FIREARM SUPPRESSOR BAFFLE

Description

CROSS REFERENCE

This U.S. Non-Provisional Application claims benefit to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/553,561, which was filed Feb. 14, 2024.

BACKGROUND

A firearm suppressor reduces the sound volume of a firearm muzzle blast by enclosing the muzzle in a can shaped body that has a hole in the end of the can aligned to the firearm barrel bore so that the bullet can escape. Inside the can is a baffle structure that slows the escape of the gases before exiting the bullet hole. The simplest silencer has a plurality of washer shaped baffles separated by short sections of pipe that either stand off the washer shaped baffles inside an external body (can), or are themselves the body/can and welded directly thereto.

Firearm suppressors have undergone much development from the simplest example above that results in better sound suppression, ruggedness, and reduced size and weight, primarily by design of the baffle structure. However, there is a great deal of labor and materials involved in these technologies. Therefore, a new baffle design that is rugged and economically manufactured is desirable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is the top view of the firearm suppressor baffle.

FIG. 1B is the side view of the firearm suppressor baffle.

FIG. 1C is the disassembled view of the firearm suppressor.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a baffle.

FIG. 3 is a side view and a top view of an embodiment of a baffle.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of 4 trapezoidal members without other baffle parts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

An embodiment of this invention comprises washer type baffles that are further supported with vertical support members. See FIG. 1A (top view), 1B (side view), and 1C (disassembled view). This embodiment comprises washer baffles 101 and vertical support members 110. The vertical support members 110 are fixed (by way of non-limiting example, welded) to vertical support mount locations 103 so that they leave bullet hole 102 free and unobstructed. This structure is very strong in the compression direction, but weak in a torsional direction, e.g. twisting top baffle 101 in the opposite direction of bottom baffle 101 in FIG. 1C. Therefore, it is desirable to fix the baffles 101 to the can (not shown), by welding or slot and key, or any other means well established in the art.

The baffles 101 and vertical support members 110 can be, for example, economically manufactured from standard metal sheet stock by laser cutting then welding in a jig. Further, the welding can be automated by a welding robot, further reducing cost.

As mentioned above, simple washer type baffles are less efficient at slowing the expanding gases than modern baffle shapes. The prior art (FIG. 2) includes cone shaped baffles 201 that more efficiently trap gases when the bullet traveling in direction 205 passes through baffle hole 202. The gases that go outside hole 202 have to reverse direction to eventually pass through hole 202, thereby creating more turbulence, and more efficiently slowing the expansion of the gases.

Referring to FIG. 3, an embodiment may include trapezoidal member 301 fixed to vertical support member 110 and two adjacent washer baffles 101. Note the top view shows the orientation of the vertical support member in the side view to be at 45-degree angles so that the front 2 are occluding the back two, i.e. only front two members 110 are visible at this viewing angle in the side view of FIG. 3. If four trapezoidal members 301 are fixed in the 4 quadrants made by the four vertical members, they form a pyramidal baffle similar to the prior art cone baffle 201.

FIG. 4 shows the four trapezoidal members 301 without the other baffle parts occluding the image. A bullet traveling in direction 405 (305 in FIG. 3) passes through hole 401 and gasses that miss the hole get trapped and increase turbulence as with the prior art baffle 201. This structure in FIG. 3 is very strong, and the trapezoidal member 301 may also be cut from sheet metal and welded by robot like the structure in FIGS. 1A-C.

Although the FIGS. herein depict 4 vertical support members 110 as a non-limiting example, any practical number of members 110 may be used. The FIGS. also depict baffle 101 as having a circular profile, by any practical shape may be used. The FIGS. depict trapezoidal member 301 as a flat piece fixed to flat baffle 101 and vertical support member 110, but any practical shape may be used. For example, a cone shape cut into 4 quadrants could be similarly fixed to 101 and 110.

Although the embodiments shown feature a combination of washer type baffle 101 and a pyramidal cone formed of trapezoidal members 301, one can appreciate how vertical support members could be used with other baffle types to strengthen the suppressor.