Integral Gun Barrel Manufacturing via Solid Block Machining
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gun barrel manufacturing techniques degrade the straightness and accuracy of multi-barrel guns due to the soldering process, which also limits the closeness of the barrels and increases perceived recoil.
Innovation Solution
The method involves machining a single metal block to form integral gun barrels with a solid cross-section, drilling coaxial bores, and honing them to achieve straightness and smoothness, eliminating the need for soldering and allowing closer barrel spacing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If barrels are formed separately and soldered together, then manufacturing is easier, but the soldering process degrades the straightness and accuracy of the barrels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the manufacturing of multiple barrels into a single integral structure by machining them from one solid metal block. This eliminates the separate soldering process that degrades straightness, while maintaining ease of manufacture through a unified machining approach that ensures consistent precision across all barrels.
2Strength
If barrels are spaced apart by a central rib, then structural support is provided, but the rib imposes a minimum spacing that reduces accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the central rib structure entirely by machining barrels directly from a solid block. This extraction of the rib eliminates the minimum spacing constraint it imposed, allowing barrels to be positioned closer together for improved accuracy, while the solid block structure itself provides the necessary structural support.
3Manufacturing precision
If barrels are angled towards each other to compensate for spacing, then accuracy is improved, but perceived recoil increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of angling barrels towards each other to compensate for spacing issues, the patent inverts the approach by maintaining parallel barrel alignment through precise machining of the solid block. This eliminates the need for compensatory angling, thereby reducing perceived recoil while preserving accuracy through the inherent precision of the integral structure.
4Manufacturing precision
If barrels are machined from a single metal block, then straightness and accuracy are improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The solid metal block serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the structural support that would otherwise require a central rib, it ensures precise barrel alignment through its inherent rigidity, and it eliminates the need for separate soldering operations. This multi-functionality reduces overall manufacturing complexity despite the initial machining complexity.
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
This approach maintains the metal's mechanical properties, enables closer and parallel barrel placement, improving accuracy and reducing perceived recoil by eliminating the need for barrel angling and central ribs, resulting in stronger and more balanced gun barrels.
Implementation Method 1
machining a coaxial bore comprises drilling a bore and then honing the bore after it has been drilled
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a method of manufacturing a method of manufacturing a set of integral gun barrels, the method comprising: a first step (103) of machining a single metal block to form a barrel preform having the finished outer shape of at least a first gun barrel and a second gun barrel, wherein the barrel preform has a solid cross section comprising a first barrel section and a second barrel section; and a second step (105), which is performed after the first step, of machining a coaxial bore in each of the first and second barrel sections of the barrel preform to form a first gun barrel and a second gun barrel, respectively.