Performance Analysis of Different Firearm Suppressor Structures

Abstract

A powerful soundwave from shooting a firearm can travel great distances harming the shooter as well as anyone or anything standing nearby. To address this, a non-typical firearm suppressor is used. A suppressor muffles the soundwave to a level that is usually safe for the shooter and its environment. A suppressor usually has 3-4 main parts that highly influence its effectiveness. The study aims to investigate how non-typical baffle design and placement selection influence the suppressor effectiveness. The study consists of 162 different non-typical baffle design configurations. Suppressors with 3 to 9 baffles, angled from 30 to 60 degrees as well as rounded from 10 mm to 30 mm radius, are simulated in a CFD environment. Suppressors with the best designs were then produced and evaluated on a firing range. At the firing range, a result of 32.24 dB delta was achieved and was only 4,67% different than the result presented in the CFD study, which was 30.8 dB, respectively. The 9 straight geometry baffle, angled at 30 degrees, suppressor, with an average chamber volume proved to be the most efficient and combined with a large initial chamber was the most efficient design in this study.