Hollow Point Bullet with Segmented Core Blades
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hollow point bullets often fail to expand predictably when encountering materials like wall board, leading to unpredictable performance, which is a concern for users requiring consistent results, including law enforcement, as evidenced by the FBI's test protocols across various barriers.
Innovation Solution
A hollow point bullet design featuring a metal jacket with a soft, dense core and a cavity containing a plurality of blades, which are equally angularly spaced and extend forwardly into the cavity, improving penetration and consistency across different materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a hollow point bullet design is used to facilitate expansion after impact, then expansion capability is improved, but penetration consistency in materials like wall board deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The core is segmented into multiple blades extending into the cavity, creating controlled weak points that guide expansion. This segmentation allows the bullet to expand predictably by having predefined paths for deformation, resolving the contradiction between expansion capability and penetration consistency.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the bullet have different properties: the jacket provides structural integrity for penetration, while the soft core with blades provides controlled expansion. This local differentiation allows the bullet to maintain penetration consistency through hard materials while achieving reliable expansion in softer targets.
2Strength
If the cavity volume is increased to improve expansion, then expansion potential is improved, but penetration depth in hard materials deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The blades are pre-positioned in the cavity at specific orientations and depths before impact. This preliminary configuration ensures that expansion occurs in a controlled manner along predetermined paths, allowing the bullet to maintain penetration depth while achieving reliable expansion potential.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade geometry, including height, thickness, and angular orientation, is optimized to balance expansion potential with penetration capability. By carefully controlling these parameters, the bullet achieves both deep penetration in hard materials and effective expansion in softer targets.
3Reliability
If blades are added to the core to improve penetration consistency, then penetration reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blades are nested within the core cavity, with multiple blades arranged concentrically. This nested configuration achieves complex penetration and expansion control without significantly increasing the overall bullet dimensions or manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The bullet combines a hard jacket material for penetration with a soft core material for controlled expansion. This composite structure achieves reliable performance across different target materials while using conventional manufacturing processes for each material type.
Data Source
AI summary
A bullet having a metal jacket, having a generally cylindrical aft section, a tapering forward section, and an open front. A soft, dense, metal core is disposed in the metal jacket. The core has a cavity generally aligned with the open front of the jacket, with a plurality of blades extending forwardly into the cavity, each terminating in a front face at or spaced rearwardly of the forward edge of the metal jacket.