Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F42—AMMUNITION; BLASTING
  • F42B—EXPLOSIVE CHARGES, e.g. FOR BLASTING, FIREWORKS, AMMUNITION
  • F42B35/00—Testing or checking of ammunition
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F42—AMMUNITION; BLASTING
  • F42B—EXPLOSIVE CHARGES, e.g. FOR BLASTING, FIREWORKS, AMMUNITION
  • F42B12/00—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material
  • F42B12/72—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the material
  • F42B12/74—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the material of the core or solid body
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F42—AMMUNITION; BLASTING
  • F42B—EXPLOSIVE CHARGES, e.g. FOR BLASTING, FIREWORKS, AMMUNITION
  • F42B12/00—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material
  • F42B12/72—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the material
  • F42B12/74—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the material of the core or solid body
  • F42B12/745—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the material of the core or solid body the core being made of plastics; Compounds or blends of plastics and other materials, e.g. fillers

Definitions

• the present invention is in the field of projectile manufacture.
• the invention relates to a projectile which is provided with an identification material at least in the interior of the projectile, and a corresponding method for producing a projectile.
• the traceability of a fired ammunition in order to assign it to a specific origin after an ammunition use is an essential aspect of ballistic forensics. Reliable traceability of ammunition allows the legality of its use to be checked.
• One possibility, known from the prior art, of providing ammunition that can be traced back is to provide the ammunition with a marking substance that can be detected after it has been fired.
• WO 2020/024024 Ai also describes the marking of a metallic projectile of caliber 0.38 (8.99-9.09 mm projectile outer diameter) with an inorganic marking substance by carburizing or forging, whereby an outer layer is formed on the projectile surface in which the tracer is included.
• the projectile can be identified by comparing fluorescent colors with infrared excitation after ammunition has been used.
• the outer layer, in which the tracer is contained, enables the tracer to be detected up to a depth of 0.5 ⁇ m from the outer circumference of the projectile after the ammunition has been used.
• this marking technique does not guarantee a reliable one Traceability, particularly for frangible projectiles, as the tracer would be undetectable on a majority of projectile remnant fragments.
• Frangible projectiles are projectiles that fragment into several small projectile fragments or powder when they hit a hard target, i.e. fragile projectiles, whereby the English term "Frangible” has also become established in German-speaking countries. Fragmentation upon hitting the target has the ballistic effect of reducing the depth of penetration of the projectile. This can reduce target damage. The fragmentation behavior also reduces a potential for collateral damage to nearby objects such as people or objects standing behind or next to the main target, which is why frangible projectiles are often used for training purposes. Frangible projectiles also have a reduced risk of friendly fire from ricochets compared to other projectile types, making them particularly suitable for close quarter battles (CQB) and police operations in urban areas.
• CQB close quarter battles
• the object of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art, in particular to provide a projectile that ensures more reliable traceability—also for frangible projectiles.
• a projectile for ammunition according to claim 1 which is at least partially provided with a detectable identification material, in particular a rare earth metal or a compound thereof, preferably an oxide thereof, in the interior of the projectile.
• a detectable identification material in particular a rare earth metal or a compound thereof, preferably an oxide thereof.
• the object is further achieved by a method for manufacturing a projectile for ammunition according to claim 12 and by an ammunition according to claim 21.
• the term “projectile” can in particular refer to a projectile that can be fired at a target using a weapon.
• a projectile in this sense can in particular be part of an ammunition which also contains a propellant charge, the projectile being fired through the barrel of the weapon when the propellant charge is activated.
• other components of the ammunition for example a cartridge case that can contain the propellant charge, cannot be fired, for example because they are ejected through an ejection port of the weapon after firing.
• the identification substance may contain or be a rare earth metal or a compound thereof, preferably an oxide thereof.
• the identification substance contains or is thus in particular a material that rarely occurs in nature and is not used in particular for the production of weapons and ammunition, so that a clear identification of the projectile is facilitated by detecting the identification substance contained therein in projectile residues.
• the identification substance or the rare earth metal can, for example, be gadolinium (Gd), neodymium (Nd), erbium (Er), holmium (Ho), cerium (Ce) and/or lanthanum (La) or a compound thereof, in particular an oxide included or be.
• the identification substance or the rare earth metal can contain or be, for example, gadolinium(III) oxide (Gd 2 O 3 ).
• the identification substance can be detected optically and/or chemically. After the projectile has been fired, the identification substance can be found in projectile residues, for example on the firearm, in particular by abrasion, in particular by abrasion of the barrel of the firearm, for example with a cloth or a rag, at the shooting location, for example on a glove worn by the shooter, and/or detected at a target hit by the projectile, in particular by collecting projectile debris in close proximity to the hit target or point of impact, for example by scraping or dabbing the hit target, or by collecting projectile residue powder near or below the hit target.
• a brush, a sponge, a stub, a porous cushion pad, a scraper for scraping, or the like can be used for the collection of projectile debris in a vicinity of the hit target or impact point.
• the identification substance can be detected in projectile residues that remain at one or more intermediate targets during the firing trajectory of the projectile, that the projectile penetrates on the way to the target, or that the projectile ricochets off.
• projectile residues to be examined can be collected in the same way as at the hit (final) target as described above, in particular using the same tools used for the collection of projectile residues in a close vicinity of the hit (final) target or point of impact can become.
• a penetrable plate comes into question, in particular made of paper or cardboard.
• the penetrable panel may be provided with separate projectile debris collection points, for example in the form of pin stubs attached to the panel or porous cushion pads.
• the identification substance can be detected on the projectile residue after the projectile has been fired, in particular by optical and/or chemical detection.
• the identification substance can in particular be identified by spectrometry, for example, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) or atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) or inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), or by microscopy, for example electron microscopy , In particular scanning electron microscopy (SEM, "scanning electron microscope”), are detected.
• the "projectile interior” can be defined in particular such that a cross-sectional area of the projectile interior, in particular a cross-sectional area of the projectile interior perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the projectile, has at least in sections a radial distance from an outer circumference of the projectile of at least 0.7% or 1%, preferably at least 10 %, more preferably at least 20% of the projectile outer diameter.
• the interior of the projectile covers at least a partial cross-sectional area of the projectile, which in particular includes partial areas or points of the cross-section of the projectile that have a radial distance to the outer circumference or to the outer surface of the projectile that is at least 0.007 times or 0.01 times, preferably at least 0.1 times and particularly preferably at least 0.2 times the projectile outer diameter or projectile caliber, in particular over the entire length of the projectile in the longitudinal direction or over part of it, the length of the Projectile extends between the front projectile tip and the rear projectile base.
• the identification substance or the rare earth metal or the compound thereof can be provided in the interior of the projectile beyond a radial depth from the outer circumference of the projectile, this radial depth being at least 0.7% or 1%, preferably at least 10%, particularly preferably at least 20% of the Projectile outer diameter can be.
• the identification substance or the rare-earth metal or the compound thereof can extend from an outer circumference of the projectile over a radial depth of at least 60 ⁇ m or at least 90 ⁇ m, in particular at least 0.9 mm or at least 1.8 mm, in the interior of the projectile.
• the interior of the projectile can therefore have a radial distance from the outer circumference of the projectile or a depth from the outer circumference of the projectile of at least 60 ⁇ m or at least 90 ⁇ m, in particular at least 0.9 mm or at least 1.8 mm, in particular in the case of a projectile of caliber 9 mm or more.
• the projectile according to the invention thus has the identification substance or the rare earth metal or the compound thereof in the interior of the projectile, with the interior of the projectile not only forming a relatively thin layer on the projectile's outer surface, but rather, viewed radially from the outer circumference of the projectile, occupies deeper parts of the projectile.
• the radial distance according to the invention from the outer circumference of the projectile defines a minimum depth at which the identification substance is present within the projectile. This makes it easier to find the identification material on the remains of the projectile, especially on the target, compared to the solutions known from the prior art, in which the identification material is only present in a relatively thin layer on the outer surface of the projectile, which ensures better traceability.
• the projectile is a frangible projectile. Even after the projectile has been fired and the associated dissolution of outer layers of the material in the gun barrel, the identification substance or the rare earth metal or the combination thereof is present in the interior of the projectile when the projectile leaves the gun.
• the cross-sectional area of the projectile interior may intersect a central longitudinal axis of the projectile.
• the central longitudinal axis of the projectile may be a longitudinal axis about which the projectile has rotational symmetry.
• the central longitudinal axis of the projectile can lie at the center of the circular cross-section of the projectile.
• the central portion of the cross-section of the interior of the projectile which is in close proximity to the geometric center of the cross-section of the projectile, represents in this case an example of a cross-sectional area having a radial distance from the outer circumference of the projectile of more than i% of the projectile outer diameter.
• the radial distance to the outer circumference of the projectile corresponds exactly to the radius of the projectile, i.e. V2 of the projectile's outer diameter or caliber.
• the projectile according to the invention can have an external projectile diameter or caliber of 2.7 mm to 24 mm, preferably 4.6 mm to 12.7 mm, particularly preferably 6.5 mm to 9 mm.
• the projectile according to the invention can thus in particular be a small-caliber projectile or a medium-caliber projectile.
• the cross-sectional area of the interior of the projectile may partially cover the cross-section of the projectile.
• the projectile interior can, for example, in cross-section from the center of the projectile or from the point of intersection of the central longitudinal axis of the projectile with the cross-sectional area of the projectile interior partially extend radially outwards, wherein the projectile interior can be at least partially encased by an outer projectile jacket region in which no identification material has to be provided .
• the cross-sectional area of the interior of the projectile may extend radially inward in cross-section from the outer circumference of the projectile to a depth which is at least partially 0.7% or 1% or more (or 10% or more or 20% or more) of the projectile outer diameter, so that the interior of the projectile at least partially encompasses the outer circumference of the projectile and encloses a projectile core area in which no identification material needs to be provided.
• the cross-sectional area of the interior of the projectile may include neither the outer circumference of the projectile nor the point of intersection of the central longitudinal axis of the projectile with the cross-sectional area of the interior of the projectile, as long as it at least partially includes locations that have a radial distance from an outer circumference of the projectile of at least 0.7%. or 1%, preferably at least 10%, more preferably at least 20% of the projectile outside diameter.
• the cross-sectional area of the interior of the projectile can completely cover or overlap the cross-section of the projectile, so that the projectile is provided with the identification material or the rare-earth metal or the compound thereof at least in regions over the entire cross-section.
• the cross section of the interior of the projectile can therefore be congruent with the cross section of the projectile, in particular over the entire length of the projectile in the longitudinal direction or over part of it. This may be particularly the case when the projectile is made from a piece of material comprising the identification substance or rare earth metal or compound thereof.
• the projectile can be made entirely of this material so that the cross-sectional area of the interior of the projectile completely covers the cross-section of the projectile over the entire longitudinal length of the projectile. This improves the ability to find the identification material after the projectile has been used and thus the traceability of the projectile, particularly if the projectile is a frangible projectile, especially since the identification material can be detected on any remaining fragment of the projectile.
• the material from which the projectile is made in particular can be made in one piece, can be or contain a mixed material that has a base material to which the identification substance or the rare earth metal or the compound thereof is added in such a way that the Identification material or the rare earth metal or the compound thereof is present at least in regions in the interior of the projectile and/or the projectile interior is at least partially penetrated by the identification material or the rare earth metal or the connection thereof.
• the mixed material can also be a metal, in particular copper, tungsten, zinc, iron and/or tin, or a metal alloy, in particular an alloy of one or more of the metals mentioned, such as a copper alloy, a zinc alloy, a copper-zinc alloy, eg brass or tombac, and/or contain a copper-tin-zinc alloy.
• the mixed material can contain a plastic, in particular a polymer such as nylon or polyester.
• the mixture material can be, for example, a mixture of copper powder and identification substance, but can also be a mixture of powder particles made of metal or a metal alloy and a polymer in which the powder particles and the identification substance are embedded, so that the polymer acts as a binder.
• the mixed material can in particular be a frangible material, so that the projectile according to the invention can in particular be a frangible projectile.
• a frangible material may be referred to herein as a material that, when deformed, fragments into multiple pieces rather than plastically deforming as a whole.
• the mixture material can have a homogeneous concentration of the identification substance or the rare earth metal or the compound thereof. This ensures that the identifier or rare earth metal or compound thereof can be detected in any sample amount of projectile residue or projectile fragments and that the measured concentration of the identifier substance is independent of the sample amount used for the measurement . As a result, the reliability or the uniqueness of the traceability can be further improved by the identification substance or by the rare earth metal or by the combination thereof. In some embodiments, the identification substance or the rare earth metal or the combination thereof can be homogeneously distributed over the entire projectile volume.
• the mixture material can have a concentration of the identification substance or the rare earth metal or the compound thereof of at least 0.01 wt%, at least 0.1 wt%, at least 0.5 wt% or at least 1 wt%.
• the concentration of the identification substance can in particular be a predetermined concentration. This makes it possible to allocate the use of a projectile according to the invention to a specific shooter or weapon owner to whom such a fixed concentration of the identification substance was assigned by detecting the identification substance in a fixed concentration.
• the projectile according to the invention can be produced, for example, by sintering or by injection molding of the mixture material.
• the blend material may be a sintered material or an injection molded material.
• the invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a projectile for ammunition.
• a projectile according to the invention in particular according to one of the embodiments described above, can be formed by the method.
• a base material and an identification substance are mixed to form a mixed material.
• the base material can in particular be a material from which the projectile to be produced consists mainly.
• the base material can be provided in the form of powder or granulate, for example.
• the base material can be a metal, in particular copper, tungsten, zinc, iron and/or tin, or a metal alloy, in particular an alloy of one or more of the metals mentioned, such as a copper alloy, a zinc alloy, a copper-zinc alloy, e.g.
• the base material can contain or be a plastic, in particular a polymer such as nylon or polyester.
• the base material can be copper powder, for example, but can also be in the form of metal or metal alloy powder particles embedded in a polymer, with the polymer acting as a binder.
• the resulting mixture material contains the base material and the identification substance.
• the identification substance and the mixture material can in particular correspond to the identification substance and the mixture material that have been explained above for the projectile according to the invention.
• the identification substance can in particular be a rare earth metal or a compound thereof, preferably an oxide thereof, for example gadolinium (Gd), neodymium (Nd), erbium (Er), holmium (Ho), cerium (Ce) and/or lanthanum (La ) or a compound thereof, in particular an oxide thereof, or be.
• the identification substance can contain or be, for example, gadolinium(III) oxide (Gd 2 O 3 ).
• the projectile is made at least in part from the resulting composite material.
• the resulting composite material is used to form at least part of the projectile. All or at least part of the projectile is thus formed from the composite material.
• the projectile resulting from the method or at least part of it is thus provided with the identification substance immediately after production.
• the projectile can contain the base material and the identification substance in substantially the same proportions as the mixed material immediately after production, without the projectile having to be post-treated in order to add or apply the identification substance.
• At least part of the projectile can be formed from the mixture material, with the at least part of the projectile forming a projectile interior, with a cross-sectional area of the projectile interior at least in sections having a radial distance from an outer circumference of the projectile of at least 0.7 % or i%, preferably at least 10%, more preferably at least 20% of the projectile outer diameter.
• the cross-sectional area of the interior of the projectile may intersect a central longitudinal axis of the projectile.
• the entire projectile can be formed from the mixed material, in particular in one piece.
• the blend material may be a frangible material in some embodiments.
• the projectile produced by the method according to the invention can thus in particular be a frangible projectile, preferably a frangible projectile which is formed in one piece from the frangible mixture material. Since the identification substance is not only present in individual sections of the projectile, but in the entire mixed material that makes up the projectile, this improves the detectability of the identification substance, since the identification substance can be found on any projectile fragment or any amount of residual projectile powder .
• the identification substance can be in powder form.
• the identification substance can be mixed with the basic material in particular by stirring and/or by rotating and/or shaking a container containing the basic material and the identification substance.
• an identification substance in powder form can be added to a base material that is also in powder form, in that both powder materials, base material and identification substance, are fed into the same container and the container is then impacted, so that the container is rotated about an axis of rotation and/or is shaken about both to mix materials together.
• the resulting mixture material can then be a granulate containing the powdered base material and the powdered identification substance, the base material and the identification substance being mixed with one another.
• the identification substance is preferably mixed homogeneously with the base material, so that the mixed material has a homogeneous or even concentration of the identification substance.
• a measurement of the concentration of the identification substance would thus provide essentially the same result independently of a measurement partial mass or a measurement partial volume, with tolerance fluctuations of up to 5%, preferably up to 2%, particularly preferably up to 1% being provided.
• the projectile can be formed by heat-treating the mixed material, wherein the heat-treating can in particular include injection molding and/or sintering of the mixed material.
• Forming the projectile from the Mixture material may further include a pressing process in which the mixture material is pressurized.
• the formation of the projectile or the at least part of it that is produced from the mixture material, the heat treatment can take place at least partially simultaneously with the mixing together of the base material with the identification substance.
• Forming the projectile from the mixed material can include, for example, melting a metal powder (base material) into which a fine-grained rare earth powder (identification substance) has been mixed, so that the two materials fuse and mix with one another, whereupon the projectile or at least part of which is formed by injection molding the fused mixture material and then cooling it.
• the metal powder can be mixed with the powdered identification substance, after which the projectile or at least a part thereof is formed by pressing and then heat treated by sintering and cooling. The presence of the identification substance in the mixed material from which the projectile is formed ensures reliable traceability when the finished projectile is used.
• the mixed material of which the projectile is at least partially made is smeared during the firing of the shot, in particular over the inner surface of the barrel of the firearm. If the projectile has hit a target (and/or an intermediate target), the identification substance contained therein can also be found at the target (or at the intermediate target), in particular in dusty projectile residues or in projectile fragments.
• the identification substance could be found on both the gun as well as in the immediate vicinity of the hit target.
• the traceability of the identification substance is independent of the angle of impact and independent of the material composition of the target.
• the identification substance can be added to the base material at a predetermined concentration. This makes it possible to use a projectile according to the invention by detecting the identification substance in a specified concentration Associated with the shooter or gun owner who was assigned such a fixed concentration of the identification substance.
• the predetermined concentration of the identification substance can be at least 0.01 wt%, at least 01 wt%, at least 0.5 wt% or at least 1 wt%.
• the mixed material can thus be 99.99 wt% base material, in particular metal, and 0.01 wt% identification substance or 99.9 wt% base material, in particular metal, and 0.1 wt% identification substance or 99.5 wt% base material, in particular Metal, and 0.5% by weight of identification material or 99% by weight of base material, in particular metal, and 1% by weight of identification material.
• 1 kg of mixed material can contain 999.9 g base material and 0.1 g Gd 2 0 3 , 999 g base material and 1 g Gd 2 0 3 , 995 g base material and 5 g Gd 2 0 3 or 990 g base material and 10 g Gd 2 0 3 included.
• other compositions are possible.
• the mixture material contains both a metal and a plastic, in particular a polymer, in addition to the identification substance or the rare earth metal, the mixture material can, for example, contain more than 90 wt% metal, up to 10 wt% plastic and up to 1 wt% have identification substance.
• 1 kg of mixed material can contain 998.9 g metal (e.g. Cu), 1 g plastic (e.g. polymer) and 0.1 g identification substance or 989 g metal (e.g. Cu), 10 g plastic (e.g . e.g. polymer) and 1 g identification substance or 945 g metal (e.g. Cu), 50 g plastic (e.g. polymer) and 5 g identification substance or 901 g metal (e.g. Cu), 89 g plastic (e.g. polymer) and 10 g of identification material.
• other compositions and/or ratios are possible.
• the volume fraction of the identification substance can be negligible in some embodiments, in particular in comparison to the volume fractions of the remaining components of the mixed material, in particular a metal and/or a plastic.
• a projectile according to the invention can contain 65% by volume or more metal (e.g. Cu), up to 35% by volume or less plastic (e.g. polymer) and a negligible volume fraction of identification material (e.g. a Gd oxide, in particular Gd 2 0 3 ).
• composition and/or concentration of the identification substance can be set individually for a specific user, so that projectile residues in which the identification substance is detected with a given composition and/or in a given concentration can be unambiguously assigned to the corresponding user .
• the exact combination of composition and concentration of the identification substance can be individually assigned to a specific user or a specific user group during production or sale in order to enable clear traceability.
• projectiles can be produced from a first mixture material for a first user or a first user group, in which the identification substance is present at a first concentration, while projectiles from a second mixture material can be produced for a second user or a second user group be prepared in which the same identification substance is present at a second concentration different from the first concentration or in which a different identification substance is present.
• concentration of the identification substance in the remains of the projectile for example on the barrel of a firearm used and/or on a target hit by the projectile, it can be determined whether the projectile used aimed at the first user or the first user group or at the second user or the first user group is due, especially when the projectile is a frangible projectile.
• the concentration of the tracer found in certain projectile remnant studies does not necessarily correspond exactly to the concentration that was present in the projectile originally or before the shot was fired. This is especially true when the projectile remains are not studied in isolation, but in combination with other materials. For example, there may be times when a scraper is used to scrape the projectile-hit target in the vicinity of the point of impact to obtain a sample that may contain both projectile debris and debris from the material making up the target. In such cases, the concentration of the identification substance measured on the sample obtained in this way can deviate from the concentration that was originally present in the projectile, in particular it can be lower.
• the invention also relates to ammunition containing a projectile according to the invention and/or containing a projectile manufactured according to the method according to the invention.
• the ammunition can also have a cartridge case in which the projectile is inserted.
• the ammunition can be small caliber ammunition for short-barreled rifles such as pistols, for example Glock 19 pistols, and carbines.
• the ammunition can also be medium or large caliber ammunition.
• 1 four schematic cross sections ta to ld of projectiles according to the invention
• 2 is a schematic diagram of a method of making a projectile according to the present invention
• FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of another method of making a projectile according to the present invention.
• FIG. 4 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a munition comprising a projectile according to the invention.
• FIG. 5 shows a schematic representation of a projectile according to the invention when it leaves the firearm while the shot is being fired
• FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of projectile residues of a projectile according to the invention after hitting a target
• FIG 9 shows a further exemplary spectrometry measurement in which an identification substance is detected.
• Fig. l shows, in Figs comprises the identification substance or the rare earth metal or the compound thereof is shown as a shaded area.
• the cross sections of FIG. 1 are perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the respective projectile 20 and intersect the central longitudinal axis L of the respective projectile 20 at a center or middle point of the respective cross section.
• Figure 1a shows an embodiment in which the cross-sectional area of the projectile interior 21 extends radially inwardly from the outer periphery A of the projectile towards the center to a circular line 25 shown as a dashed line.
• the cross-sectional area of the projectile interior 21 thus covers an annular portion of the cross-sectional area of the projectile 20 enveloping a circular inner core portion of the projectile 20 .
• the inner core portion surrounded by the interior of the projectile may contain no identifier, may contain a different amount or concentration of the same identifier, or may contain a different identifier.
• the circular line 25 is - viewed radially from the center - at a radius R K , which is about 0.6 R G where R G is the radius of the projectile.
• the circular line 25 can be an imaginary line that does not have to correspond to a physical material boundary, but can also correspond to a physical material boundary in the case of a multi-part projectile.
• the circular line 25, which belongs to the interior of the projectile, thus has a radial distance d R to the outer circumference A, which is 0.4 times the radius R G and therefore 0.2 times the projectile outer diameter or caliber (2 R G ) of the projectile 20 corresponds.
• At least the points of the cross-sectional area of the interior of the projectile 21 which lie on the circular line 25 have a radial distance from the outer circumference of the A which is at least 20% of the outer diameter of the projectile. For example, if the projectile of FIG thus far beyond 60 mh.
• the cross-sectional area of the projectile interior 21 extends radially outwards from the center in the direction of the outer circumference A of the projectile up to a circular line 27, so that the projectile interior 21 covers a circular area which corresponds to the cross-section of the projectile 20 is concentric and has a radius R B which is smaller than the radius R G of the projectile 20.
• the radius R B on which the circular line 27 lies is approximately 0.73 times the radius R G of the projectile 20
• the circular line 27 can be an imaginary line that does not have to correspond to a physical material boundary, but can also correspond to a physical material boundary in the case of a multi-part projectile.
• the circular line 27 thus has a radial distance from the outer circumference A which corresponds to 0.27 times the radius R G and consequently to 0.135 times the projectile outer diameter or caliber (2 ⁇ R G ) of the projectile 20 .
• all points of the cross-sectional area of the projectile interior 21 have a radial distance to the outer circumference A or a radial depth from the outer circumference A of at least 13.5% of the projectile outer diameter because they lie within the circular line 27, with some of these points having larger radial distances or have radial depths.
• the cross-sectional area of the projectile interior 21 of FIG. lb contains the center or midpoint at which the cross-sectional area intersects the central longitudinal axis L.
• This center point has a radial distance from the outer circumference A or a radial depth from the outer circumference A which is 50% of the projectile outer diameter.
• the projectile jacket portion of the projectile that lies outside of the projectile interior 21 may contain no identifier, contain a different amount or concentration of the same identifier, or contain a different identifier.
• The. tc shows a further embodiment in which the cross-sectional area of the projectile interior 21 covers the entire cross-section of the projectile 20.
• FIG. From a fictional one radial distance from the outer circumference A, which, depending on the definition, is 0.7% or 1% of the projectile outer diameter or 2% of the radius RG of the projectile 20 (preferably 10% of the projectile outer diameter or 20% of the radius RG of the projectile 20 and particularly preferably 20% of the Projectile outer diameter or 40% radius RG of the projectile 20), all points of the cross-sectional area of the projectile interior 21 have the radial distance according to the invention.
• The. 1d shows a further possible embodiment in which the cross-sectional area of the projectile interior 21 covers a partial area of the cross-section of the projectile 20 which is enclosed by the dashed line 27'.
• the cross-sectional area of the projectile interior 21 includes neither the outer perimeter A nor the midpoint or center of the cross-section of the projectile 20 where the central longitudinal axis L of the projectile intersects the cross-section of the projectile 20 .
• the dashed circular line 25' marks a radial distance from the outer circumference A which, depending on the definition, is at least 0.7% or 1% (or at least 10% or at least 20%) of the projectile's outer diameter.
• This type of cross-sectional area of the interior of the projectile 21 is also in accordance with the invention, especially since the cross-sectional area of the interior of the projectile 21 extends in sections beyond the dashed circular line 25' and therefore includes points that have the radial distance according to the invention from the outer circumference A of the projectile.
• the portion of the projectile that lies outside of the projectile interior 21 may contain no identifier, may contain a different amount or concentration of the same identifier, or may contain a different identifier.
• The. 2 schematically illustrates a method according to the invention for producing a projectile, in which a base material (e.g. copper powder) and a rare earth-based identification substance (e.g. Gd 2 O 3 ) are mixed to form a mixture material.
• Base material and identification substance are fed into a container 108 at 100, whereupon both materials are mixed together at 102 in a rotating mixing drum 110 in such a way that a mixture material 112 is formed which contains the base material and the identification substance, the mixture material 112 having a has a homogeneous concentration of the identification substance, for example a concentration of about 0.01% by weight, about 0.1% by weight, about 0.5% by weight or about 1% by weight.
• a projectile is formed from the mixture material by pressing the mixture material 112 in a pressing tool 114 at 103 and sintering the shaped mixture material in a sintering device 116 at 104 .
• the shaped projectile is first sintered at a temperature below the melting temperature of the mixture material and then cooled to form the finished projectile.
• The. 3 shows an alternative method according to the invention for producing a projectile.
• the base material eg copper powder
• the identification substance eg Gd 2 O 3
• both materials are conveyed by a hydraulic screw 202 and thereby melted and mixed with one another.
• the base material and the identification substance are injected into an injection mold 204 in the form of a liquid warm mixture material by a hydraulically driven sliding movement of the hydraulic screw 202 to form the projectile.
• the injection molded projectile is then finally cooled.
• Figures 2 (sintering) and 3 (injection molding) have each been described above for a blend material without plastic or polymer, these processes are only examples.
• the invention also provides for sintering processes and injection molding processes for mixed materials which can contain a plastic, in particular a polymer, which can act in particular as a binder.
• the plastic or polymer can be added, for example, to a powdered premix of the base material and the identification substance in order to form the mixed material.
• the mixed material which contains the base material, the identification substance and the polymer, can then be melted, cooled and granulated into granules.
• a granulate or mixture material which can have, for example, >90 wt% Cu, ⁇ 10 wt% polymer and ⁇ 1 wt% identification substance, can be placed in the container 108 or the pressing tool 114 of FIG. 2 or in the injection molding tool 200 of 3 to be used to form a projectile according to the invention.
• FIG. 4 shows a longitudinal sectional view of an ammunition 10 comprising a cartridge case 12 in which a frangible projectile 20 according to the invention is press-fitted so that a front tip of the frangible projectile 20 protrudes from the cartridge case 12 .
• the frangible projectile 20 of FIG. 4 can have a cross section according to each of FIGS. ta to ld, in particular over its entire length or over part of it.
• the frangible projectile 20 of FIG. 4 is thus produced at least in sections from a mixed material containing a base material 22 and a detectable identification material 24, the identification material 24 in the base material 22 having a homogeneous
• the base material 22 can consist of, for example, a metal powder (e.g. copper powder) and a polymer binder and the identification substance 24 can be a compound of a rare earth metal (e.g. Gd 2 O 3 ).
• the concentration of the identification substance 24, in particular in the entire cross section of the projectile 20, can be up to approximately 0.01% by weight, up to approximately 0.1% by weight, up to approximately 0.5% by weight or up to approximately 1% by weight.
• the frangible projectile 20 of Figure 4 may be a 9mm caliber projectile which may be suitable for a Glock 19 pistol, for example.
• the projectile 20 may be >90 wt% Cu (ie, greater than about 5.76 g Cu), ⁇ 100 wt% polymer (ie, less than about 0.64 g polymer ) and ⁇ iwt% Gd 2 O 3 (ie less than about 64 mg Gd 2 O 3 ).
• the projectile 20 can have, for example, >65 vol% Cu and ⁇ 35 vol% polymer, with the volume fraction of the identification substance being negligible compared to the volume fractions of the Cu and the polymer.
• the frangible projectile 20 of FIG. 4 can be produced in particular by the method of one of FIGS. 2 (sintering) and 3 (injection molding). However, the methods of FIGS. 2 and 3 are only examples and the frangible projectile 20 of FIG. 4 can be made by other methods.
• the cartridge case 12 has an inner receiving space in which a propellant powder charge 14 is received.
• the ammunition also has an ignition element 16 which serves to ignite the propellant charge powder charge 14 .
• the primer 16 is activated, such as by percussion from a firing pin of a firearm, the propellant powder charge 14 ignites, creating a pressure wave that separates the frangible projectile 20 from the cartridge case 10 and triggers the projectile 20 to be fired.
• the ammunition 20 of FIG. 4 can have an overall length of 30 mm, for example.
• FIG. 5 shows a schematic sectional view of the barrel 40 of a rifle when a projectile 20 according to the invention is fired.
• the mixture material that makes up the frangible projectile 20 is smeared over the inner surface 42 of the barrel 40, so that mixture residues 23 remain there, which have the same concentration of the identification substance 24 as the frangible projectile 20 or as the mixture material.
• Mixture residue 23 located in the barrel 40 can be collected by rubbing the inner surface 42 of the barrel 40 with a rag, for example.
• the flap can then be subjected to an analysis process, for example a spectrometry or microscopy analysis process, in which the identification substance can be detected.
• the frangible projectile 20 When it hits the target, the frangible projectile 20 at least partially crumbles into powder or into many small projectile fragments 20 ′, as shown schematically in FIG. 6 .
• the projectile fragments 20' can, for example, be dabbed or scraped off directly at the point of impact or collected on the ground (or a carrier holder holding the target) below the target struck.
• the target can be a steel plate or a Test target designed as a sand-lime brick, but also an intermediate target designed as a penetrable cardboard plate.
• the collected projectile fragments 2o' or the tool used for collecting can then be subjected to an analysis process, for example a spectrometry or microscopy analysis process, in which the identification substance can be detected.
• an analysis process for example a spectrometry or microscopy analysis process, in which the identification substance can be detected.
• FIG. 7 is a table summarizing results obtained from shooting and detection experiments conducted by the inventors.
• Projectiles according to the invention were used for the tests, which had concentrations of the identification substance Gd 2 O 3 of 0.1% or 0.5% by weight, as indicated in the 2nd column of the table.
• Ammunition was used for the tests, in which projectiles according to the invention with a caliber of 9 mm and a total weight of 175 g in cartridge cases of the GECO RHTA 9x19 type were used.
• a propellant powder suitable for the cartridges and a suitable primer cap were used.
• test no. 1 (cf. table line 1), a conventional projectile of the GECO FMJ type, which contained no identification material, was used as a reference for comparison—instead of a projectile according to the invention.
• the 4th column of the table indicates how the respective sample to be examined was obtained.
• stubs were used to collect bullet debris.
• bullet debris was collected with a rag rubbing the barrel inner surface (once after one shot for trial #8 and once after ten shots for trial 9).
• the identification substance was detected by scanning electron microscopy (SEM, "scanning electron microscope”). The presence of an identification substance can be confirmed by analysis of the characteristic X-ray radiation obtained.
• experiments 8 to 15 in the table in FIG. 7 the identification substance was detected by optical emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma (ICP-OES, "Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy”).
• ICP-OES inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy
• experiments 11 and 12 for example, the lobe with which the inside surface of the barrel was rubbed, heated to boiling with concentrated hydrochloric acid for approx. 15 minutes. After cooling, the resulting hydrochloric acid digestion was filled up to a defined volume and the gadolinium concentration therein was determined by ICP-OES.
• FIG. 9 shows an exemplary ICP-OES measurement result from which the identification substance can be confirmed and, if necessary, the amount thereof can be determined.
• Gd absorption lines were detected at 342.247 nm.
• a quantity of 6 ⁇ g Gd (test experiment 8) or 6 ⁇ g Gd (test experiment 9) was measured.
• a quantity of Gd 2 O 3 of 7 pg Gd 2 O 3 (test 8) and 7 pg Gd 2 O 3 (test 9) can be derived from this by appropriate molar extrapolations.
• the projectiles according to the invention have traceability independently of Ensure identification substance concentration, firearm, target distance, sample type, target type and examination method.
• the identification material 24 is present in the projectile 20, not only on an outer, relatively thin surface layer but also in the interior of the projectile, the identification material can be found at least in a large part of the projectile fragments 20'. In particular, if the concentration of the identification substance 24 is homogeneous in the entire cross section of the projectile 20, the identification substance 24 can essentially be detected in each of the projectile fragments 20' or residual projectile powder grains.
• composition and/or concentration of the identification substance 24 in the projectile 20 can be determined by analyzing any projectile fragment 20' or any quantity of projectile residue powder, for example by optical analysis using spectrometry or microscopy.
• optical analysis using spectrometry or microscopy The same applies to the mixture residues 23 in the barrel 40 of the firearm, which can be extracted and analyzed by cleaning with a cleaning rag, for example.
• the corresponding projectile use can be clearly and correctly identified for a specific shooter or a specific user or a specific user group. Traceability is thus guaranteed.
• the concentration of the identifier detected in certain projectile remnant studies may not necessarily exactly match the concentration that was present in the projectile.

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• 2020
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