LabRadar
Definition
A Doppler radar chronograph measuring bullet velocity continuously from muzzle to several hundred metres, producing a velocity-distance profile. No physical contact with the weapon; used in forensic reconstruction when velocity at an estimated distance (not just muzzle) is required.
- Technology
- Doppler radar chronograph
- Measures
- Bullet velocity from muzzle to several hundred metres
- Output
- Velocity-distance profile
- Contact
- No physical contact with the weapon
Common questions
Why would a reconstruction need velocity at a distance rather than just muzzle velocity?+
Bullets decelerate as they travel, so estimating striking velocity or energy at the actual range of a shooting requires the velocity-distance profile rather than the muzzle figure alone, which only applies at the barrel.
How does a Doppler chronograph like LabRadar differ from a traditional two-screen chronograph?+
A traditional chronograph measures velocity at one fixed point by timing the bullet between two sensors, while a Doppler unit tracks the bullet continuously along its flight path, producing a full deceleration curve instead of a single value.
Related terms
- Greenhill Formula
- Alfred Greenhill's 1879 empirical formula for the minimum barrel-twist rate to gyroscopically stabilise a bullet of given length and calibre. Uses a...
- Heydenreich Model
- A parameterised internal-ballistic model incorporating propellant specific force, burn-rate coefficients, and chamber volume. More physically grounded than Le Duc; the conceptual ancestor...
- IBHVG2
- Interior Ballistics of High Velocity Guns version 2; a US Army Research Laboratory code implementing the Lagrange pressure-gradient model for large-calibre and...
- Le Duc Model
- An empirical algebraic formula (1873) relating muzzle velocity to peak chamber pressure via two calibration constants. Produces velocity estimates within 3-5% of...
- Miller Stability Formula
- A dimensionless stability factor (Sg) formulation published by Donald Miller in 2005, calibrated for modern spitzer bullets. Sg greater than or equal...
- Oehler Model 35P
- A dual-screen optical chronograph (plus proof channel) widely used in US forensic and manufacturer testing. Accurate to within 0.2% of reading. The...
- PRODAS
- Projectile / Rocket Design and Analysis System; a US Army Research Laboratory / Arrow Tech Associates lumped-parameter code integrating internal, external, and...