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Forensic Science

Firearms and toolmarks

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Displaying 1 - 25 of 61

Implications of the Bullet Black Box Study

June 5, 2025
Author(s)
Bullet Black Box Working Group
The Bullet Black Box Working Group (BulletBB-WG) was convened to review the results of the NIST-Noblis Bullet Black Box Study, and assess the implications of that study on casework. This report includes the recommendations of the BulletBB-WG on how to

Accuracy and Reproducibility of Bullet Comparison Decisions by Forensic Examiners

November 4, 2024
Author(s)
R. Austin Hicklin, Connie Parks, Kensley Dunagan, Brandi Emerick, Nicole Richetelli, William Chapman, Melissa Taylor, Robert Thompson
Few studies have been conducted assessing the accuracy and reproducibility of bullet comparison decisions by firearms examiners, and no previous studies have evaluated accuracy of examiners' decisions when comparing 1) damaged bullets, 2) comparisons of

Automated interpretation of firearm mark comparison results

December 13, 2023
Author(s)
Martin Baiker-Sorensen, Ivo Alberink, Laura Granell, Leen van der Ham, Erwin J.A.T. Mattijssen, Erich Smith, Johannes A. Soons, Peter Vergeer, Xiaoyu Alan Zheng
In this article an automated approach for interpretation of firearm mark comparison results is presented. First, similarity scores are derived for marks typically encountered on primers of fired cartridge cases: aperture shear striations as well as

Surveying Practicing Firearm Examiners

April 20, 2022
Author(s)
Nicholas Scurich, Brandon Garrett, Robert M. Thompson
The comparison of discharged bullets and shell casings by firearm examiners is one of the most conducted forensic analyses. However, little is known empirically about how practicing firearm examiners view and conduct their work, the range of conclusions

Evaluating Measurement Uncertainty for Firearm Barrel and Overall Length Measurements

November 1, 2021
Author(s)
Michael Stocker, Theodore V. Vorburger, Thomas Renegar, Robert Thompson, Mark Williford
In recent years, more forensic laboratories are seeking accreditation to ISO 17020 and 17025. In the field of firearm and toolmark forensics, the barrel length and overall length of a firearm are typical measurements performed in the laboratory to

A Metrology Foundation for 3D Ballistic Imaging - NIJ Final Technical Report

September 1, 2021
Author(s)
Michael Stocker, Johannes Soons, Thomas Renegar, Xiaoyu Zheng, Robert Thompson
Forensic laboratories considering optical 3D surface topography measurement for objective comparison and VCM face challenges with respect to cost, training, and quality assurance. The primary aim of this research was to address quality assurance issues

Firearm examination: Examiner judgments and computer-based comparisons

September 24, 2020
Author(s)
Erwin J. Mattijssen, Cilia Witteman, Charles Berger, Xiaoyu Alan Zheng, Johannes A. Soons, Reinoud Stoel
Forensic firearm examination provides the court of law with information about the source of fired cartridge cases. We assessed the validity of source decisions of a computer-based method and of 73 firearm examiners who compared breechface and firing pin

NIST Ballistics Toolmark Research Database

January 27, 2020
Author(s)
Xiaoyu Alan Zheng, Johannes A. Soons, Robert M. Thompson, Sushama P. Singh, Cerasela Constantin
In 2009, a report by the National Academies called into question, amongst other issues, the objectivity of visual toolmark identification by firearms examiners. The National Academies recommended development of objective toolmark identification criteria

Pilot Study on Deformed Bullet Correlation

January 1, 2020
Author(s)
Zhe Chen, Jun-Feng Song, Johannes A. Soons, Robert M. Thompson, Xuezeng Zhao
Most studies on bullet identification address test fire bullet that have near pristine striation marks on the land engraved areas (LEAs). However, in case work, bullets found at a crime scene may be severely deformed or fragmented. The resulting missing

Addressing Quality Assurance Issues in 3D Firearm and Toolmark Imaging

April 1, 2018
Author(s)
Michael T. Stocker, Robert M. Thompson, Johannes A. Soons, Thomas B. Renegar, Xiaoyu A. Zheng
The emerging capability for measuring and analyzing the three-dimensional (3D) surface topography of forensic samples is expected to have a profound impact on firearm and toolmark identification. As forensic laboratories are working to integrate 3D

Nanostructural Evidence of Mechanical Aging and Performance Loss in Ballistic Fibers

September 29, 2017
Author(s)
John Howarter, Ming Liu, Walter G. McDonough, Christopher Soles, Gale A. Holmes
It is understood that the ballistic resistance of aromatic polyamide fibers is related to the fiber's ultimate tensile strength, strain-to-failure, and Young's modulus. Ideal high-performance ballistic materials maximize these properties while minimizing

NIST Ballistics Toolmark Research Database

December 5, 2016
Author(s)
Xiaoyu Alan Zheng, Johannes A. Soons, Robert M. Thompson
The NIST Ballistics Toolmark Research Database (NBTRD) is an open-access research database of bullet and cartridge case toolmark data. The development of the database is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice. The

An Investigation of the Temperature and Strain-Rate Effects on Strain-to-Failure of UHMWPE Fibers

October 18, 2016
Author(s)
Don Jenket II, Amanda L. Forster, Nicholas G. Paulter Jr., Tusit Weerasooriya, Carey A. Gunnarsson, Mohamad Al-Sheikhly
During a ballistic impact, Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers are subjected to high temperatures and high strain-rates. Their tensile strength increases with increasing strain-rate and decreases with increasing temperature. To

Topography measurements and applications in ballistics and tool mark identifications

December 17, 2015
Author(s)
Theodore V. Vorburger, Jun-Feng Song, Nicholas D. Petraco
The application of surface topography measurement methods to the field of firearm and toolmark analysis is fairly new. The field has been boosted by the development of a number of competing optical methods which has improved the speed and accuracy of

Analysis of the Boundary Conditions of the Spline Filter

July 21, 2015
Author(s)
D Ott, Hao H. Zhang, Daniel B. Ott, Xuezeng Zhao, Jun-Feng Song
The spline filter is a standard linear profile filter recommended by ISO/TS 16610-22 (2006). The primary advantage of the spline filter is that no end-effects occur as a result of the filter. The ISO standard also provides the tension parameter β=0.62524

A simple and fast spline filtering algorithm for surface metrology

July 14, 2015
Author(s)
Hao H. Zhang, Daniel B. Ott, Jun-Feng Song, D Ott, Wei Chu
The spline filters and the corresponding robust filters are commonly used filters recommended in ISO standards for surface evaluation. Generally, these linear and non-linear spline filters, composed of symmetric, positive-definite matrices, are always

The Testing Program at NIST on Fibers Used in Soft Body Armor Applications

March 21, 2015
Author(s)
Walter G. McDonough, Amanda L. Forster, Jae Hyun Kim, Nathanael A. Heckert, Joy P. Dunkers, Scott A. Wight, Gale A. Holmes
The goal of this paper and presentation is to give an update of the research effort to date being conducted at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on polymeric fibers used in soft body armor with a special emphasis on new fibers under
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