Bat Barrel Pivot Joint for Shock Damping and Hitting Zone
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Solution Overview
Problem
Baseball and softball bats transmit significant shock and vibrational energy to the batter's hands when hitting the ball away from the 'sweet spot,' causing discomfort and affecting performance, especially in younger players, and existing bats struggle to provide maximum performance across a larger region while adhering to performance standards.
Innovation Solution
A ball bat design featuring a handle portion, a barrel portion with a proximal and distal region, and end cap, where the barrel portion is coupled to the handle and end cap via pivot joints, allowing for pivoting and deflection upon impact, thereby reducing shock and enhancing performance across a broader hitting zone.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the bat is designed to maximize performance at the sweet spot, then the hitting performance at the sweet spot is improved, but the performance across a larger region of the barrel is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The barrel portion is designed to pivot relative to the handle portion about a pivot axis during ball impact. This dynamic movement allows the barrel to adapt its orientation based on the impact location, maintaining optimal performance across a larger region of the barrel rather than being fixed for sweet spot contact only.
Solution Approach 2:
The bat is divided into separate functional segments: a handle portion and a barrel portion connected by a pivot joint. This segmentation allows the barrel to move independently relative to the handle, enabling the performance characteristics to be optimized separately and the barrel to cover a larger effective hitting zone through its range of motion.
2Power
If the bat transmits impact forces efficiently to the ball, then the hitting performance is improved, but the shock and vibration transmitted to the batter's hands increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pivot joint acts as an intermediary mechanism between the handle portion and the barrel portion. It allows the barrel to pivot and deflect upon impact, absorbing and redirecting shock and vibrational energy away from the handle and batter's hands while still enabling effective power transmission to the ball during proper contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The dynamic pivoting capability of the barrel portion allows it to absorb impact shocks through controlled movement rather than rigidly transmitting all forces to the handle. This dynamic response reduces the transmission of harmful vibrations to the batter's hands while maintaining power transfer efficiency during effective hits.
3Strength
If the barrel portion is made rigid to maintain structural integrity, then the strength is improved, but the ability to reduce shock and vibration through pivoting is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The bat is segmented into a rigid handle portion and a barrel portion connected by a pivot joint. This segmentation allows the barrel to be designed with strength for structural integrity while the pivot joint provides the necessary flexibility for shock reduction through pivoting motion during impact.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivot joint serves as a mediator that decouples the structural strength requirements from the shock reduction function. The barrel portion can be constructed with high strength materials and rigid geometry for structural integrity, while the pivot joint independently provides the shock-absorbing pivoting capability.
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 pivot joint design effectively dampens shock and vibration, improving the hitting performance and enlarging the effective hitting zone by facilitating pivoting and deflection of the barrel portion, reducing discomfort and enhancing batting performance.
Implementation Method 1
The first pivot joint facilitates pivoting of the barrel portion with respect to the end cap upon impact with the ball
Implementation Method 2
The present invention provides a ball bat that reduces the amount of shock and/or vibrational energy from a ball impact being transmitted to the batter's hands
Data Source
AI summary
A ball bat extending along a longitudinal axis. The bat includes a handle portion, a barrel portion and an end cap. The barrel portion includes a proximal region and a distal region. The proximal region of the barrel portion is coupled to the handle portion by a first pivot joint. The distal region of the barrel portion is coupled to the end cap by a second pivot joint. The first and second pivot joints movably support the barrel portion relative to the longitudinal axis.