Suppressor Cap Slide Interlock for Tool-Free Firearm Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Suppressors for firearms often require proprietary tools for tightening and untightening, which can be lost or unavailable in the field, and threaded connections can loosen due to heat, leading to performance issues.
Innovation Solution
A suppressor cap design with protuberances that rotationally interlock with the firearm's slide, allowing the slide to be used as a wrench for easy attachment and detachment without additional tools, and featuring lugs sized to match the slide's rail widths for secure engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If proprietary tools are used for tightening and untightening the suppressor cap, then sufficient torque can be applied to secure the connection, but the tools can be lost or unavailable in the field
Solution Approach 1:
The firearm slide itself is designed to function as the tool for tightening and loosening the suppressor cap. The slide's rails engage with the suppressor cap's lugs, allowing the user to leverage the slide's movement and structure to apply the necessary torque without requiring external proprietary tools. This eliminates the risk of tool loss or unavailability while maintaining connection security.
2Ease of manufacture
If threaded connections are used to attach the suppressor cap to the tube, then the suppressor can be assembled, but the connections can loosen during use as the suppressor heats up
Solution Approach 1:
The connection mechanism is segmented into discrete engagement points where lugs on the suppressor cap fit into corresponding slots or features on the tube. This segmented design allows for controlled engagement that distributes thermal stress more effectively than a continuous threaded connection, preventing loosening while maintaining assembly capability.
3Ease of operation
If the suppressor cap is designed with protuberances for rotational interlocking, then tool-free attachment and detachment is enabled, but the design complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protuberances (lugs) on the suppressor cap serve multiple functions: they provide the rotational interlocking mechanism for tool-free attachment and detachment, they engage with the firearm slide rails to enable the slide to function as a tool, and they distribute mechanical loads during operation. This multi-functionality justifies the increased design complexity by eliminating the need for separate tooling systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A suppressed firearm can include a firearm including a slide; and a suppressor configured to mount to the firearm, the suppressor including a suppressor cap, the suppressor cap defining at least one protuberance configured to rotationally interlock with the slide. A suppressor cap can include a flange defining a through hole, the through hole defining an axis; a first lug extending axially outward from the flange, the first lug defining a first radially inner surface; and a second lug extending axially outward from the flange, the second lug defining a second radially inner surface positioned parallel to the first radially inner surface, the axis centered between the first radially inner surface and the second radially inner surface.