Frameless Louver Bullet Trap Slat Arrangement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bullet traps for indoor shooting ranges face issues such as ricochets, wear from high-velocity bullets, vibrations, and maintenance challenges due to limited access and space constraints, which can lead to damage and noise.
Innovation Solution
A slat arrangement with elongated steel slats positioned in a louver-like fashion, supported by a flat steel bar without a frame, reducing the risk of ricochets and wear, and incorporating a conveyor system for easy maintenance, along with vibration-absorbing materials to minimize noise transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a frame is used to hold steel slats in place, then the steel slats are securely positioned, but the frame presents an area to shooters that can cause bullet ricochets
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the frame structure entirely from the bullet trap design. Instead of using a frame to hold the steel slats, the slats are supported only at their rear edges by a support structure that is positioned away from the shooter's side. This extraction of the frame eliminates the ricochet hazard while maintaining slat positioning through alternative means.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than supporting the steel slats from the front (shooter's side) with a frame, the patent inverts the support approach by holding the slats only at their rear edges from the opposite side. This inversion removes the front-facing frame that causes ricochets while still providing structural support.
2Reliability
If steel slats are positioned in a louver-like fashion to change bullet direction, then bullet trajectory is effectively controlled, but high-velocity bullets cause significant wear on the steel slats
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different properties to different parts of the steel slats. The front edges of the slats are made of hardened steel or other wear-resistant material to withstand high-velocity bullet impacts, while the rest of the slat can be made of standard steel. This local quality enhancement protects the critical impact zones without requiring the entire slat to be premium material.
Solution Approach 2:
The steel slats are constructed using composite materials, combining hardened wear-resistant steel at the front edges with standard structural steel for the body. This composite approach provides both trajectory control capability and resistance to high-velocity bullet wear, extending the service life of the slats.
3Area of stationary object
If the bullet trap is designed for indoor installation with limited floor area, then space efficiency is improved, but access for maintenance becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The bullet trap is divided into modular sections that can be independently accessed and maintained. The steel slats are arranged in separable groups, and the support structure is designed to allow access to individual sections without requiring disassembly of the entire trap. This segmentation enables maintenance in compact indoor settings while preserving accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The bullet trap incorporates movable or adjustable components that can be temporarily reconfigured to improve maintenance access. For example, certain panels or sections can be shifted or removed during maintenance operations, then returned to their original positions afterward, allowing easy servicing in a permanently compact footprint.
4Reliability
If steel slats are used to stop bullets, then bullet containment is achieved, but vibrations are generated and transferred to the building structure
Solution Approach 1:
Vibration-damping materials are incorporated between the steel slats and the support structure, and between the support structure and the housing. This beforehand cushioning absorbs vibrations before they can be transferred to the building structure, reducing noise while maintaining the bullet-stopping function of the steel slats.
Solution Approach 2:
Elastic or viscoelastic intermediary materials are placed between the rigid steel slats and the structural components. These intermediaries act as mediators that decouple the vibration source from the building structure, allowing the slats to perform their containment function while isolating harmful vibrations.
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 reduces the risk of ricochets and wear from high-velocity bullets, enhances maintenance efficiency, and minimizes noise transmission in indoor shooting ranges by using a frameless slat arrangement and a conveyor system with vibration-absorbing materials.
Implementation Method 1
inclined steel slats, or plates, that change the trajectory of bullets to have a significant downward component
Implementation Method 2
Vibrations are caused when bullets hit the steel slats and other steel components of the above described bullet traps
Data Source
AI summary
A slat arrangement for redirecting the trajectory of a bullet has a plurality of elongated steel slats, and each elongated steel slat has a longitudinal front edge and a longitudinal back edge stretching between a first end and a second end. The steel slats are positioned in a louver-like fashion for changing the direction of a bullet following a trajectory along the normal of the slat arrangement. A support structure is connected to each steel slat at the back edge of the steel slat, between the first end and the second end of the steel slat.