Textile fibres along the bullet path – experimental study on a skin-gelatine composite model

Abstract

In the past, the presence of textile fibres in the bullet track of gunshot injuries in body regions covered with clothes was used to differentiate between entrance and exit wounds; as with handguns, a displacement of textile fibres was considered possible only in the direction of the shot. In the present study, the transfer of textile fibres from the entrance and exit regions into the bullet path was systematically investigated with the help of a skin-gelatine composite model. For this purpose, the skin of the bullet entrance and exit region was covered with textile fabric (jeans or jersey material), before conducting four test series of ten test shots each firing a 9-mm Parabellum full-jacketed projectile from a distance of 2 m. The length of the bullet track was 25 and 8 cm, respectively. Subsequently, the bullet tracks were microscopically investigated in sections for the presence of textile fibres. In all the investigated bullet tracks, textile fibres both from the entrance and exit regions could be demonstrated. The distribution pattern depended on the length of the bullet path and the extension of the temporary cavitation. The results are discussed in relation to the relevant literature.