Firearm Clearing Trap with Composite Deceleration Medium
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current clearing traps for firearms are either expensive, prone to damage, inefficient in decelerating high-power rounds, or pose risks due to lead dust release, material degradation, and improper gas venting, making them unsuitable for safe and effective bullet containment.
Innovation Solution
A clearing trap constructed from a hardened steel housing with layered bullet deceleration material, including pieces of rubber and steel, and angled flanges to divert gases away from the shooter, ensuring safe containment and easy maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If sand is used as bullet deceleration material in a clearing trap, then bullet deceleration is effective, but the housing becomes heavy and requires significant effort to invert for clearing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from sand to a combination of rubber pieces and steel shot. This material substitution maintains bullet deceleration effectiveness while significantly reducing the overall weight of the deceleration medium, making the housing easier to handle and invert for clearing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite deceleration medium consisting of rubber pieces and steel shot combined together. The rubber provides cushioning and energy absorption, while the steel shot provides density and stopping power. This composite approach achieves effective bullet deceleration with reduced weight compared to sand alone.
2Ease of manufacture
If standard steel is used for the housing, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but the housing becomes prone to damage when bullets are fired at angles deviating from the long axis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines standard steel housing with hardened steel components (such as a hardened steel insert or liner). The standard steel provides cost-effective structural housing, while the hardened steel components provide damage resistance and reliability when bullets are fired at various angles, preventing the housing from becoming damaged.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates hardened steel elements or protective liners beforehand to cushion and absorb the impact of bullets that may be fired at angles. This preemptive protection prevents damage to the main housing structure, maintaining reliability without requiring the entire housing to be made of expensive hardened steel.
3Reliability
If the housing is made of specially formed steel plate, then damage resistance is improved, but manufacturing cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite construction where standard steel forms the main housing structure (cost-effective), and hardened steel components are strategically placed only where needed for damage resistance (such as in the bullet path or as protective liners). This selective application of hardened steel maintains reliability while significantly reducing manufacturing cost compared to forming the entire housing from specially formed steel plate.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies hardened steel properties only in specific local areas where bullet impact resistance is critical, rather than throughout the entire housing. This localized quality approach maintains damage resistance where needed while using cheaper standard steel for the rest of the housing, reducing overall manufacturing cost.
4Force
If circular containment chamber is used to force bullet to travel in circular pattern, then bullet deceleration is highly effective, but lead dust is released into the air
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the deceleration mechanism from a circular path constraint to a direct linear deceleration through rubber and steel shot. This parameter change in the bullet's path eliminates the mechanical action that generates lead dust while maintaining effective deceleration through the combined cushioning and stopping power of the composite materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potential harm of lead dust generation into a benefit by using rubber pieces that absorb and trap lead particles during deceleration. The rubber cushioning material captures lead dust that would otherwise be released into the air, transforming a harmful byproduct into a contained element within the deceleration medium.
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 solution effectively decelerates a wide range of bullets, including high-power rounds, in a compact and lightweight design, while minimizing the risk of damage and ensuring safe gas venting, thus addressing the limitations of existing systems.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of layers of bullet deceleration material, comprising at least one rubber layer and at least one metal layer
Implementation Method 2
As the bullet moves through from the opening through the circular containment chamber, the bullet is forced to travel in a circular pattern
Implementation Method 3
The clearing trap may be formed from a hardened steel housing and bullet deceleration material disposed within the housing
Implementation Method 4
angled flanges to divert gases away from the shooter, ensuring safe containment and easy maintenance
Data Source
AI summary
A clearing trap for decelerating bullets including a housing and bullet deceleration material disposed within the housing. The bullet deceleration material may include a plurality of layers of rubber material and metal for safely decelerating a bullet. Further, the layers of rubber material may have different densities and different types of metal may be used to decelerate a bullet. The clearing trap may also include vent holes for dissipation of the force generated from discharging a firearm in the housing and diverters which channel vented gasses away from a shooter.