BAT WITH FOAM CORE INSERT

Abstract

A composite ball bat comprising a handle, a tapered portion extending from an attachment end of the handle, and a barrel portion extending from the tapered portion to an end-cap end is provided. The barrel portion includes an inner surface and an outer surface. A foam core insert is preferably located within the barrel portion so that it is friction fit within the inner surface of the bat. The specific strength of the foam core insert may be 40 kNm/kg or more, and the specific modulus of the foam core insert may be at least 1,000 kNm/kg. The foam core insert is preferably less than 0.5 g/cc and preferably has a compressive strength greater than 16,500 kPa.

Claims

1. A ball bat comprising: a handle having a knob end and an attachment end; a tapered portion extending from the attachment end of the handle; a barrel portion extending from the tapered portion to an end-cap end, wherein said barrel portion includes: an inner surface; an outer surface; and a foam core insert secured within the inner surface of the barrel portion, wherein the foam core insert has a specific strength of 40 kNm/kg or more.

2. The ball bat of claim 1, wherein the foam core insert has a specific modulus of at least 1,000 kNm/kg.

3. The ball bat of claim 1, wherein the density of the foam core insert is less than 0.5 g/cc.

4. The ball bat of claim 1, wherein the foam core insert is made of at least one of a polyurethane foam and a polymethacrylimide foam.

5. The ball bat of claim 1, wherein the foam core insert is secured in the barrel portion by an adhesive.

6. A ball bat comprising: a handle having a knob end and an attachment end; a tapered portion extending from the attachment end of the handle; a barrel portion extending from the tapered portion to an end-cap end, wherein said barrel portion includes: an inner surface; an outer surface; and a foam core insert secured within the inner surface of the barrel portion, wherein the foam core insert has a specific modulus of at least 1,000 kNm/kg.

7. The ball bat of claim 6, wherein the foam core insert has a specific strength of 40 kNm/kg or more.

8. The ball bat of claim 6, wherein the density of the foam core insert is less than 0.5 g/cc.

9. The ball bat of claim 6, wherein the foam core insert is made of at least one of a polyurethane foam and a polymethacrylimide foam.

10. The ball bat of claim 7, wherein the foam core insert is secured in the barrel portion by an adhesive.

11. A ball bat comprising: a handle having a knob end and an attachment end; a tapered portion extending from the attachment end of the handle; a barrel portion extending from the tapered portion to an end-cap end, wherein said barrel portion includes: an inner surface; an outer surface; and a foam core insert secured within the inner surface of the barrel portion, wherein the density of the foam core insert is less than 0.5 g/cc.

12. The ball bat of claim 11, wherein the foam core insert has a specific strength of 40 kNm/kg or more.

13. The ball bat of claim 11, wherein the foam core insert has a specific modulus of at least 1,000 kNm/kg.

14. The ball bat of claim 11, wherein the foam core insert is made of at least one of a polyurethane foam and a polymethacrylimide foam.

15. The ball bat of claim 14, wherein the foam core insert is secured in the barrel portion by an adhesive.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] For a better understanding of the various embodiments of the present invention, reference may be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0013] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an example embodiment of a bat with a foam core insert exploded therefrom; and

[0014] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the bat of FIG. 1 with a foam core insert in its barrel portion.

[0015] While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, a specific embodiment thereof is shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description presented herein are not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular embodiment disclosed, but to the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout. For purposes of clarity in illustrating the characteristics of the present invention, proportional relationships of the elements have not necessarily been maintained in the drawing figures.

[0017] Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded view of a ball bat 1, the components and construction of which will be described hereinbelow. As shown in FIG. 1, like other prior art bats known and understood in the art that are used in diamond sports like baseball or softball, the bat 1 includes a tapered portion 5 and a barrel portion 10. Preferably, the tapered portion 5 is near a handle portion 15 of the bat 1, while the barrel portion 10 of the bat 1 extends from the tapered portion 5 to an end-cap 20 of the bat 1. Like prior art bats, the barrel portion 10 is intended to be the portion of the bat 1 that strikes a ball when the bat 1 is used.

[0018] The barrel portion 10 of the bat 1 may include a foam core insert 25 contained within the barrel portion 10 of the bat 1. More particularly, the foam core insert 25 is located near a sweet spot 30 of the barrel portion 10, generally regarded as the location of the bat 1 where struck balls have the highest exit velocity. While the sweet spot 30 is illustrated as approximately six inches from the distal portion 20 of the bat 1, it may be located more distally or proximally than in the illustrated embodiment. In preferred embodiments, the sweet spot 30 is located five to seven inches from the distal portion 20.

[0019] Turning now to FIG. 2, when the foam core insert 25 is inserted into the barrel portion 10, an outer circumference 35 of the foam core insert 25 substantially abuts inner wall 40 of the barrel portion 10. The abutment of the outer circumference 35 with the inner wall 40 preferably creates a friction fit such that the foam core insert 25 is firmly stabilized in the sweet spot 30. When the foam core insert 25 is inserted into the bat 1, and is friction fit so that it is positioned as illustrated in FIG. 1, it is substantially perpendicular to the barrel portion 10 of the bat 1. In some embodiments, the foam core insert 25 may be adhered to the inner wall 40 by glue, epoxy, or another suitable adhesive, or by other structural engagements.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment, the foam core insert 25 is made of polyurethane foam, but in alternative embodiments, it may be composed of a polymethacrylimide (PMI) foam. Other foam compositions having high strength but low weight are also contemplated that provide structure to the barrel portion 10 but also that enable thinner bat inner walls 40 to produce an overall lighter weight bat.

[0021] The specific strength of the foam core insert 25 under a compression test may be 40 kNm/kg or more. The specific modulus of the same foam core insert 25 under a compression test may be at least 1,000 kNm/kg. The density of the foam core insert 25 is preferably less than 0.5 g/cc and preferably has a compressive strength greater than about 16,500 kPa, or about 2400 psi. In the illustrated embodiment, the foam core insert 25 is approximately one and a half inches thick, but in alternative embodiments could be thinner or thicker so long as it retains its high strength and low weight properties.

[0022] In alternative embodiments, foam core inserts such as the foam core insert 25 may vary in quantity, location, composition, and/or thickness. Such embodiments may be tailored to fit the particular size, performance, and/or requirements or preferences of any given bat.

[0023] From the foregoing, it will be seen that the various embodiments of the present invention are well adapted to attain all the objectives and advantages hereinabove set forth together with still other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the present structures. It will be understood that certain features and sub-combinations of the present embodiments are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub-combinations. Since many possible embodiments of the present invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, it is also to be understood that all disclosures herein set forth or illustrated in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted as illustrative only and not limiting. The various constructions described above and illustrated in the drawings are presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the concepts, principles and scope of the present invention.

[0024] As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of the present invention are not limited by the particular details of the examples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications and applications, or equivalents thereof, will occur to those skilled in the art. The terms having and including and similar terms as used in the foregoing specification are used in the sense of optional or may include and not as required.

[0025] Many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the present constructions will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and the accompanying drawings. All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.