Cantilevered Insert Ball Bat Barrel Durability

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional ball bats face challenges in maintaining performance and durability due to barrel deflection during impact, leading to premature denting and reduced durability.

Innovation Solution

A ball bat design featuring a tubular insert cantilevered within the barrel, where the cantilevered portion forms a majority of the insert's length, providing additional support and allowing independent movement, thus enhancing durability and performance by engaging with the barrel upon deflection.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the barrel is made more rigid to prevent denting, then durability is improved, but the bat becomes heavier and less responsive

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovedurabilityVSAvoidbat weight

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The barrel is divided into an outer barrel structure and an inner tubular insert, allowing each component to have optimized properties. The insert provides rigid support to prevent denting while the overall structure remains lightweight, resolving the contradiction between durability and weight.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The bat barrel uses a composite structure combining the outer barrel material with the tubular insert material (different material class), creating a hybrid structure that achieves both the dent resistance of rigid materials and the weight benefits of lighter materials.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Reliability

If the barrel wall is thickened to prevent denting, then durability is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovedurabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of manufacturing a single thick-walled barrel, the structure is segmented into an outer barrel and an inner insert. This allows each component to be manufactured separately with optimized wall thicknesses, reducing overall manufacturing complexity while achieving the same dent resistance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The tubular insert is nested within the outer barrel, creating a multi-layer structure. This nesting approach allows the insert to provide additional dent resistance without requiring the outer barrel walls to be thicker, simplifying the manufacturing of each individual component.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

3Stability of the object's composition

If the insert is fully supported along its length, then structural stability is improved, but the bat loses the beneficial independent movement capability

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural stabilityVSAvoidindependent movement

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The insert mounting provides localized support at specific positions (proximal and distal ends) rather than continuous support along the entire length. This creates zones of different stiffness: supported zones for stability and cantilevered zones for independent movement, resolving the contradiction between structural stability and adaptability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The insert mounting system transitions from a fully static, fully-supported structure to a dynamic structure with controlled degrees of freedom. The cantilevered portions can move independently in response to impact forces, allowing the structure to adapt dynamically while maintaining overall stability through the mounted portions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

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 design improves the bat's durability by preventing premature denting and enhancing performance through the engagement of the barrel and cantilevered insert, providing a better feel and sound upon impact.

Implementation Method 1

The cantilevered portion is cantilevered from an insert mounting portion of the barrel independent of an end cap of the ball bat

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCantilever:

Implementation Method 2

deflection of the barrel results in the barrel contacting the tubular insert

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectDeflection:

Data Source

PatentUS11058934B2Ball bat with cantilevered insert

Publication Date: 2021.07.13 WILSON SPORTING GOODS CO(US)

AI summary

A ball bat, extending along a longitudinal axis and configured for impacting a ball, may include a handle portion, an end cap, a barrel and a tubular insert. The barrel longitudinally extends along the longitudinal axis between the handle portion and the end cap. The barrel has a distal end and an inner surface, a portion of which proximate the distal end forms an insert mounting portion. The tubular insert may have a cantilevered portion having an outer surface separated from the inner surface. The cantilevered portion is cantilevered from the insert mounting portion independent of the end cap and forms a majority of a length of the tubular insert.