Suppressor Mach Disk Baffle for High-Rate Fire Overheating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional noise and flash suppressors are not well-suited for high-rate-of-fire weapons like machine guns, as they experience overheating and increased backpressure due to prolonged dwell times of propellant gases, leading to potential malfunction.
Innovation Solution
A suppressor design featuring a serpentine flow path with a Mach disk formation mechanism that diverts propellant gases efficiently, reducing dwell time and heat buildup, and includes a frusto-conical nozzle to minimize noise and flash, made from high-temperature-resistant materials like steel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional suppressor designs with internal baffles and chambers are used, then acoustic suppression is achieved, but the dwell time of propellant gases becomes too long causing overheating and potential melting of internal components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful hot propellant gases from the main bore flow path by introducing a side opening that allows gases to bypass the long internal chamber path. This extraction of gases from the conventional suppression path prevents excessive heating of internal components while maintaining acoustic suppression benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The suppressor is segmented into multiple flow paths: a main bore path and a side opening bypass path. This segmentation allows different portions of the propellant gases to take different paths, with some gases being suppressed through the traditional chamber path while others bypass quickly, reducing overall dwell time and heat buildup.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional suppressor designs are used, then acoustic suppression is achieved, but backpressure on the weapon increases causing potential malfunctioning
Solution Approach 1:
The side opening extracts propellant gases from the main flow path before they can build up excessive pressure in the suppressor chamber. By removing gases earlier in the process, the patent reduces backpressure on the weapon while still achieving acoustic suppression through the controlled release path.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of forcing all gases through the long suppression path (conventional approach), the patent inverts the approach by providing an alternative shorter path that gases can take. This reversal of the traditional single-path suppression methodology reduces resistance and backpressure while maintaining suppression effectiveness.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the suppressor is designed for single shot or low rate-of-fire weapons, then acoustic suppression works effectively, but the suppressor cannot handle high rate-of-fire weapons like machine guns
Solution Approach 1:
The suppressor design dynamically adapts to different firing rates through its dual-path geometry. At high rates of fire, the side opening provides a quick escape route for gases, preventing heat buildup. At lower rates, the traditional suppression path remains effective. This dynamic response to varying operational conditions allows the same suppressor to handle both low-rate and high-rate weapons effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the flow parameters by introducing a side opening that alters gas velocity, pressure, and temperature profiles. This parameter change creates a flow regime that can handle the high-volume, high-temperature gas loads from high-rate-of-fire weapons while maintaining acoustic suppression performance.
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
The suppressor effectively reduces noise and flash, minimizes overheating, and maintains weapon functionality by diverting propellant gases quickly, ensuring the suppressor's longevity and optimal performance with high-rate firearms.
Implementation Method 1
The flow path helps to raise a pressure at the opening to a level which is sufficient to generate a Mach disk within the bore at a location approximately coincident with the opening when a bullet from a cartridge is fired into the barrel. The Mach disk acts as a virtual baffle to divert at least a portion of the expanding propellant gasses behind the bullet into the opening and into the rearward direction defined by the flow path.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a suppressor for use with a weapon. The suppressor may be formed to have a body portion having a bore extending concentric with a bore axis of the weapon barrel. An opening in the bore extends at least substantially circumferentially around the bore. A flow path communicates with the opening and defines a channel for redirecting gasses flowing in the bore out from the bore, through the opening, into a rearward direction in the flow path. The flow path raises a pressure at the opening to generate a Mach disk within the bore at a location approximately coincident with the opening. The Mach disk forms as a virtual baffle to divert at least a portion of the gasses into the opening and into the flow path.