. In tests 1 to 7, stubs were used to collect bullet residues. In trials 8 and 9, bullet residue was collected with a rag by rubbing the inner surface of the barrel (once after one single shot for trial #8 and once after ten shots for trial #9).
For tests 2, 3, 6, and 7, shots were fired at a target distance of 50 cm to reproduce the test conditions specified in the Technical Guideline (TR) for “Examination of Gunshot Residues in Police Ammunition for the Purpose of Highly Specific Detection” (“Untersuchung von Schmauchrückständen bei Polizeimunition zum Zweck eines hochspezifischen Nachweises”) issued by the German Federal Criminal Police Office.
For tests 10 to 15, bullet residues were obtained in the form of bullet residue powder, which was scraped off a test target that was fired at. In tests 10 to 12, a steel plate acted as the test target and was fired against at an impact angle of 90°. The same steel plate was fired against in test trial 13, but at an impact angle of 45°. Firing at an impact angle of 45° produced significantly less residual projectile powder than at an impact angle of 90°. In tests 14 and 15, a sand-lime brick acted as the test target and was fired against at a target distance of 6 m and an impact angle of 90° (test 14) and 45° (test 15), respectively. As indicated in the 6th column of the table, in tests 10, 14, and 15, the concentrations of identification agent (Gd2O3) detected were lower than the concentrations the projectile originally had (see column 2 of the table). This is due to the presence of other materials in the test sample, in particular the material scraped off from test target.
In all tests—except control test 1—the identification agent could be detected on the tested samples (see 6th table column).
In tests 2 to 7 in
In tests 8 to 15 summarized in
In light of the test results summarized in
Since the identification agent (24) is present in the projectile (20), not only at an outer relatively thin surface but also in the interior of the projectile, the identification agent is detectable in at least a majority of the projectile fragments (20′). In particular, if the concentration of the identification agent (24) is homogeneous throughout the cross-sectional area of the projectile (20), the identification agent (24) should be detected in substantial quantity from each and every piece of the projectile fragments (20′) or projectile residual powder grains.
The exact composition and/or concentration of the identification agent (24) in the projectile (20) can be determined by analyzing any piece of projectile fragment (20′) or any amount of projectile residue powder, for example by optical analysis using spectrometry or microscopy. The same applies to the mixed residues (23) in the barrel (40) of the firearm, which can be extracted, for example, via wiping with a rag, and then analyzed.
By determining the exact composition and/or concentration of the identification agent (24) in the mixed residues (23) or in the projectile fragments (20′), the corresponding projectile insert can be assigned unambiguously and unmistakably to a specific shooter or a specific user or user group. Traceability is thus ensured. However, the concentration of the identification agent detected in certain samples of projectile residues does not necessarily have to correspond exactly to the concentration that was originally present in the projectile.
It should be noted that the above embodiments are merely examples of the present disclosure and do not limit its scope. The scope of protection of the present disclosure is determined solely by the enclosed Claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2020 120 318.7 | Jul 2020 | DE | national |
This patent application is a U.S. national stage application of PCT International application No. PCT/EP2021/052930, filed Feb. 8, 2021, which claims priority to German Patent Application No. 10 2020 120 318.7, filed Jul. 31, 2020. Each of these applications is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2021/052930 | 2/8/2021 | WO |
