Boron Nitride Composite Sporting Equipment With Strength and Flex

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing sporting equipment, such as fishing rods and golf clubs, face issues with stiffness and brittleness, leading to increased risk of injury and equipment failure, while crystalline boron nitride structures, though promising, are difficult and expensive to produce and their suitability in sporting equipment is untested.

Innovation Solution

The development of composite materials incorporating boron nitride structures, including boron nitride nanotubes and hybrids of crystalline boron nitride forms, within a matrix material to create objects with improved strength, flexibility, and elastic deformability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Weight of moving object

If graphite or carbon fibre composite materials are used to reduce weight and improve flexibility, then the sporting equipment becomes lighter and more flexible, but the equipment becomes prone to snapping under load due to increased brittleness

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveweightVSAvoidstrength

Core Design Contradiction:

Weight of moving objectVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs a hybrid composite material system combining boron nitride nanotubes with carbon fibres and resin matrix. This multi-material composite approach leverages the lightweight properties of carbon fibres while incorporating boron nitride nanotubes to enhance strength and reduce brittleness, thereby resolving the contradiction between weight reduction and strength maintenance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Strength

If higher stiffness composite materials are used to improve strength and mass distribution, then the equipment becomes stronger, but the risk of injury increases due to reduced flexibility and elastic deformability

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovestrengthVSAvoidflexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements local quality enhancement by strategically distributing boron nitride nanotubes within the composite structure. The nanotubes are incorporated at specific concentrations (0.1-10% by weight) within the resin matrix to provide localized reinforcement that maintains overall flexibility while enhancing strength in critical load-bearing regions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Strength

If crystalline boron nitride structures are produced to improve strength and flexibility, then the mechanical properties are enhanced, but the production cost and difficulty increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemechanical strengthVSAvoidproduction difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses boron nitride nanotubes as an intermediary reinforcement phase within the composite material system. Rather than producing bulk crystalline boron nitride structures which are difficult and expensive to manufacture, the invention incorporates nanoscale boron nitride structures that can be more easily integrated into the composite matrix, thereby reducing production difficulty while maintaining mechanical strength enhancements

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS20250154367A1Objects containing crystalline boron nitride and methods of manufacturing same

Publication Date: 2025.05.15 RAPTOR SPORTS

AI summary

A method of manufacturing an object including: impregnating a material comprising a plurality of boron nitride structures, the boron nitride structures comprising boron nitride nanotubes, or a hybrid of two or more forms of crystalline boron nitride structures, with a matrix material to form a composite material; moulding the composite material; and curing the composite material, wherein the object is at least partially fabricated from the composite material.