COMPOSITE BAT

Abstract

A composite bat includes a bat body having a grip section, a hitting section, and a gradually expanding section connected between the hitting section and the grip section with the outer diameter thereof gradually expanding from the grip section to the hitting section. The bat body is made of aluminum alloy, and there is a carbon fiber layer covering the aluminum alloy in the grip section. The thickness of the carbon fiber layer accounts for 15˜50% of the total thickness of the grip section.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to bats used in baseball or softball, in particular to a composite bat.

2. Description of the Related Art

At present, according to the field of use and relevant regulations, bats used in baseball or softball can be roughly divided into three types according to their materials, such as: wooden bats made of wood or aluminum bats made of aluminum alloy or carbon fiber bat, etc. Depending on the material of the bat, the physical properties reflected by the bat itself will also be different. Wooden bats are mostly used in professional events, and most of the users are more professional or professional players. Aluminum bats are the more widely used type. In the case of aluminum bats, the two main factors that will affect consumers' use of aluminum bats should be elasticity and vibration. Although the aluminum bat has better rigidity due to the characteristics of the metal and can have a longer hitting distance when hitting, the overall flexibility and shock-absorbing effect of the bat are not good. Therefore, how to provide ordinary users with a bat that is easy to use but has low vibration feeling has become an issue.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The main object of the present invention is to provide a composite bat that utilizes the lamination effect of a variety of different materials so that the bat can have a better shock-absorbing effect compared to aluminum alloy bats.

To achieve the above main purpose, the composite bat of the present invention comprises: a bat body, which can basically be divided into a grip section with the smallest outer diameter, a gradually expanding section and a hitting section according to changes in its outer diameter. The grip section is in the shape of a hollow tube, one end of which is provided with a grip end cap, and the other end is connected to the gradually expanding section. The gradually expanding section is connected between the hitting section and the grip section, and gradually expands from the grip section toward the outer diameter of the hitting section. The bat body is made of aluminum alloy. In the grip section, there is a carbon fiber layer covering the outside of the aluminum alloy. The thickness of the carbon fiber layer accounts for 15˜50% of the total thickness of the grip section.

Based on the above structure, the composite bat of the present invention utilizes the different characteristics of different materials when transmitting shock waves to weaken or interrupt the shock waves during transmission, thereby improving the shock-absorbing performance of the bat.

Preferably, a shock absorbing member is set inside the grip section, and the hardness of the shock absorbing member is 50 A˜70 A.

Preferably, the total length of the shock absorbing member is 10˜70% compared to the total length of the grip section.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of the appearance of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view in the direction of section line 2-2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged schematic view of the connection between the grip section and the gradually expanding section in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a diagram similar to FIG. 2, showing the schematic diagram when the shock absorbing member is set to different lengths.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The applicant first explains here that throughout the specification, including the embodiment described below and the claims in the scope of the patent application, the nouns related to directionality are based on the directions in the drawings. Secondly, in the preferred embodiment and drawings that will be introduced below, the same element numbers represent the same or similar elements or their structural features. The directions indicated in the instructions are based on the directions of the drawings for ease of explanation and are not limited thereto.

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, a composite bat of the present invention comprises a bat body 10, which can basically be divided into a grip section 11 with the smallest outer diameter, a gradually expanding section 12 and a hitting section 13 according to changes in its outer diameter. The grip section 11 is in the shape of a hollow tube, one end of which is provided with a grip end cap 14, and the other end is connected to the gradually expanding section 12. The gradually expanding section 12 is connected between the hitting section 13 and the grip section 11, and gradually expands from the grip section 11 toward the outer diameter of the hitting section 13.

The bat body 10 is made of aluminum alloy, and the grip section 11 is made by thinning the thickness of the aluminum alloy, and then covering the outside of the aluminum alloy with a carbon fiber layer 15 to form the grip section.

Judging from the cross section, the thickness of the carbon fiber layer 15 accounts for about 15˜50% of the total thickness of the grip section. That is to say, if the total thickness H of grip section 11 is 2 mm, for example, the thickness h occupied by the carbon fiber is 0.3˜1 mm. The best range should be 15˜30%. Such a composite structure can provide better shock absorption than the original aluminum alloy, and its shock absorption performance can be improved by about 15˜60%.

The grip section 11 is also internally provided with a soft shock absorbing member 20 made of silicone or rubber. The shock absorbing member 20 is silicone with a hardness of 50 A˜70 A in this embodiment. The purpose of setting up the shock absorbing member 20 is to absorb and offset the shock transmitted from the hitting section of the bat, so the shock absorbing member 20 cannot be too soft or too hard. Because shock-absorbing materials that are too soft, such as those with hardness below 50 A, have a shock-absorbing effect of only about 10%. If there is any improvement, the quantity of shock-absorbing materials must be increased, but this will affect the center of gravity of the bat. However, if the hardness of the shock-absorbing material is too hard, for example, if it is above 70 A, the shock-absorbing effect will not increase significantly and because of the high hardness, the shock-absorbing material may easily break. Therefore, if the material used in the shock absorbing member is too soft or too hard, the shock absorbing effect will be poor.

In addition, the total length d set by the shock absorbing member 20 is 10˜70% compared to the total length D of the grip section 11. If the shock absorbing member 20 is set too little or too short, the s shock-absorbing effect will not be obvious. However, if it is set too long, it will increase the weight of the grip section and change the position of the overall center of gravity of the bat, which is not conducive to hitting. The shock absorbing member 20 can be installed by perfusion or plugging.

The thickness of the carbon fiber layer 15 is consistent in the grip section 11, but becomes thinner when extending to the gradually expanding section 12, and gradually decreases from the grip section 11 toward the hitting section 13. This approach can take into account the structural strength of the bat and the shock-absorbing effect of the grip section.

Claims

1. A composite bat, comprising: a bat body made of aluminum alloy, said bat body being basically divided into a grip section with the smallest outer diameter, a gradually expanding section and a hitting section according to changes in the outer diameter thereof, said grip section being in the shape of a hollow tube, said grip section having one end thereof provided with a grip end cap and an opposite end thereof connected to said gradually expanding section, said gradually expanding section being connected between said hitting section and said grip section and gradually expanding from said grip section toward the outer diameter of said hitting section; anda carbon fiber layer covering the outside of the aluminum alloy of said bat body in said grip section, the thickness of said carbon fiber layer accounting for 15˜50% of the total thickness of said grip section.

2. The composite bat as claimed in claim 1, wherein preferably the thickness of said carbon fiber layer accounts for 15˜30% of the total thickness of said grip section.

3. The composite bat as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a shock absorbing member set inside said grip section, said shock absorbing member having a hardness rating of 50 A˜70 A.

4. The composite bat as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a shock absorbing member set inside said grip section, said shock absorbing member having a hardness rating of 50 A˜70 A.

5. The composite bat as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a shock absorbing member set inside said grip section, and the total length set by said shock absorbing member is 10˜70% compared to the total length of said grip section.

6. The composite bat as claimed in claim 3, wherein the total length set by said shock absorbing member is 10˜70% compared to the total length of said grip section.

7. The composite bat as claimed in claim 4, wherein the total length set by said shock absorbing member is 10˜70% compared to the total length of said grip section.

8. The composite bat as claimed in claim 1, wherein said carbon fiber layer has a consistent thickness in said grip section, and a thickness gradually reducing toward said gradually expanding section.

9. The composite bat as claimed in claim 7, wherein said carbon fiber layer has a consistent thickness in said grip section, and a thickness gradually reducing toward said gradually expanding section.