Estimating Projectile Perpendicular Impact Velocity on Metal Sheet Targets From the Shape of the Target Hole

• NCJ Number: 225890
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 54 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2009 Pages: 77-83
• Author(s): Tsadok Tsach M.Sc.; Eliezer Landau M.Sc.; Yaron Shor M.Sc.; Nikolai Volkov M.D.; Alan Chaikovsky B.Sc.
• Date Published: January 2009
• Length: 7 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the correlation between bullet-hole shapes in metal and projectile impact velocity.

Abstract

High-velocity petalling was created with no deformation contour on the metal plate. At velocities lower than 750 m/sec, petalling was not complete, and the hole (curvature) had the shape of a funnel. The funnel phenomenon increased as the projectile velocity decreased. At velocities lower than 425 m/sec, the holes in the metal had a pseudo-elliptical shape. At high velocities, the hole symmetry was better than at low velocities. An equation was developed for shooting distance versus velocity range between 400 and 700 m/sec according to projectile hole shapes. The study was conducted by firing a series of shots from a M-16A1 assault rifle of 5.56 mm caliber toward a 1-mm-thick metal target. All shots were fired at a perpendicular angle to the metal sheets. The velocity was measured just before the projectile hit the target. Velocities ranged between 400 and 900 m/sec. From the replica of the shooting hole, a perpendicular plane was created to show the symmetrical properties of the hole. 2 tables, 8 figures, and 19 references