Evaluating Material Wear in firearms using X-ray Computer Tomography to Establish Mode of Use and Identification

目前在英国，使用通常被归类为古董的武器的枪支犯罪激增。例如，俄罗斯的BIKAL 79与几起备受瞩目的案件有关。如果武器不能发射商用弹药，则被视为古董。然而，这些武器经过改装，可以发射现代弹药。通过机加工孔材料或修改内部机构来实现修改。为了确定缴获的武器是否违反法律，需要有一种技术，可以测量枪管和撞针几何形状的各个方面，评估磨损模式，确定膛孔磨损和其他改装的证据。以前的工作已经在CPT进行，以确定古董的出处，以及英国研究所资助的研究使用XCT作为计量工具，包括提取表面水平数据的有效性。这项先前的工作表明，将有可能开发XCT方法，使我们能够测量枪支材料，几何形状和表面磨损，以了解和建立诸如合法性，使用水平和弹道特征确定等因素。该博士课程将包括几个要素-扫描回收枪支的组成部分的材料-评估材料磨损;条纹;部件上的残留标记-确定XCT过程对一系列不同弹道材料的限制-制定一种避免与回收枪支接触的扫描和评估方法-开发一个比较模型，以便准确评估一种枪支与对照枪支和其他枪支或其部件的比较我们将与执法机构和外部公司密切合作，以获得用于研究的枪支部件，并将与项目合作伙伴联系，收缴和计量实地收缴的武器。

Currently in the UK there is a surge in gun crime using weapons normally classified as antique. For Example the Russian BIKAL 79 has been implicated in several high profile cases. Weapons are deemed antique if they cannot fire commercially available ammunition. However these weapons are modified to allow them to fire modern ammunition. The modification is achieved by machining the bore material or modifying the internal mechanisms. To establish if seized weapons contravene the law there is a requirement for a technique that can measure various aspects of barrel and firing pin geometry and assess wear patterns, establishing evidence of bore resizing and other modifications. Previous work has been carried out at the CPT on establishing the provenance of antiques as well as UKRI-funded research on use of XCT as a metrology tool including the efficacy of extracting surface level data. This previous work suggests that it will be possible to develop XCT methods to allow us to measure gun material, geometry, and surface wear to understand and establish factors such as legality, level of use and determination of ballistic signature. The PhD program will consist of several elements - Scanning the material of component parts of recovered firearms- Evaluating the material wear; striations; residual marking on components- Establishing the limitations of the XCT process for a range of different ballistic materials- Developing a methodology for the scanning and evaluation that avoids contact with a recovered firearm- Developing a comparative model for accurately assessing one firearms against both a control and other firearms or their componentsWe will be working closely with law enforcement agencies and external companies to secure component gun parts for research and will liaise with the project partners on recovery and measurement of field seized weapons.