Citation

Aronson A, Zidon Y, Cohen Y, Finkelstein N. Forensic Sci. Int. 2019; 306: e110053.

Affiliation

Toolmarks and Materials Laboratory, Division of Identification and Forensic Science, Israel Police Headquarters, Jerusalem, Israel.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.forsciint.2019.110053

PMID

31778925

Abstract

After a car accident, it is an important forensic task to evaluate the status of the vehicle's lighting at the time of impact. In some cases, the bulb has to be opened up to allow proper examination of the high and low beam filaments. Quartz halogen pressurized bulbs are both rigid and brittle and their internal pressure makes them likelier to explode. This study aimed to develop a more elegant method of breaking halogen bulbs open that would minimize the danger of explosion and the risk of damaging the filaments in the process. As part of the study, several opening methods were tried on multiple pressurized quartz halogen bulbs, such as cutting a groove with a hacksaw or a rotary tool, using a propane torch on the bulb to cut or warm it and then cooling it rapidly. Repeated testing by several examiners has shown that the new method developed in this study is the safest and easiest compared with other established methods.

Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Bulb filament examination; Forensic science; Halogen bulb; Opening method; Vehicle crash investigation