Citation

Davidson PL, Taylor MC, Wilson SJ, Walsh KA, Kieser JA. J. Forensic Sci. 2012; 57(5): 1339-1342.

Affiliation

Injury Prevention Research Unit, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, New Zealand. Christchurch Science Centre, Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd (ESR), Christchurch, New Zealand. Auckland Science Centre, Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd (ESR), Auckland, New Zealand. Faculty of Dentistry, Sir John Walsh Research Institute, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1556-4029.2012.02143.x

PMID

22494340

Abstract

Gunshot backspatter comprises biological material expelled backward through bullet entry holes. Crime scene investigators analyze backspatter patterns to infer wounding circumstances. An understanding of the mechanism of backspatter generation, and the relationship between spatter patterns and bullet and tissue characteristics, would enhance the predictive value of such analysis. We examined soft-tissue ballistic wounding responses to determine the underlying components and how these might be relevant to the generation of backspatter. We identified five mechanistic components to ballistic wounding (elastic, viscous, crushing, cutting, and thermal), each related to mechanical disciplines (respectively, solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, fracture mechanics, rheology, and thermodynamics). We identified potential roles for these five components in backspatter formation and provide a scenario whereby a sequence of events incorporating these components could lead to backspatter generation and expulsion. This research provides a framework for the mathematical representation, and subsequent computational predictive modeling, of backspatter generation and pattern formation.

Language: en