Bat Barrel Discs Manage Stiffness and Weight
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing baseball and softball bats face challenges in maintaining performance while adhering to regulatory requirements, as they tend to become stiffer and heavier when materials are added to reduce performance, making it difficult to achieve desired weight drops and meet breakage tests.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating disc members and insulation foam within the barrel portion of the bat, which are securely fitted using friction or adhesive methods, to manage stiffness and weight while allowing for controlled breakage during testing, thereby maintaining player preferences and regulatory compliance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If stiffer materials are added to the ball bat's barrel portion to reduce performance and meet regulatory requirements, then performance compliance is improved, but the ball bat becomes heavier and harder to manufacture with desired weight drop
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by placing disc members at specific locations within the barrel portion rather than uniformly distributing stiffening materials throughout. The disc members are positioned at strategic points where they provide maximum performance reduction while minimizing overall weight increase, allowing different regions of the bat to have different stiffness characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining disc members made of stiff material with the existing bat barrel structure. The disc members are inserted into cavities within the barrel, creating a composite construction where the stiff disc members provide performance reduction while the surrounding barrel material maintains the desired weight and flexibility characteristics.
2Reliability
If stiffer materials are added to the ball bat's barrel portion to reduce performance, then regulatory compliance is improved, but the ball bat becomes stiffer and harder to make break during testing
Solution Approach 1:
The disc members are strategically positioned at specific locations within the barrel portion rather than uniformly distributing stiffening materials. This localized approach allows the bat to have reduced performance at the sweet spot while maintaining enough flexibility in other areas to break during regulatory testing.
Solution Approach 2:
The stiffening effect is segmented into discrete disc members rather than a continuous stiff material throughout the barrel. This segmentation allows the bat to have localized stiffness increases at specific points while maintaining overall flexibility, enabling it to break during testing while still meeting performance compliance requirements.
3Reliability
If disc members are added to the barrel portion to manage stiffness and weight, then performance and compliance are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The barrel portion is segmented into discrete sections with disc members inserted at specific locations rather than using a complex continuous structure. This segmentation simplifies the manufacturing process by allowing individual disc members to be inserted into pre-formed cavities, reducing the overall complexity compared to creating a uniformly complex barrel structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The disc members are nested within cavities that are formed within the barrel portion structure. This nesting approach integrates the disc members into the existing barrel construction rather than requiring separate complex assembly steps, thereby reducing device complexity while achieving the desired performance and compliance characteristics.
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 solution allows for a balance between performance and regulatory compliance by distributing stiffness and weight effectively, enabling bats to break during testing while maintaining player-friendly characteristics and meeting performance standards.
Implementation Method 1
securely fitted using friction or adhesive methods
Data Source
AI summary
A ball bat includes at least one disc member in the bat barrel. The at least one disc member may include at least one solid disc member or at least one non-solid disc member with an opening, or both. The outer perimeters of the disc members may optionally be separated from the inner wall of the ball bat by a buffer layer, such as a layer of open-cell foam or adhesive. In some embodiments, the ball bat may further include at least one positioning member, such as an insulation foam member. The at least one positioning member may be located between two disc members, and multiple positioning members may optionally be arranged in alternating fashion with disc members within the bat. The at least one positioning member may be an insulation foam member having a hollow center portion.