3D Printing Suppressor for Small Arms Using Fused Deposition Modeling
Abstract
Metal 3D printing is the industry standard for manufacturing experimental suppressors due to the limitations of conventional, subtractive machining methods. Long print times, difficulty sintering, and cleaning of metal 3D printed suppressor components limit the development time. Plastic printed components are able to be produced quicker, safer, and at a lower cost than their metal 3D printed counterparts. Reducing the time and cost of manufacturing will allow for an increased pace of innovations in suppressor design. Utilizing Finite Element Analysis (FEA) in combination with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) will expedite the process of designing 3D printed plastic suppressors. Solidworks FEA determined the maximum stress applied to the blast chamber of the plastic suppressor. ANSYS Fluent CFD simulations were used to qualitatively compare the sound pressure levels of an unsuppressed and suppressed 22LR pistol. Comparing the results of the CFD simulations gave insight into the effectiveness of the selected baffle structure. A prototype 3D printed suppressor was optimized for strength according to manufacturing practices for printed plastic small arms. Testing occurred at an indoor range where peak impulse noise was measured for an unsuppressed 22LR pistol and a plastic printed suppressor. The printed suppressor reduced the small arms impulse noise from 150.5 dB(spl) to 132.4 dB(spl). Impulse noises below the pain threshold of 140 dB(spl) do not require hearing protection for operation. Utilizing FEA, CFD, and FDM prototyping methods in this work has laid the foundation for future works in the rapid prototyping and optimizations of suppressors for small arms.
Degree
M.Sc.
Advisors
Ostanek, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Design|Audiology|Industrial engineering
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