US20150072809A1 - Article with protective sheath - Google Patents

Article with protective sheath Download PDF

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Publication number
US20150072809A1
US20150072809A1 US14/475,613 US201414475613A US2015072809A1 US 20150072809 A1 US20150072809 A1 US 20150072809A1 US 201414475613 A US201414475613 A US 201414475613A US 2015072809 A1 US2015072809 A1 US 2015072809A1
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United States
Prior art keywords
layer
protective sheath
shaft portion
hockey stick
failure
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Abandoned
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US14/475,613
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English (en)
Inventor
Gino Palumbo
Iain Brooks
Klaus Tomantschger
Andrew J. Robertson
Konstantinos Panagiotopoulos
Dave Limoges
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Integran Technologies Inc
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Integran Technologies Inc
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Priority to US14/475,613 priority Critical patent/US20150072809A1/en
Assigned to INTEGRAN TECHNOLOGIES INC. reassignment INTEGRAN TECHNOLOGIES INC. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: LIMOGES, DAVE, PALUMBO, GINO, PANAGIOTOPOULOS, KONSTANTINOS, ROBERTSON, ANDREW J., TOMANTSCHGER, KLAUS, BROOKS, IAIN
Publication of US20150072809A1 publication Critical patent/US20150072809A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B59/00—Bats, rackets, or the like, not covered by groups A63B49/00 - A63B57/00
    • A63B59/70—Bats, rackets, or the like, not covered by groups A63B49/00 - A63B57/00 with bent or angled lower parts for hitting a ball on the ground, on an ice-covered surface, or in the air, e.g. for hockey or hurling
    • A63B59/14—
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B60/00—Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B2102/00—Application of clubs, bats, rackets or the like to the sporting activity ; particular sports involving the use of balls and clubs, bats, rackets, or the like
    • A63B2102/22—Field hockey
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B2102/00—Application of clubs, bats, rackets or the like to the sporting activity ; particular sports involving the use of balls and clubs, bats, rackets, or the like
    • A63B2102/24—Ice hockey
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B60/00—Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
    • A63B60/06—Handles
    • A63B60/08—Handles characterised by the material
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B60/00—Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
    • A63B60/54—Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like with means for damping vibrations

Definitions

  • the invention relates to the addition of a protective sheath for providing enhanced performance and durability to at least part of an article specifically to sports equipment such as ice hockey sticks, field hockey sticks, lacrosse sticks, baseball/softball bats, and other articles comprising an elongated member/shaft and optionally a head portion such as a blade or webbing in a frame.
  • hockey sticks were initially made of wood. Over the years, composite hockey sticks have gained popularity notwithstanding having durability issues. Metal-containing hockey sticks based on aluminum have been proposed as well but they can suffer from a number of deficiencies including undesirable vibrations into the hands and arms of a player. A metal-containing hockey stick can also emit an undesirable high-pitch metallic sound upon impact with the puck.
  • Conventional hockey sticks comprise a shaft and an adjoining blade.
  • the blade has a body and a neck that connects the body to the shaft.
  • the blade has a heel at the end of the body below the neck and a toe disposed at end of the body opposite the heel.
  • the body has two main faces, a front face and a rear face, that each extend from the heel to the toe.
  • the front face comprises the primary puck striking surface of the blade.
  • Hockey stick blades with smooth faces can make handling of the puck at times challenging, i.e., it may be difficult to control the relative position of the puck and the blade, as well as to accurately move the puck along the surface of the blade when the two are in contact. Hockey players therefore often wrap a polymeric tape around their blades.
  • the invention relates to a protective sheath for an article such as a sports article.
  • the sports article can be any of a variety of sports equipment and associated components, e.g., a hockey stick and a lacrosse stick, various racquets and bats, and other such shafts comprising an elongated member/shafts/sticks and a head portion such as a blade, webbing in a frame, or tubular member/barrel designed to strike a ball or puck.
  • the sports article is used in contact sports where, in addition to the contact between the sports article and the ball/puck or the ground, frequent contact between the sports article and the opposing player's sport article occurs such as in ice-, field-, ball- and street-hockey or lacrosse.
  • the sport article must ideally be both lightweight and strong, however, these requirements are often incompatible and a reduction in weight often results in a loss of strength and/or durability.
  • the sports article used in these games must be able to withstand a large number of impacts which often are concentrated at the edges and, over time, can result in increased damage to the structure and ultimately, premature failure.
  • abrasion of selected surfaces such as the edges contacting the playing surface needs to be minimized.
  • a novel multi-layered protective sheath is applied to part or substantially the entire outer surface of the sports article.
  • the inventive protective sheath comprises at least one highly ductile polymer coating having a thickness between 25 and 150 ⁇ m, preferably between 50 and 100 ⁇ m, which is directly applied onto and intimately bonded with the reinforced composite sports article substrate.
  • the inventive protective sheath comprises an elastomer layer with an amorphous microstructure.
  • the inventive protective sheath includes electrodeposited or electroformed metallic material layers of high ductility.
  • the inventive protective sheath includes electrodeposited or electroformed metallic material layers of low ductility.
  • the inventive protective sheath includes metallic material nanolaminates having sublayers having a thickness between 2 and 250 nm, preferably between 2 and 100 nm of high, low or alternating high and low ductility.
  • the “nanolaminate” is considered to represent one single “layer” and, depending on the ductility of the entire nanolaminate, the “layer” is considered to represent a layer of high or low ductility.
  • the inventive protective sheath includes metallic material layers applied by electroless deposition.
  • the inventive protective sheath comprises at least one fine-grained metal or metal alloy coating layer having a thickness between 20 and 100 ⁇ m applied, e.g., by electrodeposition.
  • the inventive protective sheath comprises at least one grain-refined metallic material layer having an average grain size that is in the range of 2 nm to 100 nm, preferably an average grain-size between 15 and 75 nm, a hardness that is in the range of 300 Vickers to 1,000 Vickers, preferably between 300 and 750 Vickers, and a ductility that is in the range of 1 to ⁇ 10% elongation to failure, preferably between 2 and 7.5% elongation to failure.
  • the inventive protective sheath comprises at least one amorphous metal or metal alloy coating layer having a thickness between 0.5 and 10 ⁇ m and a ductility that is in the range of 0 to 5% elongation to failure, preferably in the range of 0.1 to 2.5%.
  • the inventive protective sheath provides for an article such as a sports article with enhanced protection at the edges and sharp corners thereof.
  • the sports article includes a composite shaft, tube or the like, incorporating a protective sheath representing at least 3%, such as between 5% and 75%, preferably between 10% and 60%, and more preferably between 20% and 50% of the cross sectional weight of the article.
  • the addition of the protective sheath to the sports article provides at least 10% increase in load failure, preferably at least 20% increase in load failure, and more preferably at least 30% increase in load failure. Further, the addition of the protective sheath to the sports article provides at least 5% increase in deflection to failure, preferably at least 10% increase in deflection to failure, and more preferably at least 15% increase in deflection to failure.
  • the protective sheath applied to at least part of the outer surface of the article includes at least a first layer and a second layer adjacent to the first layer. At least one of the layers includes a polymeric material of high ductility and at least one of the adjacent layers includes a metallic material, preferably a grain-refined metallic material.
  • grain-refined metallic materials can be formed as high-strength coatings of pure metals and/or alloys of metals selected from the group of Ag, Au, Co, Cu, Fe, Ni, Sn, Fe, and Zn, optionally with alloying elements selected from the group of Mo, W, B, C, P, S, and Si, and optionally metal matrix composites of pure metals or alloys with particulate additives, such as powders, fibers, nanotubes, flakes, metal powders, metal alloy powders, and metal oxide powders of Al, Co, Cu, Mg, Ni, Sc, Si, Sn, Ti, V, and Zn; nitrides of Al, Sc and Ti, B and Si; C (e.g., graphite, diamond, nanotubes); carbides of B, Cr, Bi, Si, and W; and self-lubricating materials such as MoS 2 or organic materials such as PTFE.
  • metals selected from the group of Ag, Au, Co, Cu, Fe, Ni, Sn, Fe,
  • the ductility of the grain-refined metallic materials can extend from highly brittle to highly ductile, with the elongation to failure ranging from as low as much less than ( ⁇ ) 1% to as high as much greater than (>>) 30%.
  • Electroplating can be employed as the process for creating high strength coatings on metallic components or on non-conductive components that have been metallized to render them suitable for plating.
  • the process can be used to electroform a stand-alone metallic article on a mandrel or other suitable temporary substrate and, after reaching a desired plating thickness, the free-standing electroformed article can be removed from the temporary substrate such as described, e.g. in PCT Publication No. WO 2004/001100, U.S. Pat. No. 8,025,979 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,553,553, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
  • patches or sleeves of grain-refined materials which need not be uniform in thickness or composition, can be electrodeposited in order to, e.g., form a thicker coating on selected sections or sections particularly prone to heavy use or abuse, such as the bottom edge or face of hockey stick blades which are in frequent contact with the playing surface or the edges of the stick prone to being contacted by another player's stick.
  • a protective sheath covering at least an edge of the proximal end of the shaft portion up to 100% of an outer length of the shaft portion; said protective sheath representing ⁇ 50% of the total overall weight of said hockey stick; said protective sheath being composed of a multi-layer structure comprising at least two layers each having a thickness between 0.25 and 150 ⁇ m; said multi-layer structure comprising a polymer layer having a bulk tensile elongation to failure of >10% in intimate contact with the fiber reinforced composite material of the shaft portion of the hockey stick followed by at least one metallic layer having a bulk tensile elongation to failure of ⁇ 10%.
  • a shaft portion including a distal or grip end and a proximal end, and a blade portion connected to the proximal end of the shaft portion, each of the shaft portion and blade portion comprising fiber reinforced composite materials;
  • the present invention in another embodiment is directed to a hockey stick comprising:
  • a protective sheath covering at least outer edges of the blade portion and extending beyond at least an edge of the proximal end of the shaft portion up to 50% of an outer length of the shaft portion; said protective sheath having a surface roughness R a in the range of 2.5 to 15 ⁇ m and representing between 3 and 50% of the total overall weight of said hockey stick; said protective sheath being composed of a multi-layer structure containing at least four layers each having a thickness between 0.25 and 150 ⁇ m; said multi-layer structure comprising alternating layers having an elongation to failure of ⁇ 10% and layers having an elongation to failure of >10%; said multi-layer structure comprising a polymer layer having an elongation to failure of >10% in intimate contact with the fiber reinforced composite material of the hockey stick and at least one metallic layer having an elongation to failure of ⁇ 10% selected from the group of Co, Cu, Fe and Ni having an average grain size that is in the range of 2 nm to 5,000 nm, a yield
  • the present invention in another embodiment is directed to a hockey stick comprising:
  • a protective sheath comprising at least one metallic layer covering at least part of an outer length of said shaft portion
  • said shaft portion having the protective sheath has a loss of peak load performance measured on the front face of less than 30% after being subjected to an impact force of 15 J on the top face, i.e., perpendicular to the initial impact, said peak load performance being determined by securely mounting said shaft portion on two locations 50 cm apart and applying the load half way between the mounting locations using a 1 ⁇ 2′′ diameter load element.
  • said shaft portion having said protective sheath after a 15 J impact on the top face has an average peak load value on the front face exceeding the average peak load value on the shaft portion devoid of said protective sheath and not subjected to the 15 J impact, wherein said peak load value is determined by securely mounting said shaft portion on two locations 50 cm apart and applying the load or impact force half way between the mounting locations using a 1 ⁇ 2′′ diameter load element.
  • Embodiments of the invention relate to one or more protective sheaths to be applied to lightweight articles, such as sports articles, e.g., hockey sticks, lacrosse sticks, baseball or softball bats, tennis, squash, racquetball and badminton racquets and the like.
  • sports articles e.g., hockey sticks, lacrosse sticks, baseball or softball bats, tennis, squash, racquetball and badminton racquets and the like.
  • Impacts are often concentrated at these edges and hockey sticks that are subject to repeated impact on their edges rapidly wear out, with paint and decals wearing off, and nicks and gouges forming therein, or they simply break and fail catastrophically, frequently at inopportune times during a game.
  • the damaging impacts typically occurs on a top face of the shaft by being impacted repeatedly with other sticks, while breakage usually occurs on a front face of the shaft when shooting the puck, when bending the hockey stick perpendicular to the top face typically exposed to the damaging impacts.
  • Similar situations occur with other shafts/stick used in sports which have similar or different cross sections, such as a lacrosse stick which typically has eight different faces.
  • adjacent refers to being near or adjoining. Objects that are adjacent can be spaced apart from one another or can be in actual or direct contact with one another. In some instances, objects that are adjacent can be coupled to one another or can be formed integrally with one another.
  • the term “layer” refers to an individual layer which, in the case of a “layer of high ductility” has or all have an elongation to failure of >10% as measured in conformance with ASTM E8 using a specimen thickness greater than 0.3 mm or in the case of a “layer of low ductility” has or all have an elongation to failure of ⁇ 10% as measured in conformance with ASTM E8 using a specimen thickness greater than 0.3 mm.
  • laminate or “nanolaminate” means a metallic material that includes a plurality of adjacent “sublayers” each having an individual thickness between 2 nm and 250 nm.
  • a “sublayer” of a laminate or nanolaminate means a single thickness of a substance where the substance may be defined by a distinct composition, microstructure, phase, grain size, physical property such as ductility, chemical property or combinations thereof. It should be appreciated that the interface between adjacent layers may not be necessarily discrete but may be blended, i.e., the adjacent layers may gradually transition from one of the adjacent layers to the other of the adjacent layers.
  • compositionally modulated material means a material whose chemical composition is continuously, periodically or abruptly altered in the deposition direction.
  • average thickness or “average coating/layer thickness” is the arithmetic average of the applied layer thickness as determined, e.g., by the total weight of the layer/coating applied, its density and the surface area of the layer/coating and refers to depth of a layer in a deposit direction.
  • microstructure refers to a microscopic configuration of a material.
  • the microstructure can be crystalline, i.e., composed of grains, amorphous, i.e., a glassy structure without grains, or combinations, i.e., amorphous sections embedded in crystalline sections or vice versa.
  • crystalline microstructures can be coarse-grained (average grain-size >5 ⁇ m) or grain-refined (average grain-size ⁇ 5 ⁇ m).
  • the term “grain size” refers to a size of a set of constituents such as crystallites/grains forming the microstructure of a material, such as a grain-refined material.
  • a material as being “fine-grained” or “grain-refined”, it is contemplated that the material can have an average grain size in the submicron range, such as in the nm range.
  • Fiber-reinforced polymers are composite materials comprising a polymer matrix reinforced with fibers.
  • the fibers are usually composed of glass, carbon/graphite, or aramid, although other fibers such as metal fibers or metal coated carbon fibers can be used.
  • the polymer is usually an epoxy, vinylester or polyester thermosetting plastic, and/or phenol formaldehyde resin. FRPs are commonly used in the sporting goods-, aerospace-, automotive-, marine-, and construction-industry and are readily available commercially from a variety of vendors.
  • Fiber-reinforced polymers exhibit limited ductility and the failure strain ductility is typically in the range of 1-3% as determined by, e.g., ASTM D7205.
  • the inventive protective sheath is particularly suited to overcome the shortcomings of articles, including, but not limited to, sports articles made from fiber reinforced composite materials.
  • Suitable elastomeric materials are electrically non-conductive and comprise one or more materials selected from the group consisting of thermoset elastomers, thermoplastic elastomers, thermoset elastomeric urethanes, thermoplastic polyurethanes, thermoset elastomeric dicyclopentadienes, elastomeric urethanes, silicones, rubbers, polyisoprenes, polybutadienes, polyisobutylenes and latex based materials and are readily available commercially from a variety of vendors.
  • Elastomeric material layers e.g., rubber toughened epoxy compositions containing at least 10% rubber, are typically cured at elevated temperatures (up to 150° C.) which can occur within the molding tooling or thereafter.
  • Elastomers exhibit significant ductility and the failure strain ductility is typically >10%, typically >25%, more typically >100% and as high as 800% as measured by ASTM D412-06a or ASTM D624-00.
  • Poorly ductile metallic materials in this context can include selected grain-refined and amorphous metallic materials with a ductility in the range of ⁇ 1 to 10%, typically ⁇ 7.5%.
  • Poorly ductile metallic materials include amorphous Ni—P based alloys which are conveniently applied by, e.g., electroless deposition processes available from a number of commercial vendors which range in ductility between 0.1 and 2.5%.
  • a number of Ni-based or Cu-based poorly ductile coatings can be deposited using an electroless plating process and are used for metallizing non-conductive substrate to render them suitable for electroplating.
  • Metallizing layers which are ductile include, among other, Ag and Cu based electroless coatings which can be applied by an immersion, painting or spraying process.
  • Preferred metallic materials include grain-refined materials although coarse-grained metallic materials can be used as well.
  • Preferred grain-refined metallic materials include: (1) metals selected from the group of Co, Cu, Fe and Ni; (2) alloys formed of two or more of these metals; and (3) metal alloys formed of these metals along with an alloying component selected from the group of B, C, Mo, P, S, Si, and W.
  • a grain-refined material can be formed as a metal matrix composite in which a metal or a metal alloy forms a matrix within which a set of additives are dispersed.
  • Particularly useful additives include particulate additives formed of metal oxides, nitrides of Al, B, Sc, Si and Ti; carbides of B, Bi, Cr, Si, and W, C such as in the form of graphite, diamond, and nanotubes, and polymers.
  • Suitable particulate additives have an average particle size ⁇ 25 ⁇ m, preferably ⁇ 10 ⁇ m, more preferably ⁇ 1 ⁇ m, and even more preferably ⁇ 0.5 ⁇ m.
  • the particulate additives comprise ⁇ 50% by volume, such as 5-25% by volume.
  • the ductility of pure Ni or pure Cu has been reported to range from about 0.5% to about 60%, specifically to pure Ni or Cu prepared by electrodeposition, the ductility has been reported to range from as low as 0.5% to as high as 30%.
  • Ni or Cu based metallic materials prepared by electrodeposition are therefore particularly suited for practicing the present invention as they can be formed to have high or low ductility, as desired.
  • Ni or Cu layers depending on the specific design requirements, can be very ductile and relatively soft, i.e., having a ductility of >10% or, alternatively, exhibit low ductility but with increased yield strength.
  • Electrodeposition is a particularly well suited process for forming selected layers of the protective sheath by providing the flexibility to plate layers of high or low ductility, as desired, build up the desired layer thickness, and grade and/or layer the deposits appropriately, as required.
  • laminates or nanolaminates defined as having a sublayer thickness of ⁇ 250 nm and as small as ⁇ 100 nm, can be conveniently prepared using electroplating techniques as well. It is known that mechanical properties of structures such as yield strength, hardness, modulus of elasticity and ductility can be controlled by controlling the thickness and/or the composition and/or the microstructure of the metallic layers.
  • An example for using electrodeposition for forming one or more metallic layers of the protective sheath comprises plating Cu and/or Ni-based layers out of a single plating bath by suitably adjusting the electrical plating conditions. At very low average current densities mainly Cu rich layers are deposited, at medium average current densities Ni—Cu alloys are deposited, while at high average current densities mainly Ni rich layers are deposited. Adding, e.g., forward and/or reverse pulsing to the electrical waveform, the strength and ductility of each layer can be tuned even further to achieve the desired mechanical properties. Using this approach, e.g., ductile Cu followed by high-strength Ni layers can be formed in a single plating cell.
  • compositionally or ductility modulated layers and/or nanolaminates can be formed.
  • Cu-rich and/or Ni-rich Ni—Cu alloy layers with the desired mechanical properties can be conveniently formed in a single plating cell economically and at high production speeds. Similar rules apply to many more binary systems, including Cu—Co, Ni—Co, Ni—Fe, and Co—Fe systems.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary sports article 10 implemented in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 1 depicts a frontal view of a right-handed ice hockey stick 10 .
  • a mirror image of the hockey stick 10 would constitute a left-handed embodiment.
  • the hockey stick 10 comprises a shaft or shaft portion 100 and a blade or blade portion 200 .
  • the shaft 100 and blade 200 can be integrally formed, conventionally referred to as a “one-piece hockey stick” or, the shaft and blade can be formed separately, referred to as a “two-piece hockey stick”.
  • the shaft 100 at its lower end 102 also termed its proximal end, is joined to the blade 200 , and the opposite distal end 104 , also termed its grip end, provides for the grip/handle.
  • the shaft 100 has a rectangular cross-section with the rectangle typically having rounded corners, and having a rear face 106 , opposite a front face 108 , and a top face 110 opposite a bottom face 112 .
  • Shafts can also have different shaped cross-sections.
  • the blade 200 has a blade body 202 , a neck 203 , a heel 204 and a toe 206 .
  • the blade 200 has a rectangular cross-section with rounded edges, having a front face 208 , a rear face 210 opposite the front face 208 , a top face 212 and a bottom face 214 .
  • the inventive protective sheath reinforcement 220 covers at least part of the blade 200 and at least part of the shaft 100 , preferably up to 1 ⁇ 4 or 1 ⁇ 2 of the length of the shaft 100 .
  • the protective sheath can be continuous or discontinuous, i.e., only the edges of the shaft can be covered by the protective sheath or the protective sheath forms a regular or irregular pattern with up to 25% of the outer surface area of the shaft, or up to 50% of the outer area of the shaft or even up to 75% of the outer area of the shaft being covered by the protective sheath.
  • the basic sports article providing the substrate for the exemplary protective sheath can be formed of any suitable materials such as fibrous materials, ceramics, metals, metal alloys, polymers, or composites.
  • the use of specific materials and other specific implementation features of the protective sheath can further enhance performance characteristics of the article.
  • the overall thickness and thickness distribution of the protective sheath can contribute to the performance characteristics but also add to the overall weight. It is contemplated that the protective sheath is applied so as to selectively cover those portions of the sports article that are likely to come into contact with a ball/puck, the playing surface or another stick during use, thus providing an improved hitting surface. It is also contemplated that the protective sheath can be distributed so as to selectively cover those portions of the sports article that are likely to come into contact with a player's hands during use, such as the handle portion and/or those portions likely coming into contact with another player's sports article.
  • the protective sheath can be distributed so as to selectively cover the edges of the sports article prone to abuse with much less or no coverage in the sections not prone to failure such as the puck striking surface of the blade and the fairly flat front and rear faces of the shaft.
  • the blade may only be coated around the periphery such as from the heel, around the bottom face, around the toe and all the way around to the top face between about 1 ⁇ 4 to 1′′ wide without having a metallic coating in the center portion/main puck striking area.
  • the coating thickness in less critical areas can simply be reduced significantly, e.g., to less than 1 ⁇ 2 or even less than 1 ⁇ 4 of the thickness of the areas prone to failure, and the entire blade and slash zone of the hockey stick can be encapsulated.
  • the use of the protective sheath can allow the sports article to exhibit improved performance characteristics, such as a desired weight, enhanced balance, enhanced durability, and enhanced coupling strength to the stick portion. Also, the use of the protective sheath can alter a vibrational frequency response of the sports article, thus providing a desired feel upon impact with a ball or puck.
  • the sports article receiving the protective sheath is a hockey stick comprising a shaft and a blade made of a reinforced composite.
  • the reinforcing material preferably is carbon/graphite fiber, however additions and/or substitutions with glass fiber and Kevlar® fibers are within the scope of the invention.
  • the shaft of the hockey stick is about 60′′ long and the slash zone extends about half way up (about 30′′) the outer length of the shaft from the blade connection.
  • the CFRP hockey stick forming the “substrate” has a weight of about 420 g, qualifying it as a “lightweight hockey stick”.
  • the CFRP hockey stick has an elongation to failure of about 2% as measured by 3-point bending, similar fiber reinforced hockey sticks range in elongation to failure between 1 and 5%.
  • the outer surface of the hockey stick blade (e.g., the entire outer surface) all the way up to the end of the slash zone is mechanically abraded to 500 grid equivalent or a surface roughness R a of ⁇ 0.1 ⁇ m.
  • a first ductile elastomeric layer comprising polyisoprene, such as suitable rubber toughened epoxy compositions, is applied in one or more applications such as spraying, painting or dipping to achieve an average elastomeric layer thickness after curing of between 25 and 150 ⁇ m, preferably between 50-100 ⁇ m.
  • the ductility of the elastomeric layer is >10%, preferably >25% and as high as >100%.
  • the ductile elastomeric layer comprising at least 10% by weight of polyisoprene, preferably fully encapsulates the blade and slash zone of the shaft and has a surface roughness R a of between 2.5-15 ⁇ m.
  • the first elastomeric layer is suitably activated by various swelling and/or etching treatments to receive a second layer, specifically a layer of low ductility, such as a brittle metallic layer, e.g., by suitably applying a metallizing layer of an amorphous Ni-based alloy, e.g., Ni with 3-15% P.
  • the non-ductile average layer thickness is typically ⁇ 10 ⁇ m, preferably between 0.5- and 5 ⁇ m, and more preferably between 1- and 2 ⁇ m and has a ductility of ⁇ 2%.
  • the puck striking surface in the center of the blade on the front face and/or rear face may not be metallized if it is not to be plated subsequently, to minimize the added weight.
  • a third layer specifically a ductile metallic layer
  • a suitable ductile metallic layer comprises pure Cu or a Cu rich alloy having an average layer thickness between 0.5 and 40 ⁇ m, preferably between 0.5 and 25 ⁇ m, more preferably between 0.75- and 12.5 ⁇ m, and a ductility >10%, preferably >15%. Areas not previously metallized lack sufficient conductivity and therefore do not receive an electrodeposited coating. Alternatively areas not to be plated can be masked, as needed.
  • the strong layer can preferably comprise grain-refined metallic materials, e.g., Ni-based layers, such as Ni with 10-50% Co or Ni-low P (0.1-3%) or Ni—Fe based layers, as well as Co-low P (0.1-3%) or Co—Fe layers, or Ni—Co—Fe, or Ni—Co—Fe-low P (0.1-3%) layers, or Ni—Cu layers having an average grain size in the range of 2-100 nm, preferably between 5 and 50 nm.
  • Ni-based layers such as Ni with 10-50% Co or Ni-low P (0.1-3%) or Ni—Fe based layers, as well as Co-low P (0.1-3%) or Co—Fe layers, or Ni—Co—Fe, or Ni—Co—Fe-low P (0.1-3%) layers
  • Ni—Cu layers having an average grain size in the range of 2-100 nm, preferably between 5 and 50 nm.
  • the average thickness of the grain-refined layer is typically between 20 and 100 ⁇ m, preferably between 30 and 75 ⁇ m, and has a ductility between 1 and 10%, preferably between 2.5 and 7.5%.
  • the thickness of the strong metallic layer at the bottom face of the blade contacting the playing surface is about 50% thicker than the average thickness of the coating, i.e., in the case of an overall strong metallic layer average thickness of 40 microns, the bottom face of the blade contacting the playing surface is increased to between 60 and 75 ⁇ m.
  • a minimum yield strength according to ASTM E8 is 600 MPa, preferably 900 MPa
  • the maximum yield strength is 2,000 MPa, preferably 2,500 MPa
  • the minimum Young's modulus according to ASTM E8 is 75 MPa, preferably 100 MPa
  • the maximum Young's modulus is 250 GPa, preferably 500 GPa.
  • the total thickness of the protective sheath applied to the sports article is in the range of 50 to 350 ⁇ m, preferably in the range of 100 to 250 ⁇ m and the added weight between 20 and 40 g and the surface roughness R a of the protective sheath outermost layer is between 2.5-15 ⁇ m.
  • the elastomeric layer and the strong metallic layer of low ductility preferably are the two thickest layers applied.
  • the elastomeric layer typically is the layer of the highest overall thickness and is about as thick as all metallic layers combined.
  • the relatively strong layer typically represents the metallic layer of the highest thickness.
  • a fifth layer is applied to the fourth layer, which can be another ductile elastomeric layer with the same or similar properties and dimensions as the first layer.
  • the fifth layer preferably is only applied to the blade itself, specifically to part or all of the blade front face and/or rear face specifically designed to predominantly handle and shoot the puck as illustrated in FIG. 1 , although other shapes as depicted in the figure are within the scope of the invention.
  • Additional decorative layers can be applied to the protective sheath such as suitable decals, a clear coat etc. remaining within the scope of the invention as long as they are ⁇ 10% of the total thickness of the protective sheath.
  • the description above for forming the exemplary protective sheath on a substrate of a sports article is not meant to be limiting and the person skilled in the art will appreciate that the exemplary protective sheath can be applied by other means.
  • the protective sheath can be formed from the outside in instead of the inside out, e.g., by starting out with the metallic layer and, e.g., applying the adhesive elastomeric layer to a metallic layer.
  • the inventors have surprisingly discovered that the addition of a protective sheath with at least two, but preferably with at least three, four or five layers as described applied to a CFRP substrate of a hockey stick with a total added weight of between 10 and 50 g, preferably between 20 and 40 g, provides a good balance between weight and durability with much enhanced fatigue life after impact. It has also surprisingly been found that the sequence of the layers is important and the durability of hockey sticks, for example, of equivalent weight comprising alternating layers of ductile and brittle materials is superior to hockey sticks containing identical layers in a different sequence or without regularity, i.e., applying a ductile layer on another ductile layer or a strong, relatively brittle layer on another strong, relatively brittle layer.
  • the strong layer of low ductility as the outermost functional layer (not considering thin decorative finishing layers) although a further polymeric insert of high ductility on the blade may provide for better puck control, or the designated puck striking area may not be metal coated at all to minimize the added weight, as described.
  • a relatively thick elastomeric layer as the most outer functional layer (not considering thin decorative finishing layers) on one or both faces of the blade, particularly the rear face of the blade. Applying a thick ductile layer to the entire paddle of the goalie stick which, in the NHL, typically has a maximum length of 26 inches, can assist in limiting the puck rebound distance.
  • a further advantage of the inventive protective sheath is that it can be either readily added to the existing reinforced hockey stick manufacturing process or conveniently added later as a retrofit. Layer properties, sequence and thicknesses can also be easily adjusted to meet players' personal preferences.
  • the protective sheath comprised a 75 ⁇ m 33% polyisoprene containing elastomeric layer vulcanized at 140° C. and built up to thickness with two applications, a 1.5 ⁇ m thick metallizing layer of low ductility amorphous Ni-7P, a 10 ⁇ m layer of ductile electrolytic Cu and a 50 ⁇ m strong grain-refined layer of Ni-30Co as indicated in Table 1.
  • the shafts were securely mounted on two locations 50 cm (19.7′′) apart and the three-point flexure strength to failure expressed in Newtons was determined by applying a load using an Instron Universal Tester unit half way between the mounting locations on the wider side of the hockey stick (about 1′′ wide front face; 108 in FIG. 1 ) using a 1 ⁇ 2′′ diameter load element. The peak load at failure was recorded. “New” hockey sticks and hockey sticks having been subjected to an impact load of 15 Joules with a 1 ⁇ 2′′ diameter load element were tested. To simulate impact damage, hockey sticks were securely mounted in the same jig but with the narrow side (the top face 110 in FIG.
  • the inventors have discovered that, in order for the protective sheath to provide a meaningful improvement, at least one polymeric layer and at least one metallic layer, specifically the strong metallic layer of limited ductility, need to be present. Furthermore, adding one or more metallic layers directly to the FRP substrate of the hockey stick does not provide a substantial performance benefit without the application of a polymeric layer in between the CFRP substrate and the strong metallic layer and therefore appears to add weight without appreciable performance benefits. Similarly, a sequence of, e.g., various layers of low ductility without the application of a subsequent ductile layer of at least 10 ⁇ m thickness in between appears to add weight without appreciable performance benefits. From the above the person skilled in the art will understand how to apply the guidance hereinbefore described to assemble a protective sheath according to the present invention meeting the desired performance benefits for specific applications.
  • each layer of high or low ductility can be formed so as to include two or more sub-layers, which can be formed of the same material or different materials within the thickness range provided.
  • at least one of the sub-layers can be formed of a conductive material, such as in the form of a coating of a metal, or a non-conductive material.
  • a protective sheath comprising a total of four layers, i.e., two sets of layers alternating between low ductility and high ductility.
  • a multi-layered design includes a first elastomeric layer, and a second high strength, metallic layer of low ductility that is adjacent to the first layer.
  • a multi-layered design includes a first elastomeric layer, and a low ductility metallic layer that is adjacent to the first layer, and a third layer that is adjacent to the second layer comprising a high ductility metallic layer.
  • a multi-layered design includes a first elastomeric layer, a second layer which is a metallic layer of low ductility that is adjacent to the first layer, a third layer which is a metallic layer of high ductility that is adjacent to the second layer, and a fourth layer which is a metallic layer of low ductility that is adjacent to the third layer.
  • the protective sheath can include more or less layers for other implementations.

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  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
  • Laminated Bodies (AREA)
  • Golf Clubs (AREA)
US14/475,613 2013-09-09 2014-09-03 Article with protective sheath Abandoned US20150072809A1 (en)

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US20160236050A1 (en) * 2015-02-12 2016-08-18 Sport Maska Inc. Hockey stick blade and method of making same
US9586112B2 (en) * 2015-07-24 2017-03-07 Sport Maska Inc. Ice hockey goalie stick and method for making same
US20170136325A1 (en) * 2015-11-12 2017-05-18 Down Under Tennis, Inc. Sound absorbing game paddle
US20170155417A1 (en) * 2014-07-07 2017-06-01 Lg Electronics Inc. Amorphous alloy-deposited case and method of manufacturing same
USD800238S1 (en) 2016-05-31 2017-10-17 Sport Maska Inc. Hockey stick
USD800239S1 (en) 2016-05-31 2017-10-17 Sport Maska Inc. Hockey stick
CN108525240A (zh) * 2018-04-18 2018-09-14 中山市富达运动器材有限公司 一种守门员pu发泡型连体碳片曲棍球杆及其生产工艺
US20210379439A1 (en) * 2017-12-01 2021-12-09 Caxy Sports, Llc Weighted Training Equipment
US11235217B2 (en) * 2018-02-12 2022-02-01 Drive Step Products LLC Coaching tool for footwork development
US20220164482A1 (en) * 2018-03-27 2022-05-26 Desprez, Llc System for evaluating manufacturing feasibility of a graphical design
US20220249928A1 (en) * 2019-07-22 2022-08-11 VT Advantec, L.L.C. Dampeners for sporting equipment and sporting equipment including the same
US11938364B1 (en) * 2019-11-09 2024-03-26 Teri Anne Rohlf Two-in-one weighted hand grip walking poles and curl bar and method of using the same

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US5655981A (en) * 1995-02-09 1997-08-12 Glastic Corporation Metalized hockey stick
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US20050215362A1 (en) * 2004-03-29 2005-09-29 Schutz Ronald W Titanium hockey stick
US7320832B2 (en) * 2004-12-17 2008-01-22 Integran Technologies Inc. Fine-grained metallic coatings having the coefficient of thermal expansion matched to the one of the substrate

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US5655981A (en) * 1995-02-09 1997-08-12 Glastic Corporation Metalized hockey stick
US20020094891A1 (en) * 2001-01-12 2002-07-18 Graeme Horwood Multilayer impact resistant hockey stick
US20050215362A1 (en) * 2004-03-29 2005-09-29 Schutz Ronald W Titanium hockey stick
US7320832B2 (en) * 2004-12-17 2008-01-22 Integran Technologies Inc. Fine-grained metallic coatings having the coefficient of thermal expansion matched to the one of the substrate

Cited By (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20170155417A1 (en) * 2014-07-07 2017-06-01 Lg Electronics Inc. Amorphous alloy-deposited case and method of manufacturing same
US20160236050A1 (en) * 2015-02-12 2016-08-18 Sport Maska Inc. Hockey stick blade and method of making same
US9586112B2 (en) * 2015-07-24 2017-03-07 Sport Maska Inc. Ice hockey goalie stick and method for making same
US20170136325A1 (en) * 2015-11-12 2017-05-18 Down Under Tennis, Inc. Sound absorbing game paddle
USD800238S1 (en) 2016-05-31 2017-10-17 Sport Maska Inc. Hockey stick
USD800239S1 (en) 2016-05-31 2017-10-17 Sport Maska Inc. Hockey stick
US20210379439A1 (en) * 2017-12-01 2021-12-09 Caxy Sports, Llc Weighted Training Equipment
US11235217B2 (en) * 2018-02-12 2022-02-01 Drive Step Products LLC Coaching tool for footwork development
US20220164482A1 (en) * 2018-03-27 2022-05-26 Desprez, Llc System for evaluating manufacturing feasibility of a graphical design
US11893140B2 (en) * 2018-03-27 2024-02-06 Desprez, Llc System for evaluating manufacturing feasibility of a graphical design
CN108525240A (zh) * 2018-04-18 2018-09-14 中山市富达运动器材有限公司 一种守门员pu发泡型连体碳片曲棍球杆及其生产工艺
US20220249928A1 (en) * 2019-07-22 2022-08-11 VT Advantec, L.L.C. Dampeners for sporting equipment and sporting equipment including the same
US11938364B1 (en) * 2019-11-09 2024-03-26 Teri Anne Rohlf Two-in-one weighted hand grip walking poles and curl bar and method of using the same

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