MXPA01005997A - Baseball bat - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a composite baseball bat having a core wherein the core in wound at various angles with continuous fibers. The fibers are impregnated with a resin such as an epoxy resin. The baseball bat can include a core having a barrel portion, handle portion and a longitudinal axis extending through core barrel and handle portions, the handle portion being narrower than the barrel portion;continuous first fibers wound around the core barrel portion at an angle of about 0°to 90°relative to a first plane normal to the longitudinal axis to provide at least one layer of first fibers around the core barrel portion;continuous second fibers wound around the core handle portion at an angle of about 35°to 55°relative to the first plane normal to the longitudinal axis to provide at least one layer of second fibers around the core handle portion;and a resin impregnated on the first and second fibers.

Description

BASEBALL BAT RELATED REQUESTS The present application bases its priority on provisional application No. 60 / 112,2244 entitled "Composite Wood Articles of Manufacture" filed on December 14, 1998 and in provisional application No. 60 / 151/719 entitled "Baseball Bat" (Baseball Bat), filed on August 31, 1999, the descriptions of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an article of mixed manufacture, and particularly to a mixed baseball bat suitable for replacing aluminum bats. Several articles of manufacture are made of wood. Examples of these items include boat hulls, poles, bridges, beams, brackets, decks, masts, columns and sports equipment that includes bats and rackets. However there are many limitations in the use of wood. Wood tends to break, warp and rot when exposed to the elements, needing repair or replacement. An alternative has been to use wood laminates in which multiple segments of wood, such as laminated-glued members, are joined. However, said laminates often do not have the same physical and aesthetic characteristics of the articles that are formed of a solid piece of wood. Certain types of wood have become scarce in their supply, such as mahogany for furniture and ash for baseball bats. Also items such as baseball bats have performance and aesthetic characteristics that are difficult to simulate unless a solid piece of wood is used. Many leagues in addition to Major League Baseball use only metal bats (aluminum). Historically, at the beginning this was mainly a measure to save on costs, since wooden bats broke easily and were expensive to replace. Today, most leagues, in addition to Major League Baseball, have switched to aluminum bats mainly due to savings in the replacement of broken bats. Most metal bats are made mostly of aluminum, which can be clad to look like wood, but these bats perform differently than wood bats, and they are said to make a sharp metallic sound instead of the metal bats. Traditional "crunch of the bat" that is heard when a wooden bat hits a ball. In addition, metal bats are considered as unsightly unpleasant by some individuals who have a more traditional orientation and are accustomed to the typical appearance, performance and sound produced by the impact of a wooden bat.

Metal bats have the clear advantage that, although they are more expensive to manufacture, they do not break and therefore can be used repeatedly with consequent cost savings. However, metal bats are being subjected to increased scrutiny due to the speed of the ball being hit with the bat. As a metal bat moves faster, pitchers and other players and spectators are at risk of being hurt due to the reduced time to react. Although metal bats have a larger "effective point" and generally perform better than wood, and have been accepted as acceptable at levels ranging from the small league to collegiate baseball, metal bats have not yet been approved for use. in the major league or in the minor league of baseball. Partly because the speed of the ball to! being hit by the metal bat is faster, and secondly by the annoying high-pitched sound that is usually associated with the bats. However, many leagues are considering discarding metal bats, first for safety measures and second for performance issues. As noted in USA Today, in the December 15, 1998 issue, section C page 3, the NCAA was considering discarding metal bats for the 1999 season because of the performance, meaning that the NCAA wanted baseball to be "closer to its shape traditional "and cites" the bat's performance trajectory "as a consideration. In addition the NCAA expressed concern that the high performance of metal bats is so alive that players and spectators, particularly pitchers are unable to react fast enough. The National Federation of Middle Schools (NFHS) has adopted new rules regarding making aluminum bats more similar to the performance of the wooden bat. The rule would require that bats that are not made of wood have a maximum handle diameter of 6.6675 cm, a maximum differential of unit minus 3 based on the length to weight ratio, and a minimum moment of inertia (MOI) of 39546 g / cm2, measured at the point 15.24 cm from the fist. The NFHS believes that such weight and MOI would make the effort required to balance the non-wooden bat to double the effort required to swing a wooden bat. In addition, a maximum speed of exit of the ball is being considered. See, NFHS Press Relay of August 3, 1999. Several efforts have been made to produce mixed baseball bats using wood or to provide mixed baseball bats simulating wood, rather than conventional aluminum bats. For example in the U.S. Patent. No. 4,032,143, for Mueller et al. It proposes an aluminum core surrounded by a body formed with plastic. It is said that said bat is lighter and less expensive, suitable for younger players (see column 1 lines 41-42). The Patent of E.U.A. No. 4,572,508 to Young proposes a baseball bat formed by a plurality of laminations held together by grooves and projections in the form of a dovetail. The layers of carbon fibers impregnated with a thermosetting resin are pressed between the wood laminations to provide strength and shock absorption characteristics. The Patent of E.U.A. No. 4,848,745 to Bohannon et al. proposes a bat with a cured foam core or bolt of boleo having knitted fibers circumferentially compressed between two capable of fibers aligned with the longitudinal axis of the bat. The Patent of E.U.A. No. 5,114,144, 5,460,369 and 5,460,369 all for Baum describe mixed wooden baseball bats that have an aluminum core wrapped with a composite reinforcing layer and covered with an outer layer of resin-coated wood veneer. These bats are complex and expensive to manufacture, and use a true wood exterior to achieve the performance and appearance of wood bats. The Patent of E.U.A. No. 5,301, 940 for Seki et al. proposes a method for molding a baseball bat by winding reinforcing fibers around a core and placing it in a mold and injecting into the mold a resin which is an interlaced polyaminoamide resin, a cross-linked epoxy modified polyaminoamide resin or a polyesteramide resin, and healing the bat. The Patent of E.U.A. No. 5,395,108 to Sauders et al. proposes a synthetic wood mixed bat comprising a cover of fiber reinforced resin material, a fiber tube inside the cover and a rigid form of cured polyurethane filling the cover and penetrating the inner portion of the pipe. The Patent of E.U.A. No. 5,409,214 to Cook proposes a baseball bat having a hollow metal handle portion and a solid portion of wooden cylinder positioned in the handle portion. The Patent of E.U.A. No. 5,800,293 to MaxKay, Jr. proposes a laminated bat constructed of a plurality of thin layers of wood rolled together on its face surfaces. However, none of these bates sufficiently matches the characteristics of existing wooden baseball bats. But it must be accepted that there is a need for an improved composite baseball bat structure. ThereforeIt is an object of the invention to provide a mixed baseball bat that substantially imitates the appearance, performance and sound of the conventional bat made entirely of wood. Another object of the invention is to provide a mixed baseball bat that equals the effort required to swing a wooden bat and which results in the same maximum ball speed and minimum moment of inertia of the bats made all of wood . And another object of the invention is to provide a mixed baseball bat that is more durable than bats that are made entirely of wood.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION For this purpose, the present invention provides a mixed baseball bat, the baseball bat generally includes a core having a cylinder portion and a grip portion, wherein the core is wound at various angles with continuous fibers. The fibers are impregnated with a resin, like an epoxy resin. In one embodiment, the baseball bat comprises a core having a cylinder portion a grip portion and a longitudinal axis extending through the cylinder and core grip portions, the grip portion being narrower than the grip portion. cylinder portion; first continuous fibers wound around the core portion of the cylinder at an angle of about 0 ° to 90 ° relative to a first plane normal to the longitudinal axis to provide at least one layer of first fibers around the core portion of the core; second continuous fibers wound around the handle portion of the core at an angle of about 35 ° to 55 ° relative to the first plane normal to the longitudinal axis, to provide at least one layer of second fibers around the core handle portion; and a resin impregnated in the first and second fibers. In another embodiment, the baseball bat comprises a core having a top cylinder portion, a throat portion, a transition portion between the cylinder and throat portions, a grip portion adjacent to the throat portion, and a portion of lower grip, and a longitudinal axis extending through the portions of cylinder, throat, transition, grip and grip, the grip portion being narrower than the cylinder portion; first continuous fibers wound around the portion of the core cylinder at an angle of about 35 ° to 55 ° relative to a first plane normal to the longitudinal axis, to provide at least one layer of first rows around the cylinder portion of the core; second continuous fibers wound around the throat portion of the core at an angle of about 15 ° to 35 ° relative to the first plane normal to the longitudinal axis, to provide at least one layer of second fibers around the throat portion of the core; third continuous fibers wound around the transition portion of the core, between the cylinder and throat portions at an angle of about 25 ° to 45 ° relative to the first plane normal to the longitudinal axis, to provide at least one layer of thirds fibers around the transition portion of the core; fourth continuous fibers wound around the core handle portion, at an angle of about 5 ° to 25 ° relative to the first plane normal to the longitudinal axis, to provide at least one layer of fourth fibers around the handle portion of the core; fifth continuous fibers wound around the core cuff portion at an angle of about 35 ° to 55 ° relative to the first plane normal to the longitudinal axis to provide at least one layer of fifth fibers around the cuff portion; and a resin impregnated in the fibers. A method for making said bat is also provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated and forming part of the specification, and illustrate the embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a baseball bat in accordance with the present invention. Figure 2 is a sectional view of the baseball bat taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1. Figure 2A is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a baseball bat with one of the pattern patterns rolled of the present invention. Figure 3 is a side view of a baseball bat illustrating the different portions of the bat. Figure 4 is a side view of a baseball bat illustrating another of the coiled pattern embodiments of the present invention. Figure 5 is a side view of a baseball bat illustrating another of the coiled pattern embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. However, this invention can be characterized in many different ways, and should not be considered as limited to the modalities described herein; these modalities are rather provided so that this description is thorough and complete, and that it fully provides the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. The same numbers always refer to the same elements. Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the baseball bat 10 comprises a core 16 having a cylinder portion 20, a handle portion 25, and a throat portion 41, a transition portion 43 between the cylinder portion and the throat portion, and a fist portion 49. A longitudinal axis A extending through the core and its various portions. It is understood that although a baseball bat is described, the present invention is applicable to other bats such as those used to play soccer and cricket, for example, and to clubs such as police batons. Referring to Figure 2A, in general, the core 15 is optionally covered with a first resin 17, i.e. an initiator layer, wound with fiber 18 and then coated with a second resin 19. The core can be made of wood (i.e. ash, poplar, willow, etc.) or a polymeric material (ie polyurethane foam). The core is configured in such a way that after rolling, the resulting bat will have the dimensions of a conventional bat. Preferably the moisture content of the wood should preferably be about 5 to 20 weight percent, and preferably 8 to 14 weight percent. The core may also be sanded or otherwise treated to improve the adhesion of the core to the impregnated fibers. Various winding patterns can be used for the bat 10. For example, the batter 10 illustrated in Figure 3 is completely wound with a fiber 18a at an angle of about 0 ° relative to a first plane normal to the longitudinal axis A of the core 15. The bat illustrated in Fig. 4 is completely wound by a fiber 18b at an angle of about 45 ° with respect to even the first plane normal to! longitudinal axis A of the nucleus. Different portions of the bat 10 can be wound with different angles and different fibers. Referring to Figure 2 the handle portion of the core 25 may also include at least one reinforcing jacket 36. Preferably the fibers are oriented at an angle of approximately 90 ° relative to the first plane normal to the longitudinal axis A. the envelope reinforcement 36 may be in the form of a rag, roving or biaxial or triaxial braid, and may be formed of a single fiber or a combination of fibers. An example is the V26L200X available with A &P Technology, Covington, Kentucky, and it is a glass wick that is braided. In a preferred embodiment, the first continuous fibers are wound around the cylinder portion of the core 20 at an angle of about 0 ° to 90 ° relative to a first plane normal to the longitudinal axis, to provide at least one layer around the the cylinder portion of the core 20. Second continuous fibers are wound around the handle portion of the core at an angle of about 35 ° to 55 ° relative to the first plane normal to the longitudinal axis, to provide at least one layer of second fibers around said core handle portion. A resin is impregnated on the first and second fibers. Referring to Figure 5, another preferred embodiment is illustrated. First continuous fibers 51 are wound around the cylinder portion of the core 20 at an angle of about 35 ° to 55 ° (they appear as 45 °) with respect to even the first plane normal to the longitudinal axis A, to provide at least one layer of first fibers around the portion of the core 20. Second continuous fibers 53 are wound around said throat portion of the core 41 at an angle of approximately 15 ° to 35 ° (appears as 25 °) , relative to the first plane normal to the longitudinal axis A, to provide at least one layer of second fibers around said throat portion of the core 41. Third continuous fibers 55 are wound around the transition portion 43, between said portions of cylinder 20 and throat 41, at an angle of approximately 25 ° to 55 ° (appears as 35 °) relative to the first plane normal to longitudinal axis A, to provide at least one layer of third fibers around the transition portion of the core 43. Fourth continuous fibers 57 are wound around the handle portion of the core 25, at an angle of about 5 ° to 25 ° (appears as 15 °), relative to the first layer. not normal of the longitudinal axis A, to provide at least one layer of fourth fibers around the handle portion of the core 25. Fifteen continuous fibers 59 are wound around the cuff portion of the core 48, at an angle of approximately 35 ° at 55 ° (appears as 45 °) relative to the first plane normal to the longitudinal axis A, to provide at least one layer of fifth fibers around the cuff portion 48. Optionally, all at the bat can then be wound with a fiber at an angle of about 0 ° to 90 °, relative to the longitudinal axis, such as the fibers wound at an angle of 0 ° relative to the first plane normal to the longitudinal axis A. The resin 33 is impregnated onto the fibers. A reinforcing jacket (which does not appear) may also be included in any portion, and is particularly desirable for the handle portion 25. The continuous fibers of the present invention may be any fiber conventionally known in the art. Preferably, the fiber can be adapted to a conventional circumferential winding machine, such as that available with McCIean Anderson, Schofield, Wisconsin. Suitable fibers comprise glass fibers, polyester, graphite, aramidic fibers or natural fibers. The fibers may be continuous or cut fibers, and may be in the shape of a wick or a mat. Preferably, the fiber comprises glass fiber wick. Preferably using a high performance glass having a yield of about 226,672 to 957,872 m / 4.54 kg. The resin for impregnating the fibers comprises a thermosetting or thermoplastic resin, or one of the mixture or combination thereof. Useful thermosetting resins include epoxies, saturated and unsaturated polyesters, styrenes, acrylics, polyimides, polyvinyl acetates, phenolics, vinyl esters, polyurethanes, polyamides, methacrylates, polyvinyl acetates, polystyrene / acrylonitrile copolymers, polyoxymethylene, urethane-modified vinyl esters and the like, and mixtures and combinations thereof. Examples of thermoplastic resins include polyvinyl acetate, styrene / butadiene copolymers, polymethyl methacrylate, polystyrene, cellulose acetate butyrate, saturated polyesters, saturated urethane-extended polyesters, methacrylate-butadiene-styrene copolymers, and the like. Similar resins can be used as a sizing applied to the bat before winding. Vinyl esters are a preferred sizing. In a preferred embodiment, the resin is an epoxy resin. The preferred epoxy resin comprises a component A which includes a glycidyl ether of polyhydric hydrocarbons and a polyoxyalkylene epoxide, and a component B comprising a polyalkylayleneamine and a phenol having from 5 to 15 carbons. Suitable polyhydroxy hydrocarbon includes dihydroxyphenols, bisphenols, halogenated bisphenols, alkylated bifengols, trisphenols, hydrogenated bisphenols, phenol-aldehyde resins, halogenated phenol-aldehyde novolac resins, alkylated phenol-aldehyde novac resins, phenol-hydroxybenzaldehyde resins, alkylated phenol-hydroxybenzaldehyde resins, hydrocarbon-phenol resins, halogenated hydrocarbon-phenol resins, alkylated hydrocarbon-phenol resins and any combination of them. A suitable polyoxyalkylene epoxide is the polyoxypropylene diepoxide. A polyoxyalkyleneamine is polyoxypropylene diamine. A suitable phenol is nonylphenol. Suitable unsaturated polyester resins include virtually any esterification product of a polybasic organic acid or alcohol, or both, to provide the reactive ethylenic unsaturation. Typical unsaturated polyesters are those thermosetting resins made from the esterification of a polyhydric alcohol with an ethylenically unsaturated polycarboxylic acid. Examples of ethylenically unsaturated polycarboxylic acids include maleic acid, fumaric acid, itaconic acid, dihydromuconic acid, and halogen and alkyl derivatives of said acids and anhydrides, and mixtures thereof. Examples of polyhydric alcohols include polyhydric alcohols such as ethylene glycol, 1,3-propanediol, propylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 2-ethylbutane-1,4-diol, 1,5-pentanediol, 1,6 -hexanediol, 1,7-heptanediol, 1,8-octanediol, 1,4-cyclohexanediol, 1,4-dimethylolcyclohexane, 2,2-diethylpropoane-1,3-diol, 2,2-diethylbutane-1,3-diol , 3-methylpentane-1,4-diol, 2,2-dimethylpropane-1,3-diol, 3-methylpentane-1,4-diol, 2,2-dimethylpropane-1,3-diol, 4,5 -nonanodiol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, dipropylene-gienglycol, glycerol, pentaerythritol, erythritol, sorbitol, mannitol, 1,1-trimethylolpropane, trimethyloethane, bisphene! hydrogenated A and the reaction products of bisphenol A with ethylene or propylene oxide. The unsaturated polyester resins can also be derived from the esterification of saturated polycarboxylic acid or anhydride, with an unsaturated polyhydric alcohol. Examples of saturated polycarboxylic acids include oxalic acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, methylsuccinic acid, 2,2-dimethylsuccinic acid, 2,3-dimethylsuccinic acid, hydroxylsuccinic acid, glutaric acid, 2-methyglutaric acid, 3-methyl glutaric acid, 2,2-dimethyglutaric acid, 3,3-dimethylglutaric acid, 3,3-diethylglutaric acid, 3,3-dimethyglutaric acid, 3,3-diethylglutaric acid, adipic acid, pimelic acid, suberic acid, azeic acid, sebaic acid, acid italic, isophthalic acid, acid terephthalic acid, tetrachlorophthalic acid, tetrabromophthalic acid, tetrahydrophthalic acid, 1,2-hexahydrophthalic acid, 1,3-hexahydrophthalic acid, 1,4-hexahydrophthalic acid, 1,1-cyclobutanedicarboxylic acid and trans-1,4 acid -cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid. The unsaturated polyhydric alcohols which are suitable for reacting with the saturated polycarboxylic acids include the ethylenically unsaturated analogues of the aforementioned saturated alcohols (for example, 2-butene-1,4-diol).

Suitable phenolic resins include virtually any reaction product of an aromatic alcohol with an aldehyde. Examples of aromatic alcohols include phenol, orthocresol, metacresol, paracresol, dysphenol A, p-phenylphenol, p-tert-butylphenol. Examples of aldehydes include formadehyde, acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde, phenylacetaldehyde and bezaldehyde. Particularly preferred are phenolic resins prepared by the reaction of phenol with formaldehyde. Suitable vinyl ester resins include virtually any reaction product of a carboxylic acid or anhydride with an epoxy resin. Examples of acid and anhydrides include methacrylic acid, phthalic anhydride, α-chloroacrylic acid, crotonic acid, monomethyl esters and monoethyl esters of maleic acid or fumaric acid, vinylacetic acid, cinnamic acid, and the like. Epoxy resins that are useful in the preparation of the poiyvinyl ester with well-known is commercially available. Examples of epoxies include virtually any reaction product of a polyfunctional halogenated hydrine, such as epichlorohydrin, with a phenol or a polyhydric phenol. Phenols or polyhydric phenols include, for example, resorcinol, tetracenol ethane, and various bisphenols such as bisphenol A, 4,4'-dihydroxy-diphenylsulfone, 4,4'-dihydroxybifelin, 4,4'-dihydroxy-diphenylethane, 2,2 '. dihydroxydiphenyl oxide, and the like. Normally the thermosetting resin matrix of the present invention may also include a vinyl monomer, in which the thermosetting resin is solubilized. Suitable vinyl monomers include styrene, vinyltoluene, methyl methacrylate, p-methylstyrene, divinylbenzene, diallyl phthalate, and the like. Styrene is a preferred vinyl monomer for solubilizing the unsaturated polyester resins or vinyl ester. The thermosettable resin matrix also typically includes a thickening agent. Suitable thickening agents are commonly known to those skilled in the art and include, for example, unsaturated crystalline polyesters, polyurethanes, alkaline earth metal oxides and hydroxides, and polyureas. The present invention also includes a method for making a bat. For example, the method comprises first coating the core with a first resin. First continuous fibers are wound around a core portion of the core to provide at least one layer of first fibers around the core portion of the cylinder. Then second continuous fibers are wound around a throat portion of! core to provide at least one layer of second fibers around the throat portion of the core. Third continuous fibers are wrapped around a portion of the core to provide at least one layer of third fibers around the transition portion of the core. After winding fourth continuous fibers around a handle portion of the core to provide at least one layer of fourth fibers around the core grip. Fifth continuous fibers are wound around a portion of the core fist to provide at least one layer of fifth fibers around the core fist portion. Then the fibers are impregnated with a second resin. The following examples illustrate specific embodiments of the present invention. In the examples and through the specification, all parts and percentages are by weight, unless otherwise indicated.

EXAMPLES The glass that was used was OC 158B-AA-735 available with Owens Corning.

Sizing Composition A A two-component urethane polymer, Atprime 2 available from Reichhold, Inc., comprising 4 parts of bisphenol A fumarate resin diluted in styrene, methyl methacrylate and dibutyltin laurate (B side) and 1 part of isocyanate (side A).

Sizing composition B 99.4% of Dion See 9480 (epoxy vinyl ester novolac resin) available from Reichhold, Inc., 0.4% cobalt, 12% and 0.2% dimethylalanine, 2.0g (per 100 grams of mixture of the composition of right away B) of Superox® 46-747 (methyl ethyl ketone peroxide initiator) is added and the gelling time is from 5 minutes to 22.8 ° C.

Sizing composition C A two-component system comprising 2 parts of bisphenol A ether and polyoxypropylene diepoxide, and a part of polyoxypropylene diamide and nonylphenol. Sizing is cured overnight.

Winding resin A '99.7% Atlac 580-05 urethane-modified vinyl ester resin available from Reichhold, Inc., 0.2% cobalt 12% and 0.1% dimethylalanine, 2.0g (per 100 grams curl resin mixture) A ') Superox® 46-747 (initiator of methyl ethyl ketone peroxide) is added and the gelling time is 42-47 minutes at 22.8 ° C.

Winding resin B '3 parts of glycidyl ether of bisphenol A and polyoxypropylene diepoxide, and a part of a polyoxypropylene diamine and nonyl phenol.

Winding Pattern A The first layer consists of a 45-35-25-15-45 wrapping sequence of winding angles for the cylinder-transition-throat-grip-fist portions. This layer is enveloped at an angle of 0 ° relative to the plane normal to the longitudinal axis.

Winding pattern B The first layer consists of an envelope at an angle of 0 ° relative to the plane normal to the longitudinal axis. This layer is over-wrapped using a 45-35-25-15-45 sequence of winding angles for the cylinder-transition-throat-grip-fist portions.

EXAMPLE 1 A bat was applied by sizing using the sizing composition A, the winding pattern B and the winding resin A '. The resulting bat had a final weight of 898,663 g. The bat resisted up to 2400 blows and then began to deteriorate the mixed bucket.

EXAMPLE 2 The bat was applied with the sizing composition B, the rolling pattern B and the rolling resin A '. The resulting bat had a final weight of 915,672 g. The composite envelope began to wear out after 2250 strokes around 300 strokes began to notice some delamination of the core between the wooden circles. The bat could be used up to 2250 hits.

EXAMPLE 3 The bat was applied with the sizing composition B, the rolling pattern B and the rolling resin B '. The resulting bat had a final weight of 898,663 g. The two bat layers were worn after 1500 thrown hits and 5200 soft hits. After these blows several cracks were noticed in the bat.

EXAMPLE 4 At the bat, the size composition C, the winding pattern A and the winding resin B were applied to the bat. The resulting bat had a final weight of 830,625 g. The bat had no visible crack or any major problem related to the surface after 1500 hits.

EXAMPLE 5 At the bat, the size composition A, the winding pattern B and the winding resin B were applied to the bat. The resulting bat had a final weight of 864,644 g. After 2300 hits the envelope above was still intact. The batters commented that they really liked the bat.

EXAMPLE 6 The beating was applied with the sizing composition C, with the addition that the sizing contained a thixotropic agent that provides a better resistance to sinking when the bat was placed in an upright position to allow the sizing to reach a degree of curing acceptable. The bat was rolled using the winding pattern B and the winding resin B '. The resulting bat had a final weight of 944,021 g. The bat was still good after 1500 hits. No crack or wear was noted on the compounds.

EXAMPLE 7 The bat was applied with the sizing composition A, the rolling pattern B and the rolling resin B '. The resulting bat had a final weight of 887.32 g. The bat was still good after 1500 strokes, there was no crack or wear on the compounds. The foregoing serves as an illustration for the present invention and should not be considered a limitation thereof. Although some illustrative embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the illustrative embodiments, without departing materially from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims. Therefore, it should be understood that the foregoing is an illustration of the present invention, and should not be considered as restricted to the specific modalities described, and that modifications to the described modalities, as well as other modalities, are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. The invention is defined by the following claims, with the equivalents of the claims included therein.

Claims (23)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. - A baseball bat (10) characterized in that it comprises: a core (15) having a cylinder portion (20), a handle portion (25) and a longitudinal axis (A) extending through said portions of cylinder and core grip, said handle portion being narrower than the cylinder portion; First continuous fibers (51) are wound around said core portion (15) of the core at an angle of about 0 ° to 90 ° with respect to the first plane normal to the longitudinal axis to provide at least one layer of first rows around the said core cylinder portion; second continuous fibers (53) wound around the handle portion of the core (25), at an angle of about 35 ° to 55 ° relative to the first normal plane a! longitudinal axis to provide at least one layer of second fibers around said core handle portion (25); and a resin (19) impregnated on said first and second fibers.

2. The baseball bat (10) according to claim 1, further characterized in that said core handle portion (25) includes at least one reinforcing layer having fibers oriented at an angle of approximately 90 ° relative to the first plane normal to the longitudinal axis, and placed between said core (15) and said at least one layer of first rows, and said at least one layer of second fibers or both.

3. The baseball bat (10) according to claim 1, further characterized in that said resin impregnated on said first and second fibers, is an epoxy resin comprising a component A comprising a glycidyl ether of polyhydric hydrocarbons and an epoxide of polyoxyalkylene and a component B comprising a polyoxyalkyleneamine and a phenol having from 5 to 15 carbons.

4. The baseball bat (10) according to claim 3, further characterized in that the polyhydroxy hydrocarbon is selected from the group consisting of dihydroxyphenols, bisphenoies, halogenated bisphenols, alkylated bisphenols, trisphenols, hydrogenated bisphenols, phenol-aldehyde resins , halogenated phenol-aldehyde novolac resins, alkylated phenol-aldehyde novolac resins, phenol-hydroxybenzadehyde resins, alkylated phenol-hydroxybenzaldehyde resins, hydrocarbon-phenol resins, halogenated hydrocarbon-phenol resins, alkylated hydrocarbon-phenol resins and any combination of them.

5. The baseball bat according to claim 3, further characterized in that the polyoxyalkylene epoxide is polyoxypropylene diepoxide, the polyoxyalkyleneamine is polyoxypropylene diamine and the phenol is nonylphenoxy.

6. The baseball bat (10) according to claim 1, further characterized in that said core (15) is made of wood.

7. - The baseball bat (10) according to claim 1, further characterized in that said fibers are selected from the group consisting of fiberglass, polyester, graphite, aramid and natural fibers.

8. The baseball bat according to claim 7, further characterized in that the fibers have a yield of about 226.67 m / 4.54 kg to 957.87 m / 4.54 kg.

9. The baseball bat (10) according to claim 1, further characterized in that said resin is selected from the group consisting of resins including epoxies, saturated and unsaturated styrenic polyesters, acrylics, polyimides, polyvinyl acetates, polyurethanes , polyamides, methacrylates, polyvinylacetals, polystyrene / acrylonitrile copolymers, polyoxymethylene and urethane-modified vinyl esters.

10. The baseball bat (10) according to claim 9, further characterized in that said resin is a urethane-modified vinyl ester resin.

11. The baseball bat (10) according to claim 10, further characterized in that said vinyl ester resin is the reaction product of a polycarboxylic acid unsaturated with an epoxy resin.

12. A baseball bat (10) characterized in that it comprises: a core (15) having an upper cylinder portion (20), a throat portion (41), a transition portion (43) between said cylinder portions (20) and throat (41), a handle portion (25) adjacent to the throat portion (41) and a lower cuff portion (49), and a longitudinal axis (A) extending through said shoulders (41). portions of cylinder, throat, transition, grip and grip, said grip portion being narrower than said portion of cylinder, the bat (10) comprises: first continuous fibers (51) wound around said portion of cylinder (20) of the core at an angle of about 35 ° to 55 ° with respect to still close plane normal to the longitudinal axis, to provide at least one layer of first rows around said portion of core cylinder; second continuous fibers (53) wound around said throat portion (41) of the core, at an angle of about 15 ° to 35 ° relative to the first plane normal to the longitudinal axis, to provide at least one layer of second fibers around of said portion of the throat of the nucleus; third continuous fibers (55) wound around said transition portion of the core (43), between said cylinder and throat portions (20,41) at an angle of approximately 25 ° to 55 °, relative to the first plane normal to longitudinal axis, to provide at least one layer of third fibers around said transition portion of the core; fourth continuous fibers (57) wound around said handle portion (25) of the core, at an angle of about 5 ° to 25 ° relative to the first plane normal to the longitudinal axis, to provide at least one layer of fourth fibers around of said portion of the core grip; and fifth continuous fibers (59) wound around said fist portion (49) of the core at an angle of about 35 ° to 55 ° relative to the first plane normal to the longitudinal axis, to provide at least one layer of fifth fibers around of said fist portion; and a resin impregnated on said fibers.

13. The baseball bat (10) according to claim 12, further characterized in that said core handle portion includes at least one reinforcing layer (36) placed at about 0 ° in relation to the first normal to the longitudinal axis, and placed between said core and the first fiber layer or the second fiber layer or both.

14. The baseball bat according to claim 12, further characterized in that said resin is an epoxy resin comprising a component A, comprising a glyclic ether of polyhydroxy hydrocarbons and a polyoxyalkylene epoxide, and a component B comprising a polyalkylakylaminoamine and a phenol having from 5 to 15 carbons.

15. The baseball bat (10) in accordance with the claim 14, further characterized in that the polyhydroxy hydrocarbon is selected from the group consisting of dihydroxyphenols, bisphenols, halogenated bisphenols, alkylated bifengols, trisphenols, hydrogenated bisphenols, phenol-aldehyde resins, halogenated phenol-aldehyde novolac resins, phenol-aldehyde novalac resins alkylated, phenol-hydroxybenzaldehyde resins, alkylated phenol-hydroxybenzaldehyde resins, hydrocarbon-phenol resins, halogenated hydrocarbon-phenol resins, alkylated hydrocarbon-phenol resins and any combination thereof.

16. The baseball bat (10) according to claim 14, further characterized in that the polyoxyalkylene epoxide is polyoxypropylene diopoxide.

17. The baseball bat (10) according to claim 12, further characterized in that said core is made of wood.

18. The baseball bat (10) according to claim 12, further characterized in that fibers are selected from the group consisting of glass fibers, polyester, graphite, aramidics and natural fibers.

19. The baseball bat (10) according to claim 18, further characterized in that the fibers have a yield of about 226.67 m / 4.54 kg at 957.872 m / 4.54 kg.

20. The baseball bat (10) according to claim 12, further characterized in that said resin is selected from the group consisting of resins including epoxies, saturated and unsaturated styrene polyesters, acrylics, polyimides, polyvinyl acetates, polyurethanes, polyamides, methacrylates, polyvinylacetals, polystyrene / acrylonitrile copolymers, polyoxymethylene and urethane-modified vinyl esters.

21. The baseball bat (10) according to claim 20, further characterized in that said resin is a vinyl ester resin.

22. The baseball bat (10) according to claim 21, further characterized in that said vinyl ester resin is the reaction product of an unsaturated polycarboxylic acid with an epoxy resin.

23. - A method for making a baseball bat (10), characterized in that it comprises the steps of: a) coating a core (15) with a first resin, the core (15) having a longitudinal axis; b) winding first continuous fibers about a core portion of the core at an angle of about 35 ° to 55 ° with respect to even the first plane normal to the longitudinal axis, to provide at least one layer of first fibers around the portion of the cylinder of the core (20); c) winding second continuous fibers (53) wound around a throat portion (41) of the core (15), at an angle of about 15 ° to 35 ° relative to the first plane normal to the longitudinal axis, to provide at least a layer of second fibers around the throat portion (41) of the core; d) winding continuous third fibers (55) around a transition portion (43) of the core (15), between said core and core throat cylinder portions (20, 41), at an angle of approximately 25 ° to 55 ° relative to the first plane normal to the longitudinal axis, to provide at least one layer of third fibers around the transition portion of the core; wind fourth continuous fibers (57) around a handle portion (25) of the core (15), at an angle of about 5 ° to 25 ° relative to the first plane normal to the longitudinal axis, to provide at least one layer of fourth fibers around the handle portion (25) of the core; and e) winding fifth continuous fibers (59) around a cuff portion (49) of the core (15), at an angle of about 35 ° to 55 ° relative to the first plane normal to the longitudinal axis, to provide at least one layer of fifth fibers around the fist portion (49) of the core.