Modular Firearm Receiver Structure for Free-Floating Barrel Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current AK-47 and AK-74 type rifle receivers face issues with flex and stress causing cracking, misalignment, and interference with barrel harmonics due to traditional manufacturing methods, leading to accuracy problems and limited modularity.
Innovation Solution
A firearm receiver made from machined or 3D-printed lightweight materials with removable front and rear trunnions, allowing for a free-floating barrel and modular components, including ambidextrous features and removable rails for improved accuracy and ease of maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional flat stamped and bent sheet steel receivers with spot welded and riveted components are used, then production cost and manufacturing speed are reduced, but flex and stress cause cracking at rivets and spot welds, leading to poor reliability and accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The receiver is divided into multiple modular components including a receiver body, front trunnion assembly, and rear trunnion assembly that can be manufactured separately and assembled together. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, with the receiver body providing structural integrity and the trunnion assemblies providing removable mounting points, thereby eliminating cracking issues while maintaining manufacturability.
Solution Approach 2:
The receiver employs composite construction combining a receiver body made from lightweight material with metal trunnion assemblies. This composite approach allows the receiver body to be manufactured cost-effectively while the metal trunnions provide the necessary strength and durability, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and reliability.
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional receivers with integrated barrel mounting are used, then manufacturing is simpler, but misalignment between receiver and barrel occurs from shot to shot, degrading accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The trunnion assemblies are designed to be removable and adjustable, allowing the barrel alignment to be dynamically adjusted and optimized. The trunnions can be removed, repositioned, and reinstalled to achieve precise barrel alignment, ensuring consistent accuracy from shot to shot while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through modular design.
3Device complexity
If barrels are directly held in the receiver by threaded interface or rivets, then the structure is simpler, but contact between barrel and other components pushes the barrel in different directions, interfering with barrel harmonics and reducing accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The barrel is extracted from direct contact with the receiver body and other components by introducing removable trunnion assemblies as intermediate mounting structures. The trunnions provide isolated mounting points that hold the barrel without allowing contact with other components, eliminating interference with barrel harmonics while maintaining structural simplicity through the modular trunnion design.
4Strength
If traditional receivers are made of heavy steel, then strength is improved, but weight increases, reducing portability and handling ease
Solution Approach 1:
The receiver employs composite construction combining a receiver body made from lightweight material with metal trunnion assemblies. This composite approach allows the receiver body to be manufactured from lightweight material for improved portability, while the metal trunnions provide the necessary strength and durability, resolving the contradiction between strength and weight.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatuses, systems, and methods are disclosed for use in or with firearms. A firearm receiver includes an elongated channel machined or 3D printed from a metallic material, and has a front end and a rear end. The firearm also includes a front trunnion having a rear portion coupled to the front end of the elongated channel and having a front portion configured to couple to a handguard. Also includes is a rear trunnion coupled to the rear end and configured to receive an accessory adapter.