Annular Member Baseball Bat for BBCOR Compliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current baseball bats, especially non-wood bats, face challenges in meeting the BBCOR Standard's 0.500 performance limit while maintaining playability, durability, and feel, as they often exceed the required BBCOR value or are too heavy for younger players.
Innovation Solution
A baseball bat design featuring a bat frame with a tubular barrel portion and an annular member positioned within the barrel, which adjusts the bat's performance by optimizing the moment of inertia and stiffness, ensuring a BBCOR value of 0.500 or less through precise placement and material distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If non-wood bat materials (aluminum, alloys, composites) are used to improve durability and design flexibility, then reliability and design flexibility are improved, but BBCOR performance limit compliance deteriorates as bats tend to exceed the 0.500 limit
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by positioning an annular member with specific material properties at a particular location within the barrel portion of the bat. This localized modification changes the stiffness and mass distribution in that specific region, thereby reducing the BBCOR value to comply with the 0.500 limit while preserving the overall durability benefits of non-wood materials throughout the rest of the bat structure.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If solid wood construction is used to achieve wood-like performance and meet BBCOR standards, then BBCOR compliance is improved, but weight increases making bats too heavy for younger players
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite materials by combining non-wood bat construction (aluminum, alloys, or composite fiber materials) with an annular member that may be made of different materials. This composite approach allows the bat to achieve wood-like BBCOR performance characteristics while maintaining the weight advantages of non-wood materials, making the bat suitable for younger players who need lighter equipment.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If annular member is positioned close to center of percussion to maximize performance adjustment, then BBCOR control is improved, but moment of inertia increases reducing swing speed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by carefully controlling the position of the annular member's center of mass relative to the bat's center of percussion, maintaining it at least 0.25 inches away. Additionally, the annular member's weight is constrained to 0.4-1.85 ounces, and its dimensions are limited (height ≤ 0.5 inches, width ≤ 0.7 inches). These parameter constraints ensure that the BBCOR value is reduced to comply with the 0.500 limit while the moment of inertia increase is limited to no more than 20%, preserving swing speed and player comfort.
4Object-generated harmful factors
If annular member weight is increased to reduce BBCOR value, then BBCOR compliance is improved, but moment of inertia increases by more than twenty percent reducing playability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by establishing specific parameter ranges for the annular member: weight between 0.4-1.85 ounces, height not exceeding 0.5 inches, and width not exceeding 0.7 inches. These parameter changes allow the annular member to sufficiently reduce the BBCOR value to meet the 0.500 compliance requirement while limiting the moment of inertia increase to no more than 20%, thereby maintaining acceptable playability characteristics including swing speed and feel.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The bat configuration effectively meets the BBCOR Standard, providing a balanced performance, durability, and playability, while allowing for adjustments to meet specific criteria, such as mimicking wood bat feel without the weight and durability issues.
Implementation Method 1
The annular member increases the moment of inertia of the bat, measured about an axis positioned six inches from the base of the knob of the bat, by no more than twenty percent
Data Source
AI summary
A ball bat extending about a longitudinal axis. The bat includes a bat frame having a handle portion and a tubular barrel portion, a knob coupled to the handle portion; and an annular member. The bat has a proximal end, a distal end, a center of percussion and a length of at least thirty inches. The barrel portion has an inner surface. At least a portion of the inner surface of the barrel portion includes a first set of projections. The annular member includes an outer radial surface having a second set of projections. The annular member is positioned within the barrel portion such that the first set of projections engages the second set of projections to inhibit longitudinal movement of the annular member with respect to the barrel portion in at least one direction.