2016
Tsutomu Nitobe
New Orleans, LA
The reproducibility of the impression of a firing pin on a cartridge case is reduced when cartridges of different manufacture are fired in the same firearm. Many factors, such as the chamber pressure, cartridge case material, and amount and type of propellant, affect the marks produced on cartridge cases. However, these factors have not been evaluated quantitatively. The present study quantitatively evaluates the change in the firing-pin impression employing the three-dimensional finite element method (FEM).