Composite bat having a multiple tube structure

Abstract

A structure for a bat is described by using multiple composite tubes bonded to one another, wherein apertures, or “ports,” are molded between the tubes to improve the stiffness, strength, aerodynamics and comfort of the bat.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a bat constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1A is a cross sectional view of the bat taken along lines 1A-1A of FIG. 1.

FIG. 1B is a cross sectional view of the bat taken along lines 1B-1B of FIG. 1.

FIG. 1C is an isometric cut away view of a portion of the bat shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 1D is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the bat taken along lines 1D-1D in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 is a side view of another bat constructed in with a multiple tube design.

FIG. 2A is a cross section of the bat in FIG. 2 taken along lines 2A-2A.

FIG. 2B is a cross section of the bat in FIG. 2 taken along lines 2B-2B.

FIG. 2C is a cross section of the bat in FIG. 2, taken along lines 2C-2C.

FIG. 2D is an isometric cutaway view of a portion of the bat shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 shows an alternative example of how multiple ports could be oriented in a multiple tube construction

FIG. 3A is an isometric view of a section of the bat of FIG. 3;

FIG. 3B is a cross sectional view along the lines 3A-3A of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 shows various shapes of ports.

FIGS. 5-6 are perspective views illustrating a process for forming a frame member of two different materials.

The same reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the various Figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As described below, the bat is formed of two or more tubes which are molded together to form a common wall (or walls, in the case of more than two tubes). However, at selected locations, the facing surfaces of the tubes are kept apart during molding, to form openings. On either side of the openings, the tubes are joined together. The openings so formed are referred to herein as “ports.” These ports are formed without drilling any holes or severing any reinforcement fibers.

The resulting structure is found to have superior performance characteristics for several reasons. The ports are in the shape of double opposing arches which allow the structure to deflect which deforms the ports, and return with more resiliency. The ports also allow greater bending flexibility than would traditionally be achieved in a single tube design. The internal wall between the internal tubes adds strength to resist compressive buckling loads such as those near the hosel of the club head. The structure can also improve comfort by absorbing shock and damping vibrations due to the deformation of the ports. Finally, the ports can improve aerodynamics by allowing air to pass through the bat to reduce the wind resistance and improve maneuverability.

FIG. 1 illustrates a bat, which is referred to generally by the reference numeral 10. The bat 10 is comprised of a handle portion 12, a tapered portion 14, a hitting portion 16, a tip end 18, and a butt end 19.

FIG. 1 shows one preferred embodiment wherein the bat 10 contains openings, or “ports” 20, oriented in line and with axes parallel to the direction of swing. Ports oriented in this manner provide improved aerodynamics by reducing the exposed frontal area of the bat to the wind as the bat is swung. The ports 20 can be located anywhere along the length of the bat. FIG. 1 shows ports only in the tapered region 14 and the tip end 18, leaving the hitting portion 16 void of ports. However, if desired, ports could be located in the hitting portion 16 and the handle portion 12.

With reference to FIG. 1A, this cross sectional view along the lines 1A-1A of FIG. 1 shows the two tubes 22 which form the structure of the bat. The tubes 22 are joined together to form an internal wall 24 which is preferably oriented so as to be parallel to the direction in which the bat is to be swing. The batter may orient the bat so that the internal wall 24 faces the direction of swing based on the direction of the ports. Alternately, the bat may include a label 25 on the upper surface, or some other type of indicator, so that the user knows how to orient the bat when it is gripped.

The preferred location of the internal wall 24 is near the neutral axis of the bat. Each of the internal tubes 22 should be about the same size and, when molded, form a “D” shape.

FIG. 1B shows a cross sectional view along the lines 1B-1B of FIG. 1 where the internal tubes 22 are separated from one another to form port 20. It is advisable to have a radius (i.e., rounded edges 26) leading into the port so to reduce the stress concentration and to facilitate the molding process.

FIG. 1C is an isometric view of the bat 10 isolated to one port which shows the two internal tubes 22 and internal wall 24. Also shown is the port 20 and cylindrical wall 30. In this particular example, the axis of the port is 90 degrees to the axis of the tube.

FIG. 1D is a cross section of a portion of the bat 10 taken along the lines 1D-1D in FIG. 1. The internal tubes 22 are positioned side by side and are fused together along much of their lengths to form a common wall 24. At selected locations, e.g., where ports 20 are to be formed, the facing surfaces 30a and 30b of the tubes 22 are separated during molding to form apertures 20 in the shape of double opposing arches which act as geometric supports to allow deformation and return. In addition, the internal wall 24 provides structural reinforcement to resist deformations and buckling failures.

An alternative embodiment is to orient the ports so the axes are perpendicular to the direction of travel of the bat. As shown in FIG. 2, the port 20a oriented in this manner provides the means to achieve more flexibility of the bat because the double arch structure can provide more bending in this direction due to the reduced shaft section dimension either side of the ports. This can provide more comfort for the batter. In this embodiment the bat 10 is designed using a multiple tube construction with allows for port 20 and port 20a to be oriented at different angles. In this particular example, the port 20 near the handle portion 12 provides improved aerodynamics, and the port 20a near the hitting portion 16 provides improved flexibility and shock absorption.

FIG. 2A is a cross sectional view of the bat 10 taken along the lines 2A-2A in FIG. 2. In this example, 4 tubes (42,43,44,45) are used to create the tubular part with creates an internal wall 46 in the form of an “X”.

FIG. 2B is a cross sectional view of the shaft 10 taken along the lines 2B-2B of FIG. 2. This is in the region of port 20 which is oriented parallel to the direction of travel of the bat 10. In this example the internal tubes 42 and 45 have remained together as well as internal tubes 43 and 44.

FIG. 2C is a cross sectional view of the shaft 10 taken along the lines 2C-2C of FIG. 2. This is in the region of port 20a which is oriented perpendicular to the direction of travel of the bat 10. In this example the internal tubes 42 and 45 have remained together as well as internal tubes 43 and 44.

FIG. 2D is an isometric view of a cutaway portion of the bat 10 of FIG. 2 showing port 20 oriented parallel to the direction of travel of bat 10, and port 20a oriented perpendicular to the direction of travel of bat 10. As described above in connection with FIGS. 2A and 2B, ports may be formed by separating two tubes from the other two tubes. In this example, to form port 20, internal tubes 42 and 45 have remained together as well as internal tubes 43 and 44. To form port 20a, internal tubes 44 and 45 have remained together as well as internal tubes 42 and 43.

FIG. 3 is a side view of bat 10 with ports for all tubes located in the same location. This can be accomplished with a four tube construction.

FIG. 3A is an isometric cutaway view of the four tube structure 52 with ports for all tubes located in the same location. In this example, internal tubes 47, 48, 49, and 50 are all separated in the same location to form four ports 51 there between.

FIG. 3B is a cross sectional view of the tube structure 52 in FIG. 3 taken along the lines 3B-3B. Here it can be seen that because all internal tubes are separated, there results in an open port 51 that is open on four sides 51a, 51b, 51c, 51d. This particular embodiment could provide more flexibility and improved aerodynamics at the same location.

In a multiple tube design, there can be any number of ports and orientations of ports depending on the number of internal tubes used and how many are separated to form these ports. In addition, for example with a 3 tube design, the axis of the port would not necessarily have to pass through the center of the bat.

FIG. 4 illustrates some examples of the variety of shapes possible to be used for the ports. Depending on the performance required of the structure at a particular location, more decorative port shapes can be used.

In all orientations, the quantity, size, and spacing of the ports can vary according to the performance desired. In addition, ports can be located in the handle portion and fitted with elastomeric inserts to provide additional cushioning, or wrapped with a perforated grip to provide air circulation to aid in keeping the grip dry.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention use multiple continuous composite tubes which are separated to form apertures in the form of double opposing arches at various locations in the bat.

The single tube, hollow bat has been the traditional way to design and manufacture composite bats. This is because originally, the bat was produced using single hollow metal tubes, so it was natural to replace these tubes with a single hollow composite tube.

It also makes sense from an efficiency viewpoint, that the single hollow tube maximizes the stiffness-to-weight ratio, and the strength-to-weight ratio, because the material is displaced away from the central portion of the bat to maximize inertial properties. This has been the traditional bat structure.

When a single hollow tube has a sufficient wall thickness, for example when weight is not critical, the design can sufficiently provide adequate stiffness and strength. However, as mentioned previously, when the wall thickness becomes thin relative to the diameter of the tube, the tubular part is susceptible to the wall buckling under the compressive forces which are always present in bats.

In accordance with the present invention, conventional single hollow tubes forming the bat are replaced with multiple tubes joined with an internal wall in between. The internal wall resists deformation of the cross section under loading which resists the buckling of the wall under compressive forces.

The invention allows the bat to be custom tuned in terms of its stiffness and resiliency by varying, in addition to the geometry of the bat itself, the size, number, orientation and spacing of the ports in the bat.

The process of molding with composite materials facilitates the use of multiple tubes in a structure. The most common method of producing a composite bat is to start with a raw material in sheet form known as “prepreg” which are reinforcing fibers impregnated with a thermoset resin such as epoxy. The resin is in a “B Stage” liquid form which can be readily cured with the application of heat and pressure. The fibers can be woven like a fabric, or unidirectional, and are of the variety of high performance reinforcement fibers such as carbon, aramid, glass, etc. The prepreg material commonly comes in a continuous roll or can be drum wound which produces shorter sheet length segments. The prepreg is cut at various angles to achieve the correct fiber orientation, and these strips are typically overlapped and positioned in a “lay-up” which allows them to be rolled up over a mandrel to form a perform. In order to pressurize and consolidate the prepreg plies, external pressure must be applied. This is commonly done by wrapping a polymer “shrink tape” around the exterior of the preform which will apply pressure upon the application of heat in a curing oven. The mandrel determines the internal geometry of the bat. The thickness of the consolidated laminate plies determines the external geometry of the bat.

An alternative method of molding a composite bat involves using internal pressure to form the composite bat. This process uses a similar perform, which is placed inside a cavity of a mold. A polymeric thin walled bladder is placed inside the rolled perform, and the mold is closed. As the mold heats up, air pressure is applied to the bladder which inflates to apply pressure to the prepreg laminates to consolidate and cure the part.

The present invention will require a similar internal inflation molding technique because the use of multiple tubes and forming ports requires internal pressure to consolidate the prepreg plies. For example when molding the same bat using two prepreg tubes, each tube should be approximately half the size of the single tube. A polymer bladder is inserted into the middle of each prepreg tube and is used to generate internal pressure to consolidate the plies upon the application of heat. The mold packing process consists of taking each prepreg tube and internal bladder and position into a mold cavity and an air fitting is attached to the bladder. The process is repeated for each tube depending on how many are used. Care should be taken for the position of each tube so that the internal wall formed between the tubes is oriented properly, and that pins can be inserted between the tubes in order to form the ports during pressurization. The pins are secured into portions of the mold and are easily removed.

The mold is pressed closed in a heated platen press and air pressure for each tube should be applied simultaneously to retain the size and position of each tube and the formed wall in between. Simultaneously, the tubes will form around the pins to form the ports, and fuse together to form the internal walls at locations between the ports. As the temperature rises in the mold, the viscosity of the epoxy resin decreases and the tubes expand, pressing against each other until expansion is complete and the epoxy resin is cross linked and cured. The mold is then opened, the pins removed, and the part is removed from the mold.

The internal wall of the molded tubular part adds significantly to improving the structural properties of the tubular part. During bending or local deflections resulting from ball impacts, the shape of the bat is maintained much better, eliminating the tendency to buckle the cross section.

The orientation of the wall can be positioned to take advantage of the anisotropy it offers. If more bending flexibility is desired, the wall can be positioned along the neutral axis of bending. If greater stiffness is needed, then the wall can be positioned like an “I Beam” at 90 degrees to the neutral axis to greatly improve the bending stiffness.

Molding the tubular parts using multiple tubes allows greater design options. Separating the internal tubes at selected axial locations along the shaft in order to mold large oval shaped openings between the tubes, allows the characteristics of the bat to be varied as desired.

Molding in of apertures, or ports, at selected locations results in a double opposing arch construction. What is contributing to the structure, is the “double arch effect” of the ports, which are oval in shape creating two opposing arches 58, 59 (see FIG. 4) which allow the tubular part to deflect, while retaining the cross sectional shape of the tube because of the three dimensional wall structure provided by the port. For example, a ported double tube structure has a combination of exterior walls, which are continuous and form the majority of the structure, and ported walls, which are oriented at an angle to the exterior walls, which provide strut like reinforcement to the tubular structure. The cylindrical walls of the ports prevent the cross section of the tube from collapsing, which significantly improves the strength of the structure. This provides an opportunity to reduce the wall thickness of the bat in the hitting portion, resulting in a more resilient rebound and a more powerful bat.

The stiffness and resiliency of the ported double tube structure can be adjusted to be greater or less than a standard single hollow tube. This is because of the option of orienting the internal wall between the tubes as well as the size, shape, angle and location of the ports. The ports can be stiff if desired, or resilient allowing more deflection and recovery, or can be designed using different materials or a lay-up of different fiber angles in order to produce the desired performance characteristics of the structure.

The structure can be further refined by using more than two tubes. For example, using three tubes allows for apertures to occur in 120 degree offsets, providing specific stiffness tailoring along those directions. Using four tubes provides the possibility of having apertures at ninety degree angles to each other and alternately located along the length of the tubular part to achieve unique performance and aesthetic levels. Another option is to locate the multiple ports in the same location to achieve more of an open truss design.

Another option is to combine a single composite tube with a multiple tube composite design. In this example, the single composite tube can be a portion of the bat, for example in the handle portion, and co-molded with the multiple prepreg tubes to produce a lower cost alternative to a 100% multiple tube construction.

Alternatively, the single composite tube portion could be the hitting portion of the bat, and co-molded with the multiple prepreg tubes which form the tapered portion of the bat.

Another option is to combine the composite portion with a metal portion. In this example, the metal tube can be the hitting portion of the bat and fused or co-molded with the multiple prepreg tubes in the tapered portion to produce a lower cost alternative to a 100% carbon composite construction. This can produce a less expensive structure that can still achieve the performance and aesthetic requirements of the product.

Referring to FIGS. 5-6, in order to make this construction, the forward ends 62 of a pair of prepreg tubes 60a, 60b, each having an inflatable bladder 64, are inserted into one end 65 of a metal tube 66. The unit is placed inside a mold having the same shape of the metal tube 66, at least at the juncture 70 of the prepreg tubes 60a, 60b and the metal tube 66. A pin or mold member (not shown) is placed between the prepreg tubes 60a, 60b where a port 30 is to be formed. The mold is then closed and heated, as the bladders 64 are inflated, so that the prepreg tubes assume the shape of the mold, the mold member keeping the facing walls 71a, 71b apart so as to form the port 30. As shown, the tubes 60a, 60b will form a common wall at seam 72. After the prepreg tubes have cured, the frame member 74 is removed from the mold, and the mold member or pin is removed, leaving the port 30. In this embodiment, the seam 70 between the graphite portions 60a, 60b of the frame member 74 and the metal tube portion 66 should be flush.

Yet another option is to construct a double opposing arch structure using 100% metal materials. The preferred method to produce this structure is to start with a metal tube with a “D” shaped cross section. The tube can then be formed with a half arch bend along a portion of its length. A similar operation can be done with another metal tube. The two tube halves can then be attached by fixing the flat sides of the D shaped cross section so that the two half arches oppose each other. The tubes can be welded or bonded together resulting in a structure with an internal reinforcing wall and a double opposing arch shaped aperture.

An alternative method to produce a multiple tube structure out of metal is to start with a metal tube such as aluminum, titanium, steel, or magnesium for example, and deform the tube in local areas to create dimples or craters in the surface of the tube on opposing sides. The centers of these dimples can be removed leaving a circular aperture through the tube. A tubular section can then be positioned through these circular apertures and fixed to the edges of this dimple area of the primary tube using a welding process to create the 3D structure. The result will be a structure with the primary tube being a single hollow tube with other single hollow tubes attached in a transverse manner internal to the primary tube.

The ported double tube construction can also provide more comfort to the batter. As mentioned previously, the stiffness of the tubular part can be optimized to provide greater flexibility if desired. For example the ports oriented at 90 degrees to the direction of swing to provide a more flexible zone for enhanced batter comfort.

Another advantage of the invention is the absorption of the shock wave traveling up axis of the bat. This can occur when striking the ball outside the sweet spot of the bat. Having ports along the length of the shaft which can deform and absorb this force will be an advantage.

Another advantage of the invention is vibration damping. Vibrations are damped more effectively with the opposing double arch construction. This is because the movement and displacement of the arches absorbs energy which damps vibrations. As the tubular parts deflect, the shape of the ports can change, allowing a relative movement between the portions of the tube either side of the port. This movement absorbs energy which damps vibrations.

The aerodynamic benefit provided by the ports is determined by the size of the ports relative to the diameter of the bat. In comparing the frontal area of a shaft section which is subjected to an aerodynamic force, it is possible to achieve a reduced frontal area of up to 25%. This is a significant achievement for a bat, especially considering that stiffness and strength are not compromised, but in fact improved.

Finally, there is a very distinguished appearance to a bat made according to the invention. The ports are very visible, and give the tubular part a very light weight and aerodynamic look, which is important in bat marketing. The ports can also be painted a different color, to further enhance the signature look of the technology.

There are unlimited combinations of options when considering a double opposing arch structure. The ports can vary by shape, size, location, orientation and quantity. The ports can be used to enhance stiffness, resilience, strength, comfort, aerodynamics, and aesthetics. For example in a low stress region, the size of the port can be very large in order to maximize aerodynamics and appearance. If more deflection or resilience is desired, the shape of the aperture can be very long and narrow to allow more flexibility. The ports may also use designer shapes to give the product a stronger appeal.

If more vibration damping is desired, the ports can be oriented and shaped at a particular angle, and constructed using fibers such as aramid or liquid crystal polymer. As the port deforms as a result of shaft deflection, its return to shape can be controlled with these viscoelastic materials which will increase vibration damping. Another way to increase vibration damping is to insert an elastomeric material inside the port.

Another advantage of the invention could be to facilitate the attachment to the butt cap. Having a port at the butt end of the handle provides a mechanical means of attachment of the butt cap to the handle. A similar advantage exists at the tip, if a special designed cap were to attach to the hitting portion of the bat.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A bat having a longitudinal axis; a tip end; a butt end; a handle portion extending from said butt end; a hitting portion with a cross section larger than said handle portion, extending from said tip end; and a connecting portion between said handle portion and said hitting portion; Wherein at least a portion of said bat is formed of at least two tubes having facing surfaces, said tubes being formed of composite material, wherein said facing surfaces are bonded by curing to one another at least along much of their lengths, thereby to form at least one internal reinforcing wall.

2. A bat as defined in claim 1, wherein said portion is formed of a double tube construction.

3. A bat as described in claim 1, wherein said facing surfaces are separated from one another at least at one selected axial location to form at least one port extending through said bat perpendicular to said axis.

4. A bat as defined in claim 3, wherein said at least one port is formed in said connecting portion.

5. A bat as defined in claim 1, wherein said facing surfaces are separated from one another at selected locations to form ports having a double opposing arch structure.

6. A bat as defined in claim 5, wherein each of said ports has an axis therethrough, and wherein at least two of said ports have different axial orientations about said longitudinal axis.

7. A bat as defined in claim 5, wherein said ports vary in size.

8. A bat as defined in claim 5, comprising at least three ports adjacent ports, and wherein one of said adjacent ports is axially spaced from adjacent ports by at least two different distances.

9. A bat as defined in claim 1, wherein said portion of said bat formed by at least two tubes is joined end-to-end with a single tube structure.

10. A bat as defined in claim 9, wherein said single tube structure comprises a metal tube.

11. A bat as defined in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said bat comprises a single metal tube joined end-to-end with said portion of said bat which is formed of at least two tubes having facing surfaces.

12. A bat as defined in claim 11, wherein said multi-tube member includes a port extending through said portion of said bat which is formed of at least two tubes havin2 facing surfaces.

13. A bat component comprising a metal portion and a composite portion produced using a multiple tube construction in which the tubes have facing surfaces which are bonded by curing to one another at least much of their length, said metal portion and said composite portion being joined end-to-end.

14. (canceled)

15. A bat as defined in claim 1, wherein said bat is formed of a first tube, a second tube, a third tube, and a fourth tube, each tube having two walls facing and bonded to, along at least most of their length, walls of two adjacent tubes, and forming internal walls which are oriented at approximately 90 degrees relative to one another.

16. A bat as defined in claim 15, wherein walls of said first tube and said second tube are separated from the facing walls of said third tube and said fourth tube at least at one selected axial longitudinal location to form a first port.

17. A bat as defined in claim 16, wherein, at a second longitudinal location, walls of said first tube and said third tube are separated from the facing walls of said second tube and said fourth tube to form a second port which is oriented at least generally perpendicular to said first port.

18. A bat as defined in claim 6 wherein two of said ports are located on the same portion of said bat and further wherein the axes of said two of said ports are orientated perpendicular to each other.

19. A bat as defined in claim 6 wherein two of said ports are located on different portions of said bat and further wherein the axes of said two of said ports are orientated perpendicular to each other.