Variable Geometry Hockey Stick Shaft for Stiffness and Mass Trade-off
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hockey stick manufacturing methods result in shafts with uniform cross-sectional geometries, which do not efficiently balance bending stiffness and mass, limiting performance and player-specific customization.
Innovation Solution
The method involves forming hockey sticks with variable cross-sectional geometries, such as pentagonal and heptagonal shapes, by wrapping fiber tape around a mandrel, inserting an inflatable bladder, and molding within a variable geometry mold to achieve tailored stiffness and reduced mass.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If uniform cross-sectional geometry is used in hockey stick shafts, then manufacturing is simpler, but bending stiffness and mass efficiency are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying the cross-sectional geometry of the shaft along its length. Different sections have different geometries (e.g., pentagonal, heptagonal, or other multi-sided shapes) to optimize bending stiffness in specific regions while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through molded construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs asymmetry by using non-uniform, multi-sided cross-sectional geometries instead of traditional uniform circular or rectangular shapes. This asymmetric design allows tailored stiffness characteristics in different directions and locations along the shaft, improving overall structural efficiency.
2Ease of manufacture
If uniform cross-sectional geometry is used in hockey stick shafts, then manufacturing is simpler, but mass efficiency is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying the cross-sectional geometry of the shaft along its length. Different sections have different geometries (e.g., pentagonal, heptagonal, or other multi-sided shapes) to optimize bending stiffness in specific regions while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through molded construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs parameter changes by modifying the cross-sectional geometry parameters (number of sides, shape dimensions) along the shaft length. This allows optimization of the mass-stiffness relationship by using more material where needed and less material where not required, reducing overall mass while maintaining performance.
3Strength
If variable cross-sectional geometry is used in hockey stick shafts, then bending stiffness is enhanced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by creating a variable-cross-section mandrel before the molding process. This pre-formed mandrel with the desired complex geometry serves as a template, allowing the final shaft to inherit the optimized shape without requiring complex molding operations. The mandrel is removed after molding, leaving the hollow shaft with the desired variable geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an intermediary mandrel as a mediator between the designer's geometric requirements and the manufacturing process. The mandrel temporarily holds the complex variable geometry during manufacturing, making it easier to produce than would be possible with direct molding alone. This intermediary tool simplifies the overall manufacturing of complex geometries.
4Weight of moving object
If variable cross-sectional geometry is used in hockey stick shafts, then mass is reduced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by creating a variable-cross-section mandrel before the molding process. This pre-formed mandrel with the desired complex geometry serves as a template, allowing the final shaft to inherit the optimized shape without requiring complex molding operations. The mandrel is removed after molding, leaving the hollow shaft with the desired variable geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an intermediary mandrel as a mediator between the designer's geometric requirements and the manufacturing process. The mandrel temporarily holds the complex variable geometry during manufacturing, making it easier to produce than would be possible with direct molding alone. This intermediary tool simplifies the overall manufacturing of complex geometries.
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
This approach enhances bending stiffness while reducing the overall mass of the hockey stick, allowing for customized flexural rigidity along the shaft length and improved energy transfer during gameplay.
Implementation Method 1
the mold may be heated and the bladder may be expanded within the cavity to exert an internal pressure on the cavity to urge the fiber tape toward the walls of the mold
Implementation Method 2
The mold may be heated and the bladder may be expanded within the cavity
Implementation Method 3
The mold may be cooled and the bladder contracted and removed
Data Source
AI summary
A hockey stick apparatus may include a molded blade coupled to the proximal end of a shaft. The molded blade may include a top edge, a bottom edge, a heel, a toe, a front face opposite a back face, and a slot extending through front face and the back face. A cross section of the blade may include a variable geometry.