Airgun Research Articles

Effects of inter- and intraindividual compensation-sensitive shot styles on performance in Olympic air rifle shooting

Background: Aiming point analysis systems (APAS) are commonly used in sports shooting but face four main challenges: they do not account for intra-session variations, they overlook inter-individual shooter preferences, they ignore compensation mechanisms of technical features, and they do not respect the real shot location at the target. Methods: To address the first three challenges, we developed and validated an automated approach detector algorithm (ADA) for movement phase detection. When compared to three independent expert ratings, the ADA demonstrated a high correlation (r = .811). Building on the ADA and addressing challenge 3 and 4, this study applied cluster-analysis and ANOVA to determine the performance relevance of compensation-sensitive shot styles using datasets from a single athlete and 26 advanced to elite level athletes. Results: Significant performance differences in shot styles for both datasets, with each shot style distinctively differing from the others could be found. Conclusions: Shot styles which allow for compensation and intra-individual movement phase differences exhibit performance variations. Coaches and athletes should emphasize holistic training, focusing on combinations of features that allow for compensation.

Male humpback whales switch to singing in the presence of seismic air guns

Ocean noise produced by seismic exploration has been implicated in causing changes in baleen whale hearing, physiology, feeding, breeding, and migratory behaviours. Here, we observed changes in the mating tactics of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) during a one-hour exposure to nearby seismic air guns. Males employ a conditional mating strategy where they switch between singing and non-singing tactics. Singing is presumably an advertisement signal, while non-singing behaviours include seeking out and joining with females as well as forming competitive groups. During periods of active air guns, the number of male singing whales increased, and singers were more likely to be observed joining females. Conversely, non-singing males were less likely to engage in joining interactions suggesting that active air guns caused a switch in male breeding tactics. Though we cannot translate these effects into changes in breeding success, this indicates that seismic exploration has the potential to alter breeding behaviours in baleen whales.

Perspectives on Adhesive–Bolted Hybrid Connection between Fe Shape Memory Alloys and Concrete Structures for Active Reinforcements

The prestressed active reinforcement of concrete structures using iron-based shape memory alloys (Fe-SMAs) is investigated in this experimental study through three connecting methods: adhesive–bolted hybrid connection, bolted connection, and adhesively bonded connection by activating at elevated temperatures (heating and cooling) and constraining deformation to generate prestress inside Fe-SMAs, through which compressive stress is generated in the parent concrete structures. In tests, the Fe-SMA is activated at 250 °C using a hot air gun, generating a prestress of 184.6–246 MPa. The experimental results show that local stress concentration in the concrete specimen and Fe-SMA plate around the hole is caused by the bolted connection. The adhesively bonded connection is prone to softening and slip of the structural adhesive during the activation process, thereby reducing the overall recovery force of Fe-SMAs. The adhesive–bolted hybrid connection effectively mitigates the local stress concentration problem of concrete and Fe-SMAs at anchor holes, while avoiding the prestress loss caused by the softening and slip of structural adhesive during elevated-temperature activation, achieving good reinforcement effect. This study on the connection methods of an Fe-SMA for reinforcing concrete structures provides both experimental support and practical guidance for its engineering application, offering new perspectives for future research.

Sacrificial of Unilateral Vertebral Artery for Fragment Removal Following Vertebral Artery Injury by Air Rifle Pellet Gunshot: A Case Report

Sacrificial of Unilateral Vertebral Artery for Fragment Removal Following Vertebral Artery Injury by Air Rifle Pellet Gunshot: A Case Report

Interlaminar fracture toughness of metal/composite bonded joints under high-speed mode I loading considering the elastic vibration

In the present work, the mode I fracture toughness at the initiation of a crack in a metal-composite bonded joint under high-speed loading is calculated, considering the effect of the elastic vibration of the specimen. A new hybrid analytical-experimental method is developed, which integrates kinematics from Digital Image Correlation (DIC) analysis to an analytical model to determine the fracture toughness and its individual components. The analytical model is based on Timoshenko beam theory and incorporates a Lagrangian contact formulation. The conditions under which the hybrid method can be applied are analysed. The experiments are conducted on a novel test set-up, featuring a wedge accelerated by a projectile from an air gun that is able to load the Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) specimen with an opening displacement rate up to 2m/s. The results reveal a correlation between the fracture toughness, the displacement rate, and the vibrational characteristics of the specimen.

Systematic Evaluation of Adhesion and Fracture Toughness in Multi-Material Fused Deposition Material Extrusion.

Material extrusion (MEX) additive manufacturing has successfully fabricated assembly-free structures composed of different materials processed in the same manufacturing cycle. Materials with different mechanical properties can be employed for the fabrication of bio-inspired structures (i.e., stiff materials connected to soft materials), which are appealing for many fields, such as bio-medical and soft robotics. In the present paper, process parameters and 3D printing strategies are presented to improve the interfacial adhesion between carbon fiber-reinforced nylon (CFPA) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), which are extruded in the same manufacturing cycle using a multi-material MEX setup. To achieve our goal, a double cantilever beam (DCB) test was used to evaluate the mode I fracture toughness. The results show that the application of a heating gun (assembled near the nozzle) provides a statistically significant increase in mean fracture toughness energy from 12.3 kJ/m2 to 33.4 kJ/m2. The underlying mechanism driving this finding was further investigated by quantifying porosity at the multi-material interface using an X-ray computed tomography (CT) system, in addition to quantifying thermal history. The results show that using both bead ironing and the hot air gun during the printing process leads to a reduction of 24% in the average void volume fraction. The findings from the DCB test and X-ray CT analysis agree well with the polymer healing theory, in which an increased thermal history led to an increased fracture toughness at the multi-material interface. Moreover, this study considers the thermal history of each printed layer to correlate the measured debonding energy with results obtained using the reptation theory.

Characterisation of grunt sound pressure level from spawning Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua)

ABSTRACT Since sound from Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) plays a significant role during their spawning activities, it is imperative to gain insights into their sound pressure levels. This knowledge is particularly valuable for understanding how cod responds to anthropogenic sounds, such as the intense sound from seismic air guns. In field experiments within sea cages using multiple instruments, including underwater cameras, a hydrophone, and an underwater acoustic vector sensor (AVS), the source level of cod grunts was scientifically measured. The measurements yielded an estimated median source level of 123.1 dB re 1 µPa at 1 m (121.8–124.2 dB, 95% confidence interval). The compact AVS measured collocated acoustic pressure and acoustic particle motions in three dimensions, providing valuable information regarding acoustic directionality in addition to sound pressure. This directional information assists in detecting the grunt bearing, estimating probable grunt propagation ranges, and subsequently reducing uncertainties associated with the estimation of the grunt source level. These experiments have demonstrated the AVS measured the cod vocalisations with directional information and can be potentially broadly used in other marine bioacoustics monitoring and tracking research.

Stretchable Piezoresistive Pressure Sensor Array with Sophisticated Sensitivity, Strain-Insensitivity, and Reproducibility.

This study delves into the development of a novel 10 by 10 sensor array featuring 100 pressure sensor pixels, achieving remarkable sensitivity up to 888.79kPa-1, through the innovative design of sensor structure. The critical challenge of strain sensitivity inherent is addressed in stretchable piezoresistive pressure sensors, a domain that has seen significant interest due to their potential for practical applications. This approach involves synthesizing and electrospinning polybutadiene-urethane (PBU), a reversible cross-linking polymer, subsequently coated with MXene nanosheets to create a conductive fabric. This fabrication technique strategically enhances sensor sensitivity by minimizing initial current values and incorporating semi-cylindrical electrodes with Ag nanowires (AgNWs) selectively coated for optimal conductivity. The application of a pre-strain method to electrode construction ensures strain immunity, preserving the sensor's electrical properties under expansion. The sensor array demonstrated remarkable sensitivity by consistently detecting even subtle airflow from an air gun in a wind sensing test, while a novel deep learning methodology significantly enhanced the long-term sensing accuracy of polymer-based stretchable mechanical sensors, marking a major advancement in sensor technology. This research presents a significant step forward in enhancing the reliability and performance of stretchable piezoresistive pressure sensors, offering a comprehensive solution to their current limitations.

FİZİKİ MƏHDUDLUĞU OLAN ATICILARIN MƏŞQ PROSESİ ÜÇÜN SƏMƏRƏLİ VASİTƏ VƏ METODLARIN TƏYİNİ

Determination of Effective Tools and Methods for the Training Process of Physically Disabled Shooters Summary The topic we are addressing has been relevant for almost all time. We are talking about people with physical disabilities. It is a fact that this issue will always be on the agenda of the society as long as humanity exists. Disability is not only the result of certain unpleasant events, but also a consequence of birth. That is, this urgent issue is approached from a medical point of view. A more important issue is the rehabilitation of disabled people, their integration into society. As one of the main means of effectively organizing the leisure time of the disabled, sports has attracted great interest among the disabled. Key words: shooting, air pistol, training process, physical limitation, instability, efficient tool, method

Analysis of Bullet Impact Locations in the 10 m Air Pistol Men’s Competition Based on Covariance

The purpose of this study was to quantify the bullet impact locations of the men’s 10 m air pistol competition and propose objective metrics for evaluating shooting techniques. We automatically collected data from the top 20 competitors’ shooting results using computer vision techniques. Metrics such as x-variance, y-variance, covariance, x-mean, y-mean, root mean square error (RMSE), x-mean score, and y-mean score were computed to investigate correlations among rankings, left–right and up–down shot groups, aiming relationships, and precision. Covariance analysis revealed significant interactions between horizontal and vertical aiming, highlighting the importance of balanced coordination between these directions for high performance. Athletes with lower covariance values, indicating less variation between horizontal and vertical aiming, tended to achieve higher rankings. Additionally, top-ranked athletes exhibited lower RMSE values, underscoring the importance of precision in achieving high scores. In conclusion, this study analyzed the correlation between x and y through covariance, examined its relationship with competition rankings, and proposed new indicators for training and performance enhancement. This study is novel in that it provides quantitative data to correct poor aiming and shooting habits by performing a covariance-based bidirectional correlation analysis, rather than simply analyzing bullet impact locations in a single horizontal or vertical direction. Our approach establishes a foundation for more data-driven and objective evaluations in the sport of shooting.

Event Based Cameras: A Comparative Study For Fluid Event Detection

A feasibility study using an event-based camera for the detection of plane-wise motion of a 2D array of bio-inspired sensing pillars to detect generated flow events. EBCs show potential for future applications where PIV may have been classically used. They have the benefit of only generating data when an event happens and with comparatively cheaper setups, they hold great potential for flow monitoring. EBCs collect pixel x and y locations, as well as pixel contrast change data at each time there is an event and can be trained on regions of interest. Comparative experiments were carried out in the labs at City, University of London, to investigate the feasibility of using EBCs for the detection of generated large flow structures in both air and water. The disturbances were produced by a gust generator, an upstream cylinder and an air gun for a variety of controlled situations, such as disturbances caused by gusts, crossflows and wake downstream oscillations. Some results were also compared to known PIV results from our lab to see how EBCs can detect a known flow structure over the sensing pillars. The results presented demonstrate the capability of the pillars and EBC to detect large flow structures. These initial results show promise for future applications of flow monitoring, such as real-time flow monitoring via a machine learning algorithm that is trained to detect certain flow patterns over the sensing pillars. This would be an intermediate step into a fully automated flow control loop.

Philippine Warty Pig Sus philippensis Nehring, 1886: level of awareness and conservation practices in Datal Bad, West Lamidan, Don Marcelino, Davao Occidental, Philippines

The Philippines is a biodiversity hotspot with four endemic wild pig species. The Philippine Warty Pig is a medium to large size mammal that is usually solitary. They commonly exhibit crop raiding behavior, and hunting by farmers and poachers decreases populations of this species, which is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This study was conducted to determine the level of awareness of Philippine Warty Pig conservation practices among locals in sitio Datal Bad, West Lamidan, Don Marcelino Davao Occidental, Philippines. Responses (N = 50) were gathered by a survey questionnaire. Respondents were highly aware of Philippine Warty Pigs and policies toward wildlife conservation. They reported hunting pigs using air guns ‘sorit’, bow and arrow ‘papana’, harpoon ‘bangkaw’, and snare ‘lit-ag’. The respondents added that they performed religious rituals and farming that may pose threats to Philippine Warty Pigs. They also manifested a willingness to work with government and academic institutions to enhance knowledge about conservation of pigs and other wildlife in their locality.

Evaluation of gunshot injuries to long bones from pneumatic weapons using a human thigh model. Part II. Presentation and discussion of the detailed results of tests of gunshots of the anterior surface of the femur with 5.5 mm and 6.35 mm caliber shot.

The development of pneumatic shooting has led to the construction of technologically advanced devices with discharge energies similar to those of firearms. The pneumatic weapons ammunition market offers a variety of shot which varies in penetration properties and the extent of gunshot damage. In view of the ease of "tuning" of air rifles, a study was conducted of the inlet damage to the anterior femoral surface after pneumatic gunshots. The paper shows the differences in damage parameters depending on the type of shot. In the study, Air Arms Hi-Power Xtra FAC cal. 5.5 mm and FX Bobcat Mk II cal. 6.35 mm pneumatic carbines were used and lead shot by Haendler&Natterman's Spitzkugel type, Hollow Point and Baracuda cal. 5.5 mm and 6.35 mm, as well as lead-free shot Excite Apollo cal. 5.5 mm and Black Max Lead-Free cal. 6.35 mm. Measurements were taken of the extent of inlet damage to the anterior surface of the femoral shaft with X-ray and CT imaging. HollowPoint shot caused the greatest range of gunshot penetration damage in both bone and periosteum, Apollo lead-free shot caused the least. At the same time, HollowPoint shot showed the greatest susceptibility to ricocheting. 1. The type of shot used influences diversified morphology of the holes and the nature of gunshot damage to the femoral shaft. The differences concern both the gunshot holes and the nature, course and extent of associated fractures. 2. The smallest inlet holes and damage to the periosteum with a regular shape are caused by gunshots with pointed and pointed tip pellets. The greatest extent of bone and periosteum inlet damage was observed in gunshots with Hollow Point type shot due to its predisposition to deformation and fragmentation. 3. Radio-imaging studies are a valuable complement to macroscopic visual assessment providing a useful value for identifying the type of shot used.

Reassessing Air Rifles In New Zealand and Their Potential to Cause Lethal Thoracic Injury

Reassessing Air Rifles In New Zealand and Their Potential to Cause Lethal Thoracic Injury

Impact of hot air gun soldering process parameters on the electromechanical properties of electronic yarn

Researchers now confirm that the market for electronic textiles, or ‘E-textiles,’ will rise rapidly. One method of creating e-textiles is the integration of electronics with textiles. Several techniques were used to combine electronics with conductive textile. One of the best methods for connecting electronics to conductive textile fabrics is soldering. Because of this, it is important to look into how the soldering process parameter affects the developed e-textile’s characteristics. In the research paper presented, the effects of temperature, speed of hot air, and amount of paste size of hot air gun re-flow soldering parameters on the electromechanical properties of surface mount device (SMD) embedded electronic yarn were examined. Three main soldering parameters at four different levels were selected based on the preliminary test results involving the soldering of the tiny SMD into CLEVERTEX electrically conductive hybrid yarn. The result shows that soldering of SMD into CLEVERTEX electrically conductive hybrid yarn provided a higher conductivity with 10-ohm DC resistance. Statistical analyses were also carried out to prove the significant effect of the temperature on changing electrical resistance at, α = 0.5, with an F-value of 0.27 and a p value of .036. While the effects of different amounts of solder paste size on the electrical resistance were not statistically significant at α = 0.5, with an F-value of 0.27 and a p value of .84. Moreover, the tensile strength of the developed e-yarn was affected by the hot air soldering parameters. Furthermore, the developments of e-yarn using hot air gun soldering was pronounced in more extreme process conditions, which revealed that there was a strong interaction between the solder temperature, solder paste volume and solder speed. Furthermore, this approach made it easier to generate the optimum quality of e-yarn needed to continue creating prototype electronic textiles.

Evaluating a Controlled Electromagnetic Launcher for Safe Remote Drug Delivery

Biologists and veterinarians rely on dart projectors to inject animals with drugs, take biopsies from specimens, or inject tracking chips. Firearms, air guns, and other launchers are limited in their ability to precisely control the kinetic energy of a projectile, which can injure the animal if too high. In order to improve the safety of remote drug delivery, a lidar-modulated electromagnetic launcher and a soft drug delivery dart were prototyped. A single-stage revolver coilgun and soft dart were designed and tested at distances up to 8 m. With a coil efficiency of 2.25%, the launcher could consistently deliver a projectile at a controlled kinetic energy of 1.00 ± 0.006 J and an uncontrolled kinetic energy of 2.66 ± 0.076 J. Although modifications to charging time, sensors, and electronics could improve performance, our launcher performed at the required level at the necessary distances. The precision achieved with commercial components enables many other applications, from law enforcement to manufacturing.

Event-triggered background-oriented schlieren: high-frequency visualization of a heated jet flow.

This Letter reports a novel, to our knowledge, event-triggered background-oriented schlieren (EBOS) technique using a combination of an event-triggered camera and pulsed laser speckle projection. The BOS images are reconstructed using the event data generated by the pulsed laser speckle projection and then processed to obtain the density and temperature distribution of the flow. This technique enables continuous visualization and recording of flows at kFPS frame rates with a very low cost, breaking through the short operating times of existing high-frame-rate BOSs. To examine the event-triggered BOS technique, tests are conducted on a hot air gun. The measured temperature distribution coincides with the thermocouple data with an error of no more than 10.8%. Measurements taken during the start-up of the hot air gun demonstrate that the presented technique can measure the evolution of the jet temperature for at least 150 s, as well as capture the localized unsteady turbulent structure in the heated jet flow.

Rapid Prototyping of Anomalous Reflective Metasurfaces Using Spray-Coated Liquid Metal.

Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) have the potential to improve wireless communication links by dynamically redirecting signals to dead spots. Although a reconfigurable surface is best suited for environments in which the reflected signal must be dynamically steered, there are cases where a static, non-reconfigurable anomalous reflective metasurface can suffice. In this work, spray-coated liquid metal is used to rapidly prototype an anomalous reflective metasurface. Using a pressurized air gun and a plastic thin-film mask, a metasurface consisting of a 6 × 4 array of Galinstan liquid-metal elements is sprayed within minutes. The metasurface produces a reflected wave at an angle of 28° from normal in response to a normal incident 3.5-GHz electromagnetic plane wave. The spray-coated liquid-metal metasurface shows comparable results to an anomalous reflective metasurface with copper elements of the same dimensions, demonstrating that this liquid-metal fabrication process is a viable solution for the rapid prototyping of anomalous reflective metasurfaces.

FİZİKİ MƏHDUDLUĞU OLAN ATICILARIN İDMAN MƏŞQİNİN İDARƏ OLUNMASI

Management of Sports Training of Shooters with Physical Limitations Summary In one of the articles of the convention "On the rights of the disabled" adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2006, it is reflected in giving disabled people the opportunity to spend leisure and rest time together with other people, to participate in sports events. In order to solve the tasks arising from this article, opportunities have been created for the disabled to engage in various sports sections. People with various physical disabilities (restrictions) work in these units. Physically disabled (limited) athletes engaged in shooting sports have won certain achievements by performing in national and international level competitions. However, there are certain problems in the organization and conduct of training with such athletes. From this point of view, it is important to develop the methodology of training with physically disabled shooters. The article talks about various operations performed by the coach with the active participation of shooters, which are the basis of sports training management of shooters with physical limitations. Key words: shooting, air pistol, training process, physical limitation, management, activity

Technical determinants of air rifle and pistol shooting performance: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The study aimed to investigate the influence of key technical determinants on shooting performance in both air rifle and pistol shooting disciplines. Following a systematic search across four databases (PubMed, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, and Cochrane Library), a total of 22 articles were included. The findings indicate that there was a significant correlation between the stability of hold component, as measured by DEV_X ( r = −0.60; 95% confidence interval (CI) = −0.69 to −0.49; p < 0.001) and HITf ( r = 0.69; 95% CI = 0.56 to 0.79; p < 0.001) and shooting performance in both shooting disciplines. In addition, HITr, another stability component, revealed a significant positive correlation for shooting performance ( r = 0.60; 95% CI = 0.35 to 0.77; p < 0.001) in air pistol shooting. Furthermore, in both disciplines, there was a significant positive correlation between shooting performance and measures of aiming accuracy such as COGhit ( r = 0.64; 95% CI = 0.49 to 0.75; p < 0.001), Targetf ( r = 0.75; 95% CI = 0.63 to 0.84; p < 0.001), and Targetr ( r = 0.60; 95% CI = 0.33 to 0.78; p < 0.001). In both disciplines, there was a strong negative correlation between the cleanliness of triggering and shooting performance ( r = −0.63; 95% CI = −0.75 to −0.48; p < 0.001). Time on target measure significantly correlated with shooting performance ( r = 0.52; 95% CI = 0.31 to 0.68; p < 0.001) across both disciplines. The relationship between postural balance and shooting performance in air rifle shooting was negative, indicating that better postural balance is associated with improved shooting ( r = −0.53; 95% CI = −0.69 to −0.33; p < 0.001). This review emphasizes the significance of various technical components in both air rifle and pistol disciplines.