Bullet Trap with Flexible Plates for Cross-Shooting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bullet traps face issues with ricochets and damage to side walls when shooting at angles other than straight ahead, and they are difficult to repair and maintain, as they often require welding and have fixed sidewalls that restrict access and lead to lead contamination.
Innovation Solution
A bullet trap design featuring a containment chamber formed by non-rigidly attached elongate plates that can deform upon impact, with a containment shell and doors for easy access, and a support beam that allows for modular assembly and minimal steel usage, reducing the risk of ricochets and facilitating maintenance by allowing plate replacement without welding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If rigid sidewalls are used to contain bullets, then bullet containment is improved, but ricochet risk and damage to the trap increase when shooting at angles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces rigid sidewalls with flexible impact-resistant plates that can deform upon bullet impact. These plates are designed to flex and absorb the energy of angled shots, preventing ricochets while maintaining containment. The flexible nature allows the plates to give way slightly under impact forces, converting the harmful rigid collision into a controlled deformation that stops the bullet without bouncing it back.
2Stability of the object's composition
If fixed sidewalls are used in bullet traps, then structural stability is improved, but ease of repair and maintenance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the containment structure into separate, modular plate segments rather than using fixed welded sidewalls. Each plate is independently replaceable, allowing maintenance personnel to remove and replace individual damaged plates without dismantling the entire trap structure. This segmentation maintains structural stability through proper framing while dramatically improving repair ease by enabling quick swap-out of worn or damaged components.
3Strength
If welding is used to attach plates, then structural strength is improved, but steel integrity and ease of repair deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the welding process from the plate attachment method and replaces it with mechanical fastening systems such as bolts, clips, or interlocking mechanisms. This allows plates to be attached with sufficient structural strength while eliminating the permanent bond that welding creates. The result is a structure that maintains integrity through proven mechanical connections while enabling simple tool-based assembly and disassembly for repairs, avoiding the need for complex welding equipment and procedures.
4Ease of repair
If non-rigidly attached plates are used, then ease of repair is improved, but bullet containment reliability may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs impact-resistant flexible plates that are non-rigidly attached to allow easy replacement while maintaining containment reliability. These plates are specifically engineered with appropriate thickness, material properties, and attachment mechanisms that ensure they remain securely in place during normal operation while still being removable for maintenance. The flexibility allows them to absorb impact forces without permanent deformation, ensuring continued reliable containment even after multiple shots.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design enables safe cross-shooting with reduced risk of ricochets and damage, allows for quick repair and maintenance, and maintains steel integrity by avoiding welding, while preventing lead dust escape and enabling efficient bullet containment and recycling.
Implementation Method 1
containment chamber formed by non-rigidly attached elongate plates that can deform upon impact
Implementation Method 2
support beam that allows for modular assembly and minimal steel usage
Data Source
AI summary
A bullet trap is disclosed which is formed without intervening sidewalls to enable cross-shooting and the like with reduced risk or ricochet or damage to the bullet trap. Furthermore, the bullet trap can be configured in a variety of ways to eliminate the need for facing plates while providing a removable attachment mechanism, to enable repair on the trap, to reduce bullet adhesion to the trap and to provide improved containment of lead and improved access to the trap.