Skin simulants for wound ballistic investigation - an experimental study

Area of Science:

• Forensic Science
• Biomaterials Science
• Ballistics

Background:

• Gunshot wound analysis is vital in medicolegal practice.
• Existing skin simulants often focus on biomechanical properties, with less emphasis on macromorphological characteristics.
• There is a need for reliable simulants that accurately replicate real-world gunshot injury features.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate various synthetic and natural materials as potential skin simulants for gunshot wound analysis.
• To compare the macromorphological characteristics of bullet impacts on these simulants with real gunshot injuries.
• To identify a superior simulant for wound ballistics research and medicolegal applications.

Main Methods:

• Tested over thirty materials, including ballistic gelatine, dental silicones, alginates, latex, and leather, for bullet impact characteristics.
• Fired full metal jacket (FMJ) projectiles (9×19mm Luger) at simulants perpendicularly and at 45° from 0.3m and 10m.
• Compared macroscopic wound features from simulant tests with data from actual medicolegal gunshot cases.

Main Results:

• Dental silicone (shore hardness 70) backed with 20% gelatine demonstrated highly comparable results to real gunshot entry wounds.
• This specific silicone-gelatine combination met general requirements for synthetic simulants.
• Macroscopically detectable criteria were key in identifying the most suitable simulant.

Conclusions:

• Dental silicone shore hardness 70, when backed with 20% gelatine, is a highly recommended skin simulant for wound ballistics examinations.
• This simulant provides a reliable and comparable model for studying gunshot entry wounds.
• The findings support the use of this material in forensic science and medical training.