Sports bat having multilayered shell

• US 5,906,550 A
• Filed: 12/02/1997
• Issued: 05/25/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Salzburtg Trading Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ticomp, Inc.
• Inventors: Kingston, William R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blau, Stephen Luther
• Application Number:
  US08/982,779
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• Field of Search: 473/535, 473/536, 473/561, 473/564, 473/319-322
• US Class Current: 473/320
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/18 Baseball, rounders or similar games
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/02 with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/10 Non-metallic shafts
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 59/50 Substantially rod-shaped bats for hitting a ball in the air, e.g. for baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 59/51 made of metal
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/54 with means for damping vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 15/08 of synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2038/0016 Abrading
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2038/0076 Curing, vulcanising, cross-linking
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2305/08 Reinforcements
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2311/00 Metals, their alloys or their compounds
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2311/18 Titanium
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/0036 Heat treatment for heating or cooling of layers during lamination B32B37/06, B32B37/08
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/26 another layer next to it also being fibrous or filamentary relative arrangement of fibres or filaments of different layers B32B5/12

Abstract

A sports bat such as used to play baseball or softball, comprising a shell which includes a first layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite laminate, a second layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite laminate and a core layer between the first layer and the second layer. Further, a method of making a bat comprising a shell which includes a first layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite laminate, a second layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite laminate and a core layer between the first layer and the second layer.

Claims

1. A sports bat, the bat comprising a shell which includes a first layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite laminate, a second layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite laminate and a core layer between the first layer and the second layer;

wherein the yield strength to modulus of elasticity ratio of the titanium alloy in the first layer is substantially similar to the strength to modulus of elasticity ratio of the fiber reinforced composite in the first layer; and

wherein the yield strength modulus of elasticity ratio of the titanium alloy in the second layer is substantially similar to the strength to modulus of elasticity ratio of the fiber reinforced composite in the second layer.

2. The sports bat of claim 1, wherein the core between the first layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite and the second layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite laminate is a syntactic core.

3. The sports bat of claim 1, wherein the titanium alloy in the first layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite is a beta titanium alloy.

4. The sports bat of claim 1,wherein the titanium alloy in the second layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite is a beta titanium alloy.

5. The sports bat of claim 1, wherein the fiber reinforced composite laminate in the first layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite is a graphite reinforced epoxy fiber reinforced composite laminate.

6. The sports bat of claim 1, wherein the fiber reinforced composite laminate in the second layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite is a graphite reinforced epoxy fiber reinforced composite laminate.

7. The sports bat of claim 1, wherein the titanium alloy in the first layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite is a different titanium alloy than the titanium alloy in the second layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite.

8. The sports bat of claim 1, wherein the fiber reinforced composite laminate in the first layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite is a different fiber reinforced composite laminate than the fiber reinforced composite laminate in the second layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite.

9. A sports bat, the bat comprising a shell which includes a first layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite laminate and a second layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite laminate;

wherein the yield strength to modulus of elasticity ratio of the titanium alloy in the first layer is substantially similar to the strength to modulus of elasticity ratio of the fiber reinforced composite in the first layer; and

wherein the yield strength to modulus of elasticity ratio of the titanium alloy in the second layer is substantially similar to the strength to modulus of elasticity ratio of the fiber reinforced composite in the second layer.

10. The sports bat of claim 9, wherein the shell further includes a core between the first layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite and the second layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite laminate.

11. The sports bat of claim 10, wherein the core between the first layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite and the second layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite laminate is a syntactic core.

12. The sports bat of claim 9, wherein the titanium alloy in the first layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite is a beta titanium alloy.

13. The sports bat of claim 9, wherein the titanium alloy in the second layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite is a beta titanium alloy.

14. The sports bat of claim 9, wherein the fiber reinforced composite laminate in the first layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite is a graphite reinforced epoxy fiber reinforced composite laminate.

15. The sports bat of claim 9, wherein the fiber reinforced composite laminate in the second layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite is a graphite reinforced epoxy fiber reinforced composite laminate.

16. The sports bat of claim 9, wherein the titanium alloy in the first layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite is a different titanium alloy than the titanium alloy in the second layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite.

17. The sports bat of claim 9, wherein the fiber reinforced composite laminate in the first layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite is a different fiber reinforced composite laminate than the fiber reinforced composite laminate in the second layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite.

18. A sports bat, the bat comprising a shell including a first layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite laminate;

wherein the yield strength to modulus of elasticity ratio of the titanium alloy is substantially similar to the strength to modulus of elasticity ratio of the fiber reinforced composite.

19. The sports bat of claim 18, wherein the shell further includes a second layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite laminate;

and

wherein the yield strength to modulus of elasticity ratio of the titanium alloy in the second layer is substantially similar to the strength to modulus of elasticity ratio of the fiber reinforced composite in the second layer.

20. The sports bat of claim 19, wherein the shell further includes a core between the first layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite and the second layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite laminate.

21. The sports bat of claim 20, wherein the core between the first layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite and the second layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite laminate is a syntactic core.

22. The sports bat of claim 19, wherein the titanium alloy in the second layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite is a beta titanium alloy.

23. The sports bat of claim 19, wherein the fiber reinforced composite laminate in the second layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite is a graphite reinforced epoxy fiber reinforced composite laminate.

24. The sports bat of claim 19, wherein the titanium alloy in the first layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite is a different titanium alloy than the titanium alloy in the second layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite.

25. The sports bat of claim 19, wherein the fiber reinforced composite laminate in the first layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite is a different fiber reinforced composite laminate than the fiber reinforced composite laminate in the second layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite.

26. The sports bat of claim 18, wherein the titanium alloy in the first layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite is a beta titanium alloy.

27. The sports bat of claim 18, wherein the fiber reinforced composite laminate in the first layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite is a graphite reinforced epoxy fiber reinforced composite laminate.

28. A method of producing a sports bat comprising the step of forming a shell from a first layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite, wherein the yield strength to modulus of elasticity ratio of the titanium alloy in the first layer is substantially similar to the strength to modulus of elasticity ratio of the fiber reinforced composite in the first layer.

29. The method of claim 28, additionally comprising the step of forming a shell from a second layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite, wherein the yield strength to modulus of elasticity ratio of the titanium alloy in the second layer is substantially similar to the strength to modulus of elasticity ratio of the fiber reinforced composite in the second layer.

30. The method of claim 29, additionally comprising the step of placing a core layer between the first layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite and the second layer of titanium alloy-fiber reinforced composite.