FIREARM SOUND SUPPRESSOR
A firearm noise suppressor attachable to the muzzle of a barrel having a longitudinal bore axis. It includes a housing with an outer wall, a forward end wall, and a rearward end wall. The rearward end wall attaches to a firearm barrel and the forward end wall includes an outlet opening aligned with the longitudinal bore axis. A blast chamber is defined at least in part by the rearward end wall, the outer wall, and a blast baffle. At least a second baffle is situated forward of the blast baffle and supported at a periphery by the outer wall. A plurality of circumferentially spaced apart helical blast vanes in the blast chamber impart a rotational flow to propellant gas.
This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/225,104, filed Dec. 19, 2018, and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/608,101, filed Dec. 20, 2017, and incorporates the same herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe present invention relates to various embodiments of an apparatus for suppressing the muzzle blast and attendant noise of a discharging firearm and to methods of manufacturing the same. In particular, the methods relate to uses of additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing.
BACKGROUNDFirearm sound suppressing devices, often referred to simply as “suppressors” or “silencers,” that may be integral with the barrel or attached to the muzzle end of a barrel are well known. In general, such devices reduce the sound produced by high pressure gasses rapidly escaping the muzzle when fired by trapping the burst of gas pressure in an enclosed housing to slow the release to the atmosphere (to attenuate the pressure wave), consuming energy of the muzzle blast by creating turbulence and redirecting the flow of gas pressure, and/or absorbing heat energy. The most common types of sound suppressing devices include a housing whose interior volume is divided into multiple chambers by baffles, having a longitudinal passageway axially aligned with the bore of the barrel to allow a fired projectile to pass unencumbered.
The design of an effective suppressor must address its exposure to both high internal pressure and heat. Traditionally, suppressors have been made by providing a metallic tubular or cylindrical housing with attached endcaps and milling or turning metallic baffles to be held inside the tubular housing. The advent of additive manufacturing (also known as 3D printing) has expanded the range of designs that are possible to produce. At the same time, new issues must be addressed in this alternate form of manufacturing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention provides a firearm noise suppressor that can be made by additive manufacturing processes. It includes integral concentric conical baffles and can include helical vanes in the blast chamber.
More specifically, it can include a housing having an outer wall, a forward end wall, and a rearward end wall. The rearward end wall will include means for attachment to a firearm barrel, and the forward end wall will include an outlet opening substantially aligned with the longitudinal bore axis to allow passage of a projectile. A blast chamber is defined at least in part by the rearward end wall, the outer wall, and a blast baffle. The blast baffle includes an opening substantially aligned with the longitudinal bore axis to allow passage of the projectile. At least a second baffle is situated forward of the blast baffle, is supported at a periphery by the outer wall, and defines at least a secondary chamber between it and the blast baffle. A plurality of circumferentially spaced apart helical blast vanes in the blast chamber impart a rotational flow to the propellant gas.
The method of manufacturing can include printing by additive manufacturing a precursor part having a housing with a center axis, side walls, a forward end wall, a rearward end wall, and defining an internal volume. The housing has internal baffles separating the internal volume into chambers, and has temporary internal support structure along at least a portion of the center axis. A central bore passageway along the center axis is bored to remove the temporary internal support structure and to form openings of predetermined size in the baffles and forward wall and to form an interim opening in the rearward wall. Internal manufacturing debris is removed from the chambers through at least one of the interim opening and the forward wall opening. A larger opening is bored in the rearward wall to form an attachment opening, and attachment means is provided in the attachment opening.
Other aspects, features, benefits, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to a person of skill in the art from the detailed description of various embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawing figures, all of which comprise part of the disclosure.
Like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts throughout the various drawing figures, wherein:
With reference to the drawing figures, this section describes particular embodiments and their detailed construction and operation. Throughout the specification, reference to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or “some embodiments” means that a particular described feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” or “in some embodiments” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the described features, structures, and characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In view of the disclosure herein, those skilled in the art will recognize that the various embodiments can be practiced without one or more of the specific details or with other methods, components, materials, or the like. In some instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or not described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the embodiments.
As used herein, “axial” and “longitudinal” refer to the direction of the length of a firearm barrel and the path of a projectile fired therefrom. “Forward” refers to the direction a projectile is fired and distal from the shooter; “rear” or “aft” refers to the direction toward and proximal to the shooter. “Lateral” refers to a direction offset to a side from the longitudinal axis and “transverse” refers to a direction substantially perpendicular to or crossing the longitudinal direction. “Side wall” and “side walls” are used interchangeably herein to include a cylindrical and/or polygonal shape.
Referring first to
Referring now in particular to
In the illustrated embodiment, for example, the first (or blast) baffle 28 connects to and is supported by the second baffle 30, rather than by the outer wall 12. This construction defines a forward annular extension portion 49 of the blast chamber 38 between the first baffle 28 and outer wall 12 that may be partially defined at its forward end by an outer portion of the second baffle 30. A like structure would result from considering the first baffle 28 to be supported by the outer wall 28 and the second baffle 30 to be supported on the interior or forward side of the first baffle 28. Also in the illustrated embodiment, the second and third baffles 30, 32 extend to and are supported by the outer wall 12, the fourth baffle is supported at the intersection of the outer wall 28 and forward end wall 16, while the fifth and sixth baffles 36, 37 are supported by the forward end wall 16.
Each of the baffles 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 37 includes a passageway 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 59 that is axially aligned with the bore of the barrel and exit opening 24 to allow unimpeded passage of a projectile (labeled as axis a in
As previously described, the highest pressure and velocity of rapidly expanding propellant gas exiting the muzzle will enter the blast chamber 38 and be directed toward the first baffle 28. Likewise, the greatest amount of sound-reduction performance may be achieved in the blast chamber 38. The longer the propellant gas is retained in the blast chamber 38, and the greater the amount of kinetic and heat energy removed in the blast chamber 38, the greater is the sound-reducing performance of the subsequent chambers 40, 42, 44, 46, 47, 48 and of the suppressor 10 overall. The present invention maximizes this performance by maximizing the heat-removing surface area and energy consuming turbulence of the gas in the blast chamber 38.
Referring now also to
Referring now to
The support structure 72 can be formed with ports or passageways 73a, 73b, 73c. Typically, powder material or other debris encased in the body of the precursor part 70, present in and a result of many additive manufacturing processes, can be removed from the conical chambers 40, 42, 44, 46, 47, 48 through the passageways 52, 54, 56, 58, 59 and opening 24 in the forward wall and/or the axial passageway 73a in the support structure 72 by gravity simply by inverting and/or shaking/tapping the part 70. Powder material or other debris in the blast chamber 26 can be more difficult to remove by gravity because it will collect in the forward annular extension portion 49 or (when inverted) in the area 75 defined between the conical rear wall 14 and neck portion 18. To remove powder material or debris from the blast chamber 26, an angled nozzle (not shown) can be inserted into the larger passageway 73b and used to introduce a stream of high velocity air to create a vortex that will lift (fluidize) the material and force it to flow out through the other passageway 73c.
As shown in
Referring now to
While one or more embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it should be apparent that modifications and variations thereto are possible, all of which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the foregoing is intended only to be illustrative of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not intended to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. Accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be included and considered to fall within the scope of the invention, defined by the following claim or claims.
Claims
1. A firearm noise suppressor attachable to the muzzle of a barrel, the barrel having a longitudinal bore axis, comprising:
- a housing having an outer wall, a forward end wall, and a rearward end wall, the rearward end wall including means for attachment to a firearm barrel, and the forward end wall including an outlet opening substantially aligned with the longitudinal bore axis to allow passage of a projectile;
- a blast chamber defined at least in part by the rearward end wall, the outer wall, and a blast baffle, the blast baffle including an opening substantially aligned with the longitudinal bore axis to allow passage of the projectile;
- at least a second baffle situated forward of the blast baffle, supported at a periphery by the outer wall, and defining at least a secondary chamber between it and the blast baffle; and
- a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart helical blast vanes in the blast chamber that impart a rotational flow to propellant gas.
2. The suppressor of claim 1, wherein the rearward end wall includes a substantially conical portion.
3. The suppressor of claim 1, wherein the forward end wall is substantially flat.
4. The suppressor of claim 1, wherein the attachment means includes threads that engage a threaded muzzle end of the barrel.
5. The suppressor of claim 1, wherein the second baffle is substantially conical.
6. The suppressor of claim 5, wherein the blast baffle is supported on the second baffle.
7. The suppressor of claim 5, wherein the annular forward space of the blast chamber is situated between at least a portion of the blast baffle and the outer wall.
8. The suppressor of claim 1, wherein the vanes are supported on the blast baffle.
9. The suppressor of claim 8, wherein the vanes direct gas into the annular outer space of the blast chamber.
10. The suppressor of claim 8, wherein the blast baffle includes a substantially conical portion on which the vanes are at least partially supported.
11. The suppressor of claim 10, wherein the vanes have leading edges disposed toward the rearward wall
12. The suppressor of claim 1, wherein a tertiary chamber is defined between the second baffle and the forward end wall.
13. The suppressor of claim 12, further comprising at least a third baffle, the third baffle supported by the forward end wall and including an opening substantially aligned with the longitudinal bore axis to allow passage of the projectile, the tertiary chamber being between the second baffle and third baffle, and a fourth chamber between the third baffle and the forward end wall.
14. The suppressor of claim 13, wherein the volume of the blast chamber is greater than that of the secondary chamber, the volume of the secondary chamber is greater than that of the tertiary chamber, and the volume of the tertiary chamber is greater than that of the fourth chamber.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 9, 2019
Publication Date: Apr 16, 2020
Inventors: Benjamin R. Ellison (Maineville, OH), Tyler Jepson (Cincinnati, OH), Matthew Martin (Cincinnati, OH)
Application Number: 16/706,890