AFTE Store - Determining Time Since Discharge of Firearms Using a Thermal Imaging Device

The author set out to examine the heat decay of different firearm types, and subsequently the effect of varying magazine
capacities on the heat decay of each firearm used to attempt to estimate time since discharge. Using a portable thermal
imaging device manufactured by the FLIR company that connected to the author’s smartphone, temperature measurements
were recorded after firearms were fired with varying magazine capacities. These measurements were used to create mathematical models for each firearm type and magazine capacity, and was further applied to test a set of unknown trials. The results from the unknowns established that some of the mathematical models generated were viable for comparison and use with estimating time since discharge. If the temperature measurement was recorded soon enough, and the initial temperature measurements were high enough to create a steeply sloped rate of heat decay, then the time of fire could
successfully be estimated.