The Physics Behind Bat Rolling
September 20th 2008 11:36 am By Web Development in India
Everyone knows that a composite and a wooden bat to a lesser degree becomes a far more effective bat after 500-600 hits but not everyone understands why? Is there some magic involved? Also, if a bat can get better with use is is possible that the opposite is true? Is there some process by which a bat can become less effective for hitting balls?
A Worse Bat
The truth is that there are a number of things that can be done to a bat to make it worse such as painting it with a triple thick coat of enamel. Its all hypothetical though, because there really is no point in making a bat less effective at that it is used for.
Composites in Manufacturing
The group of materials that are used in the manufacture of a composite bat are used to make numerous consumer items. Fibers of graphite, carbon or glass, bound together by polymers in a linear fashion and that is it. Sail boat masts, airplane parts, car parts and the list of things made from polymer fiber composites increases every day.
The Problem
Composite bats made by this process using graphite are fantastic but they do have one shortcoming when they come off the assembly line. That is that the polymers and the fibers are in fact too solidly bound together reducing the “spring”. The problem is that there is no point in the process where this can be remedied without effecting the integrity of the overall process.
A Better Process for a Better Bat
By rolling a composite bat between to hard rummer wheels the bat is effectively broken in by duplicating the same process that would take place by hitting 500-600 balls. There is one notable difference though and that is that by doing it with a rolling machine, the process is distributed evenly over the entire bat eliminating any weak or soft spots.
Article authored by Josephine Maxten. Check out our website to find even more information on Bat Rolling and plus info on Rolled Bat.
