Date of Award
Spring 5-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department/Program
Forensic Science
Language
English
First Advisor or Mentor
Peter Diaczuk
Second Reader
Jack Hietpas
Third Advisor
Andrew J. Winter
Abstract
With the overall rise in shooting incidents throughout the country, most notably in urban areas, the capabilities and limitations of current forensic examinations of firearms-related incidents have become more apparent. An underappreciated aspect of shooting incidents is the phenomenon of bullet ricochet, which has led to ricochet-related injuries, with some cases proving fatal. Although there are processes and generally accepted standards for bullet trajectory analysis, ricochet analysis typically requires outside input from firearm examiners. Additionally, current research regarding ricochet on wood surfaces remains less thoroughly investigated than ricochet analysis on other yielding surfaces. The goal of this research was to quantitatively determine the ricochet angle at corresponding angles of incidence, in addition to the critical angles of five wood substrates. In addition, statistical analysis and data visualization were performed to analyze the tunneling phenomenon observed in the wood substrates. The data was collected using 9 mm Luger 124-grain full metal jacket PMC ammunition. The wood substrates utilized in this research experiment were Whitewood, Southern Yellow Pine, European Spruce, Western Red Cedar, and Douglas Fir. Softwoods were selected based on prior research demonstrating tunnelling activity. The ricochet angles were larger than the angles of incidence for the wood substrates, except in two instances. Tunneling was exhibited by all five wood substrates, at or within a small range encompassing the critical angle.
Recommended Citation
Khalifa, Abdelrahman, "Bullet Ricochet and Tunnelling of Wood Substrates" (2025). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/jj_etds/341
