The effects of crossbow impacts onto a common automotive vehicle side window—a preliminary study

Critchley, R.; Standbridge, K.; Peare, A.

Abstract

In recent times, the number of criminal incidents involving crossbows in the UK has increased with many incidents resulting in either injuries or fatalities. Whilst the effects of crossbow bolts on the body are well understood, there is a limited understanding on how these projectiles interact with the wider environment. One area of particular interest is the interaction between common vehicle side windows and bolts. In this study, the penetrability of two distinct bolts using an off-the-shelve crossbow against a common automotive side window was explored, where velocity loss up to 25 m/s post impact was recorded. All windows failed through radial glass fracture at a rate up to 1600 m/s, whilst bolt damage varied from tip holder decoupling, shaft damage, and traumatic fletching removal. No distinct relationship between bolt type, velocity, and window damage was identified.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 7, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Nov 7, 2019
• Publication Date: Jul 1, 2020
• Deposit Date: Sep 7, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 7, 2020
• Journal: International Journal of Legal Medicine
• Print ISSN: 0937-9827
• Electronic ISSN: 1437-1596
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 134
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 1395-1401
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-019-02171-5
• Keywords: Pathology and Forensic Medicine; Crossbow; Impact; Glass; Automotive Glass; Bolts
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/6253441
• Related Public URLs: https://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/14747
• Additional Information: Received: 27 June 2019; Accepted: 7 October 2019; First Online: 7 November 2019