Toolmark Identification Research Paper

Toolmark identification is defined as the identification of any toolmark as having come from a specific tool. Toolmark comparison of marks from a tire punctured with a knife. A toolmark is classified as any impression, cut, gouge, or abrasion caused by a tool coming in contact with a softer object. A toolmark is defined as the impression left by the contact of a tool (or a similar object) onto a surface. When the tool or object contacts the surface with sufficient force to create an indentation, the pattern of the tool is permanently reproduced onto that surface. Toolmarks examination is an important discipline of criminalistics . Its goal is to establish a link between a toolmark and the tool that created it. Such links are crucial in forensic sciences, as tools are often used in criminal activities, particularly in burglaries, and can help to identify a criminal. For example, when a burglar uses a pry bar to force entry into a house, the marks left by the tool on the door frame are direct evidence of the …show more content…
The slipped impression occurs as the tool drags or slides across the surface. The resulting toolmark is a series of striations running parallel to each other following the direction of the drag. For example, such impressions are created by slipping a key across the door of a vehicle, by cutting with a knife (not used in a sawing motion) through a given material, or by cutting an electrical wire using a pair of lineman's pliers. The molded impressions are the result of the contact of a tool onto a surface with no lateral motion (no drag nor slip). The resulting toolmarks are a three-dimensional mold of the part of the tool that contacted the surface. Examples of such impressions are the leverage of a door from its frame with a pry bar, or the serial number stamped onto a fire-arm's barrel. Some toolmarks are made of a combination of molded and slipped