Fishing rod guide

Abstract

Provided is a fishing rod guide that is made of a fiber-reinforced resin and that makes it possible to efficiently improve strength. In a fishing rod guide 1 having a frame 3 that comprises a fishing rod fixing part 5, a ring holding part 7 to which a guide ring 6 is attached, and a support leg part 9 for connecting the fishing rod fixing part 5 and the ring holding part 7, the frame 3 is composed of a layer in which a plurality of FRP prepregs are stacked and in which reinforcement fibers of the outermost layer are unidirectional.

Description

Guide for fishing rod

[0001] Cross-reference This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-195819 (filed on November 8, 2024), the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The present invention relates to a guide for a fishing rod that is attached to a fishing rod and guides fishing lines fed out from various reels.

[0002] Conventionally, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is known to laminate a prepreg made of fiber-reinforced resin (FRP prepreg) to form a guide for a fishing rod made of FRP. Further, Patent Document 1 describes that a woven fabric is used for the outermost layer of the FRP prepreg to be laminated to prevent tearing and peeling of the reinforcing fibers.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-233473

[0004] In the above-described FRP guide for a fishing rod, since an FRP prepreg with a woven fabric is disposed on the outermost layer, the strength efficiency decreases. That is, by using a woven fabric, peeling of the surface layer can be prevented, but the strength decreases. On the other hand, if the reinforcing fibers are aligned in one direction, although surface layer peeling is likely to occur, it is possible to improve the strength and improve the strength efficiency.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a guide for a fishing rod made of fiber-reinforced resin that can efficiently improve strength and is less likely to cause peeling on the surface layer.

[0006] The guide for a fishing rod according to the present invention has a frame including a fishing rod fixing portion, a ring holding portion to which a guide ring is attached, and a support leg portion connecting the fishing rod fixing portion and the ring holding portion, and the frame is composed of a plurality of laminated layers of FRP prepregs, and the direction of the reinforcing fibers in the outermost layer is single.

[0007] When tension is applied to the fishing line, stress acts on the frame of the aforementioned fishing rod guide. The stress acting on the frame has a certain degree of directionality, and by aligning the orientation of the reinforcing fibers with the direction in which the greatest force is applied, the strength can be efficiently improved. In this case, by making the orientation of the reinforcing fibers uniform, it is possible to efficiently improve the strength, and by tilting them at a certain angle, delamination can also be effectively suppressed.

[0008] According to the present invention, a fishing rod guide made of fiber-reinforced resin can be obtained that efficiently improves strength and is less prone to peeling at the surface.

[0009] A longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a fishing rod guide. A front view of the frame of the fishing rod guide shown in Figure 1, viewed from the D1 direction. A diagram showing the fishing rod guide fixed to a fishing rod, illustrating the inclination angle of the outermost layer of reinforcing fibers. A cross-sectional view showing an example of the laminated structure of a fishing rod guide. A cross-sectional view showing another example of the laminated structure of a fishing rod guide. A diagram showing the direction of orientation of the reinforcing fibers of the outermost layer shown in Figure 3. A diagram showing the inclination angle of the reinforcing fibers in the layer below the outermost layer, in the direction of orientation. A diagram showing the state in which bending stress is applied to the fishing rod guide. A graph showing the results of the measured bending strength. A graph showing the results of the measured bending stiffness.

[0010] The following describes one embodiment of a fishing rod guide.

[0011] First, an embodiment of a fishing rod guide will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. In the following description, the axis that is horizontal when the fishing rod is in a horizontal position will be defined as the reference axis, and the axis that is vertical when viewing the fishing rod guide (frame) from the front will be defined as the central axis Y.

[0012] The fishing rod guide 1 comprises a frame 3 formed from a fiber-reinforced prepreg (hereinafter referred to as prepreg) in which reinforcing fibers are impregnated with synthetic resin. The frame 3 is composed of multiple layers of FRP prepreg and comprises a fishing rod fixing portion 5 extending along the axial direction of the rod shaft 50 of the fishing rod, a ring holding portion 7 to which the guide ring 6 is attached, and a support leg portion 9 connecting the fishing rod fixing portion 5 and the ring holding portion 7.

[0013] The fishing rod fixing part 5 is a portion (also called a leg) that is fixed to the surface of the fishing rod at the lower end of the frame 3, and in the configuration shown in the figure, it is a single leg structure that extends toward the base of the fishing rod. The fishing rod fixing part 5 is fixed by thread fastening, adhesive, etc., with its back contact surface 5a resting on the surface of the rod shaft of the fishing rod.

[0014] The ring holding portion 7 is the part that secures the guide ring 6 so that it guides the fishing line while being spaced apart from the surface of the fishing rod. The ring holding portion 7 has an opening 7a into which the guide ring 6 is fitted and fixed, and has an overall substantially circular outer shape. The guide ring 6 fitted into the opening 7a is ring-shaped and is made of a material that has low sliding resistance on its inner circumferential surface, such as titanium, aluminum, SUS, ceramics, or SiC. This guide ring 6 is fitted into the opening 7a of the ring holding portion 7 after the frame 3 is integrally formed from the prepreg.

[0015] Furthermore, the support leg portion 9 is the part that connects the fishing rod fixing portion 5 and the ring holding portion 7 so as to separate the guide ring 6 from the surface of the fishing rod. To reduce weight, an opening (weight-reducing cutout) 9a may be formed in this support leg portion 9.

[0016] As described above, frame 3 is formed from FRP prepreg (hereinafter referred to as prepreg), which is made by impregnating reinforcing fibers with synthetic resin. In this case, the prepreg is, for example, a sheet-like structure in which reinforcing fibers such as carbon fibers or glass fibers are aligned in a certain direction (hereinafter also referred to as a UD sheet), and is impregnated with a thermosetting resin (e.g., epoxy resin) or a thermoplastic resin (e.g., nylon) as the matrix resin.

[0017] The shape of the frame 3 is not limited, and it may have one or more bent sections. For example, one or more bent sections may be formed in the region rising from the fishing rod toward the ring holding section 7. By forming bent sections in the frame 3, it becomes possible to set the bending angle in stages by bending the entire frame, thereby dispersing stress concentration and improving strength. Alternatively, the support leg 9 may have a part of it formed in a curved shape, or the entire support leg may be configured in a curved shape.

[0018] The frame 3 is constructed by laminating multiple prepregs. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 4, the frame 3 comprises a central layer (central axis M) 20 which serves as the base material, and a first layer 21 and a second layer 22 which are laminated on the front and back sides of the central layer 20, respectively. In this case, the same prepreg is used for both the first layer 21 and the second layer 22 which are laminated on the front and back sides of the central layer 20, and preferably they are laminated symmetrically on both sides with respect to the central axis M of the central layer 20.

[0019] In the laminated structure described above, as shown in Figures 4 and 6, a prepreg (UD sheet) is used in which the reinforcing fibers 22A of the outermost layer (second layer 22) are aligned in a single direction. In this case, if the reinforcing fibers of the outermost layer are made of a woven fabric prepreg, it is not possible to efficiently improve strength, and it also hinders the reduction of wall thickness and increases costs.

[0020] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 6, when using the UD sheet described above, the reinforcing fibers 22A of the outermost layer (second layer 22) are inclined with respect to a reference, that is, the inclination angle θ1 of the direction of the reinforcing fibers 22A of the outermost layer 22 of the prepreg with respect to a reference is arranged to be a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the reference.

[0021] The following describes the test results regarding bending strength and bending rigidity for a conventional product with a woven fabric on the outermost layer 22 and an embodiment in which a UD sheet is placed on the outermost layer. In this test, the direction of the reinforcing fibers in the outermost layer was considered to efficiently improve bending strength and bending rigidity, and furthermore, a preferred range of inclination angle θ1 was found in which delamination is unlikely to occur (no delamination is visible) even when a UD sheet is placed on the outermost layer.

[0022] Specifically, comparing a conventional product in which a woven fabric (plain weave configuration with reinforcing fibers at inclination angles of 0° and 90° relative to the reference) is placed as the outermost layer with a configuration in which the inclination angle θ1 of the unidirectional reinforcing fibers 22A is gradually changed (configuration of this embodiment), we derived the preferred range of inclination angle θ1 that yields the above-mentioned effects in terms of bending strength and bending rigidity, as well as the range of inclination angles that are less prone to peeling. In the tests, the conventional product and the embodiment used the same configuration as the reinforcing fiber configuration, resin configuration, impregnation amount, wall thickness, etc.

[0023] As shown in Figure 8, a fishing rod guide with the above-described configuration was attached to the rod shaft of a fishing rod, and a compressive force, indicated by the arrow, was applied to the highest point of the frame in the same direction as the rod shaft of the fishing rod as part of the bending test. That is, when a compressive force is applied to this position, the fishing rod guide experiences the largest overall bending stress.

[0024] Figure 9 is a graph showing the measured bending strength results, and Figure 10 is a graph showing the measured bending stiffness results. In these graphs, the current product (with a plain weave prepreg as the outermost layer) is set to 1.00, and for products where the directionality angle of the reinforcing fibers changes, the results are shown as a ratio.

[0025] As these test results show, for inclination angles θ1, the bending strength was lower than that of the current product when the angle was between 85° and 90°. At 80°, the bending strength improved, but at angles greater than that, delamination of the reinforcing fibers was observed. Furthermore, when the inclination angle θ1 was set to 55° or less, the angle became too steep, resulting in a decrease in bending rigidity compared to plain weave.

[0026] Based on the above test results, it is preferable that the inclination angle θ1 be in the range of 55° < θ1 < 80°, and more preferably in the range of 60° < θ1 < 80°, with the reference being 0°.

[0027] Furthermore, in the outermost layer where the reinforcing fibers are directed at the inclination angle θ1 described above, it is preferable to have the same structure (symmetrical structure) on both the front and back sides. That is, as shown in Figure 4, by setting the inclination angle of the reinforcing fibers of the central layer 20 to 0°, and setting the inclination angles θ2 and θ1 of the first layer 21 and the second layer 22 on either side to the same angle on both sides, it is possible to suppress distortion during lamination in the manufacturing process.

[0028] Furthermore, in the above-described configuration, regarding the orientation direction (inclination angle θ2) of the reinforcing fibers in the layer immediately below the outermost layer (second layer 22) (first layer 21), in order to prevent peeling of the outermost layer and to prevent a decrease in strength, it is preferable to orient the reinforcing fibers 22A of the outermost layer within +60° and -60° with respect to the orientation direction (inclination angle θ1 is set to 0°), as shown in Figure 7. Specifically, if the inclination angle θ1 of the reinforcing fibers 22A is set to 70°, it is preferable to set the inclination angle θ2 of the layer immediately below it (first layer 21) to ±60° with respect to 70° as the reference (0°), that is, the inclination angle θ2 is in the range of 10° and 130° from the reference (10° < θ2 < 130°).

[0029] In particular, in order to improve strength while effectively preventing peeling, it is preferable to set the angle that straddles the Y axis, specifically, the inclination angle θ2 as shown by the inclination angle θ2' in Figure 7 when viewed from the reference, in the range of 90° to 130°.

[0030] In the above-described configuration, if there are multiple layers below the outermost layer, the prepregs for the third and subsequent inner layers are not limited; UD sheets may be used, woven fabrics may be used, or a configuration in which these are laminated may be used. For example, as shown in Figure 5, a third layer 30 with reinforcing fibers oriented at a 90° angle may be interposed between the central layer 20 and the first layer 21 (on both sides of the central layer 20).

[0031] Next, a method for forming the frame 3 using the laminated prepreg structure described above will be explained. First, the prepreg, which is in the orientation described above, is cut into a predetermined shape and stacked on both sides of the central layer 20. There are no particular limitations on the number of prepreg sheets (layers) to be stacked or the composition of each prepreg, but as described above, the outermost layer 22 is laminated so that the inclination angle θ1 of the reinforcing fibers is the angle described above.

[0032] The prepreg, stacked in this manner, is then set in a mold that is split into upper and lower sections. In this case, cavities are formed in the mold according to the position where the stacked prepreg is set, and a release agent is coated on the surface area of ​​these cavities.

[0033] The mold in which the laminated prepreg described above is set is then subjected to a heating process to cure the matrix resin and form the molded product (plate-like body). After that, the molded product (plate-like body) is removed from the mold and the frame is cut out to form the frame shape shown in Figure 1. Multiple frames 3 can be cut out from the molded plate-like body, making it possible to efficiently manufacture lightweight, high-strength fishing rod guides.

[0034] In addition, it is preferable to simultaneously form the basic external shape of the frame 3, namely the ring holding portion 7 with an opening 7a and the support leg portion 9 with an opening 9a, during this processing, but these may also be formed in separate processes.

[0035] Next, detailed processing is performed as needed. This detailed processing includes, for example, shaping the fixing part 5 into a curved form so that it can be easily placed on a fishing rod, or polishing the end of the fixing part to make it easier to wind and secure the thread.

[0036] Next, the frame is surface-treated. For example, barrel polishing is performed to remove burrs from the surface and to achieve a glossy finish. The degree of polishing can be adjusted as needed, depending on the size, shape, and material properties of the fishing rod guide, using different polishing compounds and polishing times. By performing this barrel polishing, it becomes possible to polish the frame without cutting the reinforcing fibers, thereby stabilizing its strength and resulting in a fishing rod guide with a superior appearance.

[0037] Then, the guide ring 6 is attached to the opening 7a of the frame formed as described above. The guide ring can be attached using press fitting, adhesive bonding, curling, or any other arbitrary fixing method.

[0038] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described configuration and can be modified in various ways. The present invention is characterized in that, when constructing the frame portion constituting the fishing rod guide with multiple layers of prepreg, the outermost prepreg layer uses a UD sheet instead of woven fabric. Regarding such a prepreg, the configuration such as the type of reinforcing fiber, elastic modulus, resin impregnation amount, and wall thickness is not limited to the embodiment and can be modified in various ways.

[0039] Furthermore, the frame shape can be modified as needed, such as by using a multi-leg structure that extends in the front-to-back direction for fixing the fishing rod guide.

[0040] 1 Fishing rod guide 3 Frame 5 Fishing rod fixing part 6 Guide ring 7 Ring holder part 9 Support leg part 20 Central layer 21 First layer 22 Outermost layer

Claims

1. A fishing rod guide having a frame comprising a fishing rod fixing part, a ring holding part to which a guide ring is attached, and a support leg part connecting the fishing rod fixing part and the ring holding part, wherein the frame is composed of multiple layers of laminated FRP prepreg, and the direction of the reinforcing fibers of the outermost layer is uniform.

2. The fishing rod guide according to claim 1, wherein the outermost reinforcing fiber is arranged such that its inclination angle θ1 in the direction of direction is between a horizontal reference (0°) and a vertical axis Y (90°) perpendicular to this reference.

3. The fishing rod guide according to claim 2, wherein the inclination angle θ1 is 55° < θ1 < 80°.

4. The fishing rod guide according to claim 3, wherein the inclination angle θ2 of the layer one layer inward from the outermost layer is oriented to 60° or less when the inclination angle θ1 is considered as the axis (0°).

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