Tapered Shooting Range Backstop Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high construction and maintenance costs of traditional rectangular shooting ranges, particularly due to the large size and material requirements of the ballistically-resistant backstop at the down-range end, pose a significant financial burden on range owners.
Innovation Solution
A tapered or trapezoidal design for shooting ranges, where the shooting lanes narrow towards the back end, reducing the size and material needed for the backstop, thereby decreasing construction and maintenance costs while maintaining shooter safety and performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional rectangular shooting range is constructed with a large backstop, then shooter safety is ensured, but construction and maintenance costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the backstop width variable rather than uniform. The backstop is narrower at the front end (where shooters are located) and wider at the rear end, creating a tapered configuration. This localized variation in dimensions reduces the total quantity of ballistically-resistant materials needed while maintaining adequate safety coverage in the critical shooting zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the backstop from a uniform rectangular shape to a tapered trapezoidal shape. By modifying the width parameter along the length of the backstop, the design reduces material requirements while preserving the safety function. The tapered configuration optimizes the distribution of material where it is most needed for safety.
2Reliability
If a large backstop is used to ensure safety, then shooter protection is improved, but construction time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tapered backstop design applies local quality by concentrating the necessary safety coverage where shooters are positioned, rather than uniformly distributing material throughout the entire backstop length. This localized approach simplifies the overall structure by reducing unnecessary material in areas where safety requirements are lower.
3Ease of manufacture
If a conventional rectangular range design is used, then standard construction practices are followed, but material costs and maintenance expenses are high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the range from a standard rectangular configuration to a tapered trapezoidal shape. This parameter modification reduces the total volume of ballistically-resistant materials required for the backstop and surrounding structures, thereby lowering both construction and maintenance costs while remaining adaptable to standard construction practices.
Data Source
AI summary
A design for a shooting range with tapered shooting lanes or zones is disclosed. The shooting lanes are wider at the position of the shooter than they are at the end of the range, thereby resulting in a design that is cheaper to build and easier to maintain. The tapering of the lanes can be in the horizontal or vertical directions (or both). This design can be used in indoor or outdoor ranges, with firearms, bows, crossbows, air rifles, air softs, and other types of projectiles that are fired, shot, or launched.