Patent Grant
12157044
Baseball and softball governing bodies have imposed various bat performance limits over the years with the goal of regulating batted ball speeds. Each association generally independently develops various standards and methods to achieve a desired level of play.
During repeated use of bats made from composite materials, the matrix or resin of the composite material tends to crack and the fibers tend to stretch or break. Sometimes the composite material develops interlaminar failures, which involve plies or layers of composite materials in a composite bat separating or delaminating from each other along a failure plane between the layers. This break-in tends to reduce stiffness and increase the elasticity or trampoline effect of a bat against a ball, which tends to temporarily increase bat performance.
As a bat breaks in, and before it fully fails (for example, before the bat wall experiences a through-thickness failure), it may exceed performance limitations specified by a governing body, such as limitations related to batted ball speed. Some such limitations are specifically aimed at regulating the performance of a bat that has been broken in from normal use (such as BBCOR, or “Bat-Ball Coefficient of Restitution”).
Some unscrupulous players choose to intentionally break in composite bats to increase performance. Intentional break-in processes may be referred to as accelerated break-in (ABI) and may include techniques such as “rolling” a bat or otherwise compressing it, or generating hard hits to the bat with an object other than a ball. Such processes tend to be more abusive than break-in during normal use. A rolled or otherwise intentionally broken-in bat may temporarily exceed limitations established by a governing body. Accordingly, unscrupulous users may be able to perform an ABI procedure to increase performance without causing catastrophic failure of the bat that would render it useless.
Representative embodiments of the present technology include a ball bat with a handle, a barrel attached to or continuous with the handle along a longitudinal axis of the bat, and a reduced-durability region positioned in the barrel. The reduced-durability region may include two adjacent stacks of composite laminate plies, wherein the stacks are spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal axis to form a first gap therebetween. A separation ply may be positioned in the first gap between the stacks. In some embodiments, the separation ply may include a composite fiber mat. In some embodiments, the separation ply may include a release ply. In some embodiments, the separation ply includes a non-woven fiber mat material. At least one cap ply element may be positioned around an end of one of the stacks. In some embodiments, an axis of the first gap is oriented at an oblique angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the bat. In some embodiments, at least one of the stacks includes one or more fibrous bundles, the one or more fibrous bundles being oriented transverse to the at least one of the stacks and extending at least partially circumferentially about the barrel.
The barrel may further include an outwardly facing skin facing away from the barrel and an inwardly facing skin facing an interior hollow region of the barrel. At least one of the outwardly facing skin or the inwardly facing skin may include a discontinuity forming a second gap in the at least one of the outwardly facing skin or the inwardly facing skin along the longitudinal axis, the first gap and the second gap being connected to each other. A cover layer may be positioned over the second gap. The cover layer may include carbon fiber composite.
In some embodiments, a ring element may be positioned in a gap between the stacks. The ring element may include a rigid or semi-rigid material. A first bond between the ring element and adjacent composite matrix material may be weaker than a second bond between the composite laminate plies in each of the stacks. In some embodiments, the ring element may have a rectangular or otherwise elongated cross-section that is oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the ball bat. In some embodiments, the ring element may have a cross-section that is oriented at an oblique angle relative to the longitudinal axis. In some embodiments, the ring element may have a triangular cross-section, a square cross-section, or other cross-sectional shapes.
The reduced-durability region may include one or more composite laminate plies positioned between the ring element and at least one of an outwardly facing skin or an inwardly facing skin of the ball bat. In some embodiments, the reduced-durability region may further include a second ring element, which may be spaced apart from the first ring element, with a composite laminate ply therebetween, or the second ring element may be attached to the first ring element. In some embodiments, the second ring element may be attached to the first ring element with a bond or other connection that is configured to fail under a stress that is less than a stress that would cause failure of a bond between composite laminate plies in the stacks.
Other features and advantages will appear hereinafter. The features described above can be used separately or together, or in various combinations of one or more of them.
In the drawings, wherein the same reference number indicates the same element throughout the views:
The present technology is directed to ball bats with reduced-durability regions for deterring alteration, and associated systems and methods. Various embodiments of the technology will now be described. The following description provides specific details for a thorough understanding and enabling description of these embodiments. One skilled in the art will understand, however, that the invention may be practiced without many of these details. Additionally, some well-known structures or functions, such as structures or functions common to ball bats and composite materials, may not be shown or described in detail so as to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the relevant description of the various embodiments. Accordingly, embodiments of the present technology may include additional elements or exclude some of the elements described below with reference to
The terminology used in the description presented below is intended to be interpreted in its broadest reasonable manner, even though it is being used in conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific embodiments of the invention. Certain terms may even be emphasized below; however, any terminology intended to be interpreted in any restricted manner will be overtly and specifically defined as such in this detailed description section.
Where the context permits, singular or plural terms may also include the plural or singular term, respectively. Moreover, unless the word “or” is expressly limited to mean only a single item exclusive from the other items in a list of two or more items, then the use of “or” in such a list is to be interpreted as including (a) any single item in the list, (b) all of the items in the list, or (c) any combination of items in the list. Further, unless otherwise specified, terms such as “attached” or “connected” are intended to include integral connections, as well as connections between physically separate components.
Specific details of several embodiments of the present technology are described herein with reference to baseball or softball. The technology may also be used in other sporting good implements or in other sports or industries in which it may be desirable to discourage tampering, damage, or overuse in composites or other structures. Conventional aspects of ball bats and composite materials may be described in reduced detail herein for efficiency and to avoid obscuring the present disclosure of the technology. In various embodiments, a number of different composite materials suitable for use in ball bats may be used, including, for example, composites formed from carbon fiber, fiberglass, aramid fibers, or other composite materials or combinations of matrices, resins, fibers, laminates, and meshes forming composite materials.
Turning now to the drawings,
The bat 100 may have any suitable dimensions. For example, the bat 100 may have an overall length of 20 to 40 inches, or 26 to 34 inches. The overall barrel diameter may be 2.0 to 3.0 inches, or 2.25 to 2.75 inches. Typical ball bats have diameters of 2.25, 2.625, or 2.75 inches. Bats having various combinations of these overall lengths and barrel diameters, or any other suitable dimensions, are contemplated herein. The specific preferred combination of bat dimensions is generally dictated by the user of the bat 100, and may vary greatly among users.
The barrel portion 110 may be constructed with one or more composite materials. Some examples of suitable composite materials include plies reinforced with fibers of carbon, glass, graphite, boron, aramid (such as Kevlar®), ceramic, or silica (such as Astroquartz®). The handle portion 120 may be constructed from the same materials as, or different materials than, the barrel portion 110. In a two-piece ball bat, for example, the handle portion 120 may be constructed from a composite material (the same or a different material than that used to construct the barrel portion 110), a metal material, or any other material suitable for use in a striking implement such as the bat 100.
A reduced-durability region 230 may include two or more stacks 240 of plies 250 of laminate materials positioned on each side of a discontinuity or gap region 260 inside the wall 200. Although the gap region 260 is described as being located between two or more stacks 240, the gap region 260 may also be considered a discontinuity in what would otherwise be a continuous single stack 240 of plies 250. Although five plies 250 are illustrated in each stack 240, any suitable number of plies 250 may form each stack 240, and the stacks 240 may have different quantities of plies 250 from each other. In various embodiments, the plies 250 forming the stacks 240 may be formed from any material or materials suitable for use in ball bats, striking implements, or other equipment, including, for example, carbon fiber in a matrix, glass fiber in a matrix, aramid fibers in a matrix, or other composite materials or combinations of matrices, resins, fibers, or meshes forming composite laminate layers, including other composite materials described herein. The plies 250, the outwardly facing skin 220, and the inwardly facing skin 210 may be formed from pre-impregnated material cured in a mold. In some embodiments, resin transfer molding processes may be used to form the various layers of embodiments of the technology.
In a conventional bat that does not include a gap region 260 (in other words, in a bat with a continuous stack of plies), stresses in the bat wall would generally be distributed along the length of the plies (generally along a longitudinal axis of the bat). In such a conventional bat, forces from impact or other stresses would generally cause the plies to delaminate from each other. The gap region 260 focuses or directs the stress concentration between the stacks 240, thereby creating a new failure plane in addition to existing failure modes, such as delamination. For example, when a bat is rolled or otherwise tampered with, or when a bat has been overly broken in or overused, the wall 200 may break through and along the gap region 260, such as along the Z-axis (labeled “z”) of the bat wall 200 or otherwise along a path between the inwardly facing skin 210 and the outwardly facing skin 220. Such a break may cause the wall 200 to fail (destroying the bat) before significant delamination occurs that would otherwise improve performance (including performance that may violate league or organization rules or is otherwise undesirable). In other words, the gap region 260 weakens the strength of the wall 200 along the Z-axis such that it is weaker than the axial (along the longitudinal axis of the bat) interlaminar strength.
In some bats with gaps or discontinuities between stacks of plies, the gap may be too strong or too narrow to reliably provide such a break after overuse or abuse. In other words, in some bats with gap regions that are too strong, delamination may occur to a significant (or undesirable) degree before a break in the gap region causes total failure of the wall. For example, during the molding process for a composite bat with a gap (such as the gap region 260), plies (such as the plies 250) may move, narrowing or even closing the gap, which may delay or disrupt the failure along the gap. According to embodiments of the present technology, to prevent such movement and to lower the energy needed to trigger the thickness failure along the gap region 260 to a level at which the thickness failure occurs before the plies 250 in the stacks 240 delaminate, an appliance such as a separation ply 270 may be positioned in the gap region 260.
The appliance, such as the separation ply 270, also reduces or prevents interweaving, nesting, or bonding of the stacks 240 across the gap region 260, thereby resisting or preventing an undesirable increase in strength at the gap region 260 relative to a gap without such a separation ply 270. For example, if the separation ply 270 allows some bonding between the stacks 240, the gap region 260 may be stronger. If the separation ply 270 is a barrier, it may allow only minimal bonding or no bonding at all across the gap region 260, resulting in a weaker gap region 260. By managing the strength of the wall 200 at the gap region 260, the level of energy at which failure of the wall 200 occurs at the gap region 260 can be tailored to be lower than the energy required to delaminate the stacks 240 in a particular bat configuration.
The separation ply 270 may be formed from any suitable material, depending on the level of bonding desired between the stacks 240. For example, in a heavier bat or in a bat with a relatively high moment of inertia (for example, near or above 6000 ounce-square inch), in which a strong gap region 260 is desired, a strong material may be used, such as one or more carbon fiber or glass fiber composite mats or other fiber composite mats. In some embodiments, the separation ply 270 may be rigid or semi-rigid, while in other embodiments it may be flexible. In a lighter bat or in a bat with a relatively low moment of inertia (for example, near or below 6000 ounce-square inch), in which a gap region 260 may not need to be as strong, a release ply material, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, commercially available as TEFLON), nylon sheet, or other release plies may be used. In some embodiments, the release ply material may be perforated or porous, which may increase the strength of the gap region 260 by allowing limited bonding between the stacks 240.
In a particular representative embodiment, the separation ply 270 may be formed from a non-woven mat material having a fiber aerial weight of approximately 30 grams per square meter. Such a material may include a variety of types of fibers and treatments and may function as an inexpensive and reliable material for providing a desired strength in the gap region 260.
The reduced-durability region 230 (centered around the middle of the gap region 260) may be located along the straight section 160 of the bat barrel 110 (see
When a crack forms in the gap region 260, the cap ply elements 310 prevent (or at least resist) proliferation of the crack to the stacks 240 of plies 250. In other words, the cap ply elements 310 prevent or resist delamination of the stacks 240 of plies 250 by preventing or resisting spreading of the crack along the axial length of the bat (i.e., along the longitudinal or x-axis of the bat, marked with “x” in
The cap ply elements 310 may be formed from a foam material, a plastic material, or another material suitable for being folded, molded, or otherwise shaped around an edge of each of the stacks 240. In some embodiments, the cap ply elements 310 may be formed from similar materials as the separation ply 260. In some embodiments, the cap ply elements 310 may be rigid. In other embodiments, the cap ply elements 310 may be flexible (for example, they may be formed with an elastomer material to make the cap ply elements 310 resilient). Because
For example,
Although two cover layers 650 are illustrated, in some embodiments with only one discontinuity 640, only one cover layer 650 may be used. The cover layers 650 may be formed with intermediate modulus carbon fiber composite (which may have a Young's Modulus or elastic modulus between approximately 42 million pounds per square inch and 55 million pounds per square inch) or another composite or non-composite material suitable for allowing through-failure of the bat wall 600 before significant delamination occurs in the stacks 240 of plies 250. Intermediate modulus carbon fiber materials may be beneficial because they generally provide more stiffness per unit weight than standard carbon fiber materials (which may have elastic modulus values around 33 million pounds per square inch). Intermediate modulus materials provide more stiffness than standard fiber materials while generally being less costly and less brittle than higher modulus fiber materials (which have elastic modulus values greater than 55 million pounds per square inch). The embodiment of the wall 600 and the reduced-durability region 630 illustrated and described with regard to
In some embodiments, when the angle 760 is relatively small, the wall 700 and the reduced-durability region 730 increase in strength. For example, the wall 700 and the reduced-durability region 730 may withstand more forces before experiencing a through-failure in the gap region 260.
As described above, the separation ply 270 may cause failure to propagate through the wall of a bat (e.g., through the stacks 240) along the Z-axis within or along the gap regions 260 faster than failure occurring in bats without reduced durability regions (such as those without gap regions 260). In other embodiments of the present technology, other appliances may provide similar effects.
When a crack forms in the gap region 260, the ring element 810 prevents (or at least resists) proliferation of the crack to the stacks 240 of plies 250. In other words, the ring element 810 prevents or resists delamination of the stacks 240 of plies 250 by preventing or resisting spreading of the crack along the axial length of the bat (i.e., along the longitudinal or X-axis of the bat, marked with “x” in
Appliances may have a variety of shapes. The size, shape, and dimensions of the ring element 810 and other appliances described below may be adjusted to meet the desired overall strength of the bat in normal use and during ABI processes, the bond strength between the composite resin or matrix and the appliance (such as the ring element 810), and the strength of the appliance itself (such as the ring element 810).
For example, rigid or semi-rigid appliances may be formed with a high-surface-energy material such as acetal polymer (for example, Delrin®), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, for example, Teflon®), polyoxymethylene (POM), polyamides (Nylon), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or other suitable plastic or polymer materials. Such high-surface-energy materials resist or even prevent bonding between the composite matrix and the appliance. A weak or nonexistent bond between the composite matrix and the appliance facilitates rapid and predictable failure of the bond. In embodiments of the present technology that implement a high-surface-energy material or another material that provides a weak or nonexistent bond between the composite matrix and the appliance, the inwardly facing skin 210 and the outwardly facing skin 220 may be constructed to be sufficiently strong to handle the stress of normal use, but sufficiently weak to fail during ABI processes. In some embodiments, one or more plies 250 may not include a discontinuity or gap and may further strengthen the reduced-durability region (as described below, for example, with regard to
In some embodiments, appliances may be formed with materials having moderate to strong bond strength with the surrounding composite matrix material in the bat wall. Such materials may provide further control of how much strain is required to cause the bat wall to fracture. Materials that may provide moderate to strong bond strength with the composite matrix material (which may be epoxy or polyurethane resin, for example) include acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polycarbonate (PC), polyurethane (PU). Other materials may provide moderate to strong bond strength with the composite matrix material.
In some embodiments, appliances described herein may be formed from a breakable material such that the appliances themselves fracture before delamination occurs. In some embodiments, some appliances may be scored or etched to force a failure or breaking point. In some embodiments, appliances may be made by a method that provides inherent flaws, such as a 3D printing process. In a particular embodiment, ABS material provides a balance between the strength of the bond with the composite matrix material and the strength of the appliance itself. In some embodiments, an appliance made with ABS material may be weaker than the interlaminar bond between the composite plies 250.
In yet other embodiments, appliances may be formed with metal, such as aluminum, steel, or titanium, or other metals, foam materials, or wood, or any other suitable rigid or semi-rigid material. In general, a designer may select the appropriate material for the appliance based on the strength of a bond between the material and the composite matrix, or based on the strength of the material itself.
In some embodiments, appliances may be formed with composite material (such as composite laminate material, bulk molding compound, or sheet molding compound). In some embodiments, a composite appliance may be pre-formed with composite material and pre-cured, then installed in a ball bat composite layup during manufacturing. In some embodiments in which appliances are formed with composite materials, the strength or stiffness of the appliances may be selected or designed to match or exceed the strength or stiffness of the composite material located next to the appliance in the gap. In some embodiments, because the appliances may be pre-cured, they may have a reduced bond strength with neighboring composite material in the bat wall relative to composites that are cured simultaneously. Accordingly, the bond strength of a pre-cured composite appliance may be lower than the interlaminar strength between composite laminate plies 250. For example, the bond strength of a pre-cured composite appliance may be only approximately 75 to 80 percent of the bond strength of plies 250, which facilitates failure along the sides or within the appliance at lower stress levels than those that may cause interlaminar failure.
The beveled ring element 1010 functions generally similarly to the flat ring element 810 described above with regard to
In embodiments that include a single appliance, such as the embodiments described above and illustrated in
Embodiments with interfaces between a plurality of rings (such as the ring elements 1510) or between other portions of appliances, such as the interface 1517 illustrated in
In some embodiments, the faces of the rings or other appliances in contact with each other at the interface 1517 may be partially or completely coated with, treated with, or otherwise include a release material or a bond-resistant material to resist bonding with the composite matrix in the wall and to control the strength of the bond at the interface 1517. In some embodiments, the faces of the rings or other appliances may be bonded to each other using a full or partial coating or treatment of adhesive having a selected bond strength, so that the interface 1517 includes a bond of adhesive, release material, or a combination of adhesive and release material distributed in portions of the interface. For example, a bat designer may select the amount and position of adhesive and release material to tailor the bond strength at the interface 1517, such as making the bond strength at the interface 1517 lower than the strength of the surrounding matrix bond with the appliances. In a particular example, a cyanoacrylate or other epoxy resin may be selected to provide lower bond strength in the interface 1517 than the bond strength between the appliances and the surrounding composite matrix material in the wall.
Although
In some embodiments—instead of or in addition to adhesive or release material—the interface 1617 may include a plurality of connecting elements 1620 distributed around the circumference of the barrel wall 1600. In some embodiments, the connecting elements 1620 may include thread positioned and configured to hold the ring elements 1610 together along the X-axis but configured to fail in shear (along the Z-axis) under stresses associated with ABI protocol. In some embodiments, the connecting elements 1620 may include pins formed from a rigid or semi-rigid material. The connecting elements 1620 may be formed with metal, plastic, composite resin matrix, thread (such as cotton, nylon, or other thread material), wood, or other materials suitable for providing a connection between the ring elements 1610 in the interface 1617. In another embodiment, connecting elements may be integral with the rings or appliances.
For example,
In embodiments of the present technology that implement ring elements, the ring elements may be positioned in the bat wall during the composite laminate layup process. For example, an inwardly facing skin 210 may be wrapped around a mandrel, followed by one or more composite laminate plies 240. During the assembly process, a ring element may be slid onto the assembly or otherwise positioned around the mandrel within the composite layup. Then other layers, such as composite laminate plies 240, may be positioned adjacent to or on top of the ring element, followed by the outwardly facing skin 220, after which the structure may be cured. In some embodiments, pre-preg composite laminate material may be used. In other embodiments, resin transfer molding (RTM) processes may be used, in which laminate plies 240 are impregnated with resin after being laid up around the mandrel. Other assembly processes may be used in accordance with embodiments of the present technology. For example, the inwardly facing skin 210, the outwardly facing skin 220, or both skins, may be omitted.
Although
Embodiments of the present technology provide reduced-durability regions to deter or discourage bat alteration. For example, if a user attempts to roll or perform other ABI processes, stresses in the bat wall will be focused along the gap between composite stacks rather than between the plies in the stacks, which will cause the wall of the bat to fail (destroying the bat) before significant delamination occurs that would otherwise improve performance. In addition, the present technology may provide a visual or tactile indicator of a failure of the bat wall prior to delamination (if any) between plies. Accordingly, the present technology allows for improved testing, improved indication of bat failure, and it may deter players from attempting to alter a bat.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments of the disclosed technology have been described for purposes of illustration, but that various modifications may be made without deviating from the technology, and elements of certain embodiments may be interchanged with those of other embodiments, and that some embodiments may omit some elements. For example, in various embodiments of the present technology, more than one separation ply may be used, or separation plies may be omitted. One or more cap ply elements (such as cap ply elements 310) may be omitted. Through-plies may be positioned within the composite laminate wall between appliances or between appliances and the skins 210, 220.
Several embodiments of the present technology are described and illustrated as having inwardly facing skins (for example, inwardly facing skins 210, 610 described above) or outwardly facing skins (for example, outwardly facing skins 220, 620), or both inwardly and outwardly facing skins, which may cover the appliances (such as separation plies 270, cap ply elements 310 or 750, appliances in the form of ring elements, or other appliances). However, in some embodiments, inwardly facing skins, outwardly facing skins, or both inwardly and outwardly facing skins may be omitted, such that the appliances form part of an outermost layer of a barrel wall or are exposed to the hollow interior of a bat, the outside environment of a bat, or both (see
Further, while advantages associated with certain embodiments of the disclosed technology have been described in the context of those embodiments, other embodiments may also exhibit such advantages, and not all embodiments need necessarily exhibit such advantages to fall within the scope of the technology. Accordingly, the disclosure and associated technology may encompass other embodiments not expressly shown or described herein, and the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.
The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/132,199, filed Sep. 14, 2018, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/654,513, filed Jul. 19, 2017, each of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
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| 20210252358 A1 | Aug 2021 | US |
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| Parent | 16132199 | Sep 2018 | US |
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| Parent | 15654513 | Jul 2017 | US |
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