Designs, technologies and materials: trends in the development of silent firing devices
Multi-chamber PBS type SOCOM300-SPS from SureFire. Photo SureFire
Since the beginning of the last century, the process of creating and improving silent firing devices (silencers) for small arms weapons. New designs and models of such products are regularly offered that have certain advantages. At the current stage, the further development of this entire area is facilitated by the emergence of a number of new technologies and materials. As a result, several important and interesting trends can now be observed that determine the further development of silencers.
Basic Ideas
As you know, the sound of a shot is formed from several components. The loudest wave is given by hot powder gases escaping from the muzzle behind the bullet. The Silent Firing Device (SFS) must contain these gases and prevent them from creating a sound wave. The basic principles of their retention were formed by the beginning of the last century. They are still in use today in one form or another.
Muffler with conical baffles in section. Photo by Wikimedia Commons
In general, it all comes down to installing a body with internal transverse partitions on the muzzle of the barrel, due to which the internal volume is divided into separate chambers. Partitions can be made of metal or in the form of rubber or polymer membranes with a hole / notch in the center. Baffles of any design allow the bullet to pass through the PBS, but retain gases. For better retention, the body cavities can be filled with mesh.
The principle of operation of the PBS is quite simple. The device passes a bullet through itself, but retains powder gases or makes it difficult for them to exit through the muzzle. As a result, the gases cool down and lose their ability to create a shock wave. The main component of the sound of the shot disappears.
Various options for the internal layout of the PBS. Graphics Wikimedia Commons
Partitions of various shapes and configurations, elastic membranes, mesh and various combinations of them were used both in early designs and in modern developments. At the same time, the development of science and technology in recent decades has provided new technologies and materials that help further improve designs.
Computer techologies
A significant contribution to the development of PBS at the current stage is made by computer development and design tools. With their help, the necessary research is carried out, as well as the search for designs with the optimal ratio of performance characteristics, manufacturability, etc. is carried out.
Muffler with mesh (visible in the holes in the front end). Photo Saimaa Still Oy
The key task in the development of PBS is the optimization of gas-dynamic processes inside the vessel. For quite a long time, software tools for simulating the flow of gases and their interaction with the internal devices of the silencer have been developed and improved. The use of computer models greatly simplifies and speeds up the search for optimal designs and subsequent development.
Just like in many other industries, computer-aided design systems are widespread. Digital systems allow faster and more efficient use of research results, preparation of technical documentation, and development of production processes. All these design features are useful both in the execution of army orders, and in the case of commercial products.
A disassembled Huntertown Kestrel product. In the background - the body, in front of it - partitions. Photo by Wikimedia Commons
Configuration complication
Computer simulation allows you to work out and study fundamentally new, bold and original configurations of chambers and baffles inside the muffler. Various foreign developers focused on the commercial market regularly present new PBS samples with some or other original features.
First of all, it was possible to move away from the traditional design with cylindrical chambers and flat or conical baffles. The new systems use inclined baffles and other elements that provide a more efficient redistribution of gases. The optimal size and volume of internal chambers is also selected.
PBS with partitions in the form of a single unit. Photo Gorilla Ammunition
Quite a long time ago, the idea of replaceable partitions and membranes appeared, which makes it possible to extend the operation of the PBS. This modular approach has taken an interesting development in recent years. Several variants of silencers have been created, assembled from single cylindrical modules, each of which contains one partition. The modules are threaded into a single product of the required length with the required level of noise reduction.
Materials and production
Both in the past and now, various grades of steel remain the main material for the production of PBS. Both the body and internal partitions are made of them. Rubber was used for elastic membranes. Other materials have also been developed and introduced - various alloys to match the loads and polymers with improved characteristics.
Modular PBS MODX-45, printed from titanium powder. Sig Sauer Photos
In recent years, titanium has become quite a popular solution in the field of materials. This material allows you to make more complex structures that can withstand higher loads. At the same time, the finished product retains an acceptable weight. The main disadvantage of titanium PBS is its high cost. However, expensive products also find their buyers - such mufflers appeared in the product catalogs of almost all manufacturers.
Production technologies are also developing. The most attention is now attracted by the so-called. additive manufacturing. It is not always possible to manufacture silencer elements that have an optimal configuration in terms of performance using “traditional” technologies. XNUMXD metal printing, incl. titanium makes it possible to solve these problems. At the same time, a modern production method can be combined with new designs. For example, it is more profitable to print the elements of a modular PBS, and not otherwise manufacture and assemble from smaller parts.
Strange experiments: MP5 submachine gun with a modular PBS Erector 9 from the company Q. Using an excessive number of modules leads to bending of the entire structure, due to which the bullet can hit the partitions. Frame from video from Demolition Ranch
Results and prospects
Silent shooting devices of various kinds have long and firmly taken their place in the field of small arms, and you should not expect that they will ever be abandoned. On the contrary, this trend will continue to develop and produce new interesting results. Modern developments in the field of materials science, production, design tools, etc. will help to further improve the designs.
We should also expect the preservation or growth of demand for PBS from the armies and other customers. So, at present, a new set of small arms for infantry is being developed in the United States. It uses a high power cartridge with appropriate noise performance. In this regard, new rifles and machine guns are equipped with a standard silencer.
Automatic rifle NGSW from Textron with a standard silencer. Photo Vpk.name
Actual weapons may also need such equipment. Thus, the Russian units involved in the current Special Operation massively receive and use PBS of various types, created for Kalashnikov assault rifles. With the help of such products, greater convenience and efficiency in solving combat missions are provided.
In a number of foreign countries, the civil market also has a positive effect on the development of silencers. Moreover, it is often the commercial developments of different companies that contribute to the emergence and implementation of new technical solutions, technologies, etc. Often, projects for the market are converted into products for the armies and vice versa.
Thus, the PBS direction is actively developing, and finished products are widely used. Such trends will obviously continue in the future. What ideas and technologies will be introduced thanks to this, and what designs based on them will appear, time will tell. There are no prerequisites for a change in such trends yet.
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