U.S. flag
      An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.
        Here's how you know
      Here's how you know**Official websites use .gov**
            
            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
      **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
            
            A **lock** (
            A locked padlock
            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Menu

      
        close

            
            
                                              About NIJ
        
                    
  
          About NIJ
      
    
          The NIJ Director
          How NIJ Is Organized
          Mission and Guiding Principles
          Research and Development Process
          Strategic Framework
          Assessments of NIJ
          Annual Reports & Reports to Congress
          Staff Directory
          Funding & Awards
        
                    
  
          Funding & Awards
      
    
          Current Funding
          Forthcoming Funding
          Expired Funding
          Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
          Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
          Fellowship & Student Programs
          Travel Scholarships
          NIJ Challenge Program
          Library & Multimedia
        
                    
  
          Library & Multimedia
      
    
          NIJ Journal
          Podcasts
          Publications Listing
          Multimedia Listing
          Rated Practices on CrimeSolutions
          Rated Programs on CrimeSolutions
          Software & Databases
          Datasets
          Patents
          Topics
        
                    
  
          Topics
      
    
          Article Listing
          Corrections
          Courts
          Crime Prevention
          Crimes
          Drugs and Crime
          Equipment and Technology
          Forensic Sciences
          Youth Justice
          Justice System Reform
          Law Enforcement
          Tribal Crime and Justice
          Victims of Crime
          Events
        
                    
  
          Events
      
    
          NIJ 2024 Research Conference
          Scheduled Events
          On-Demand Events
          Research Meetings & Workshops
          NIJ-Hosted Online Training

                            
                                About
          Contact Us
          Subscribe
          Topics A-Z
                  Share
FacebookXLinkedInRedditPinterestEmail Home
                            Funding & Awards
 Predictive tools and experiments for blood backspatter: incorporating tissue simulants and muzzle gas interactions
Award Information
Awardee
              IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Award #
              15PNIJ-21-GG-04195-RESS
Funding Category
              Competitive Discretionary
Location
                    AMES, IA
Awardee County
              Story
Congressional District
              4
Status
              Open
Funding First Awarded
              2021
Total funding (to date)
              $713,519
Original Solicitation
              Research  and Development in Forensic Science for Criminal Justice Purposes, Fiscal Year 2021
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2021, $713,519)
The proposed project is an integrated modeling and experimental effort to improve the state of forensic bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA). Significant advances in modeling aim to incorporate the role of recently observed behavior for the formation (atomization) of liquid blood drops from (1) sheet breakup and (2) flow-induced breakup. Both of these mechanisms are expected to significantly alter the blood droplet size distribution, which will lead to cascading effects in the flight of these drops through air, and their ultimate formation of bloodstains when landing on surfaces. The models will improve upon current state-of-the-art knowledge, and provide a predictive capability incorporating the significant effects of muzzle gases at close- to mediumrange. Such predictive capability will provide the first quantitative comparison and validation with corresponding experimental bloodstain pattern and in-flight droplet measurements. The proposed effort will also examine the role of biological simulant materials in the production of backspatter. A direct comparison between postmortem pig brains and a series of cranial backspatter simulant materials will provide a guide for use of biological simulants in backspatter BPA testing. Configurations with biological simulant materials will be compared to a prior configuration using a simple blood cavity to directly establish the key mechanisms for production of bloodstain pattern material (tissue and blood). High-speed imaging measurements will provide for detailed measurements of the timescales of backspatter formation, flight, and allow for direct comparison with sampled bloodstain patterns. Finally, the high degree of variation in these complex interacting physical phenomena (blood atomization, interaction with turbulent muzzle gas jets, and biological variation) will be considered through comprehensive experimental datasets designed to establish the repeatability and variance in both simple blood cavity and simulated cranial backspatter configurations.



  
Grant-Funded Publications
        
                      Effect of Muzzle Gases on Forward Spatter of Viscoelastic Blood in Close-range Shooting
                  Applications of fluid dynamics and mechanics of continua in forensics
                  Penetrating gunshots to the head after close-range shooting: Dynamics of waves and the effect of brain tissue rheology
                  Rheology of brain tissue and hydrogels: A novel hyperelastic and viscoelastic model for forensic applications
                  Effect of secondary atomization on blood backspatter affected by muzzle gases
                  Effect of muzzle gas on forward blood spatter from a gunshot: Experiments with a supersonic de Laval nozzle

  
Date Created: December 9, 2021
    
          Side navigation
  

        

  
  
              Current Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Forthcoming Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Expired Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
    
      
            
            
            
      Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
    
      
            
            
            
      Fellowship & Student Programs
    
      
            
            
            
      Travel Scholarships
    
      
            
            
            
      NIJ Challenge ProgramSimilar Awards
        
                      Community-Led Learning: A Collaborative Approach to Training and Technical Assistance for Violent Crime Problem Analyses
                  Nanoparticle-Decorated Micropillars As Integrated Raman Spectroscopy and Mass Spectrometry Substrates for Quantitative and High-Throughput Toxicology Drug Analysis
                  Exploring how survivor perspectives and priorities are reflected in the use and implementation of Extreme Risk Protective Orders to address intimate partner violence
 Top

      National Institute of Justice

        
        
                        About NIJ
                    About NIJ
      
    
                  How NIJ Is Organized
      
    
                  NIJ Director
      
    
                  Research Disclaimer
      
    
                  Funding & Awards
                    Funding & Awards Home
      
    
                  Awards Listing
      
    
                  Current Funding
      
    
                  Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
      
    
                  Resources
                    Events
      
    
                  Podcasts
      
    
                  Publications
      
    
                  Topics
      
    
                  Multimedia
      
    
                  Reuse Policy
      
    
                  Contacts
                    Contact NIJ
      
    
                  Staff Directory
      
    
                  Submit a FOIA Request
      
    
                  File a Civil Rights ComplaintFacebook
          
                      X
          
                      YouTube
  

      810 7th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20531
      
              Secondary Footer link menu
            Accessibility
              Plain Language
              Privacy Policy
              Legal Policies and Disclaimer
              No FEAR Act
              Freedom of Information Act
              USA.gov
              Justice.gov