Modular Suppressor With Beveled Segments for Projectile Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Suppressors for guns firing expanding projectiles, such as shot shells and less lethal rounds, face challenges in managing projectile expansion and gas expansion efficiently without excessive wear or structural failure, as existing designs are either costly, prone to wear, or limit gas expansion.
Innovation Solution
A monolithic core suppressor with annular segments and baffles that extend from the barrel, featuring a core with annular segments and rails to limit projectile expansion while allowing gas expansion through expansion chambers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If trumpet or bell shaped baffles are used to uniformly recompress an expanding projectile, then projectile expansion is controlled, but manufacturing cost increases and baffle wear accelerates
Solution Approach 1:
The suppressor is divided into multiple sections with baffles positioned at specific intervals. Rather than using a single complex trumpet-shaped baffle, the system uses multiple simpler baffles spaced throughout the suppressor body, each performing the recompression function locally where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The baffles incorporate curved or angled surfaces that guide the expanding projectile through a controlled path. The curvature of the baffle surfaces provides the recompression function without requiring the complex trumpet shape, reducing manufacturing difficulty while maintaining effectiveness.
2Reliability
If guide rods are used to constrain projectile diameter, then projectile expansion is limited, but gas expansion into chambers is reduced and projectile areas expand contacting baffles
Solution Approach 1:
The guide rod constraint function is removed entirely from the design. Instead of using physical rods to constrain the projectile, the system relies on the natural expansion characteristics of the projectile combined with strategically positioned baffles that provide recompression only where necessary, allowing free gas expansion elsewhere.
Solution Approach 2:
The baffles serve as intermediary elements that mediate between the expanding projectile and the suppressor chambers. Rather than direct rod-to-projectile contact, the baffles indirectly control projectile expansion through strategic placement and geometry, preserving gas expansion pathways.
3Reliability
If a perforated tube is used to maintain projectile diameter, then projectile expansion is limited, but gas expansion into chambers is restricted due to hole size constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The perforated tube structure is completely removed from the design. The system achieves projectile diameter control through discrete baffles positioned at critical locations rather than through a continuous perforated tube, eliminating the trade-off between projectile control and gas expansion.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of a single perforated tube structure, the system uses multiple discrete baffle elements spaced throughout the suppressor. Each baffle provides localized projectile control while leaving large open pathways for gas expansion, combining the benefits of both approaches without the drawbacks.
4Weight of moving object
If thin straight baffles are used to minimize weight, then suppressor weight is reduced, but they cannot effectively handle expanding projectiles
Solution Approach 1:
The baffles have varying thicknesses and geometries optimized for their specific locations within the suppressor. Baffles positioned where projectile expansion occurs have the necessary mass and geometry to perform recompression, while other areas use lighter construction, achieving overall weight reduction without sacrificing effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The baffle design incorporates dynamic considerations for handling expanding projectiles, with geometries that adapt to the expanding projectile's path. The baffles are positioned and shaped to interact with the projectile at specific expansion points, providing effective control with minimal material.
Data Source
AI summary
A suppressor for a gun is compatible with expanding projectiles (e.g., shot shells, pepper balls, bean bags, etc.). The suppressor includes a core configured to attached to a barrel of the gun and extend forward from the barrel. One or more baffles attaches to an external surface of the core between a rear end and a front end of the core. A housing generally surrounds the baffle and core. An end cap attaches to a front of the housing to define the front of the suppressor. The core includes a plurality of annular segments or bushings configured to limit expansion of the projectile as it traverses the suppressor, and the annular segments or bushings are spaced apart from one another and supported by rails.