Two-piece ball bat with rigid connection

Abstract

A two-piece ball bat comprising a hollow barrel attached to a handle by a combination of mechanical interference and a layer of rigid adhesive interposed between the interior surface of the barrel and the exterior surface of the handle at a tapered junction. The rigid adhesive layer prevents any direct contact between the barrel and handle thereby eliminating the need to provide any mating features thereon and reducing complexity and cost of manufacture. In an alternative embodiment, glass shafting beads are added to the rigid adhesive compound to ensure even distribution of the adhesive compound, align the barrel and handle and ensure separation prior to curing.

1 . A ball bat comprising:
 a hollow barrel defining a barrel exterior surface and a barrel interior surface, said barrel having a free distal end with an opening and a tapered joint end with an opening;   a handle defining a handle exterior surface, said handle having a free distal end and a tapered joint end, said tapered joint end of said handle being sized to prevent passage thereof through the opening in said tapered joint end of said barrel resulting in an overlapping relationship between said barrel and said handle in a tapered junction portion; and   a rigid adhesive layer disposed between said barrel interior surface and said handle exterior surface in said junction portion preventing direct contact between said barrel and said handle.   
   
   
       2 . The ball bat of  claim 1 , wherein said rigid adhesive comprises glass shafting beads added thereto. 
   
   
       3 . The ball bat of  claim 1 , wherein said rigid adhesive is formed of a rigid epoxy adhesive. 
   
   
       4 . The ball bat of  claim 1 , wherein said rigid adhesive is formed of a rigid acrylic adhesive. 
   
   
       5 . The ball bat of  claim 2 , wherein said rigid adhesive is formed of a rigid epoxy adhesive. 
   
   
       6 . The ball bat of  claim 2 , wherein said rigid adhesive is formed of a rigid acrylic adhesive. 
   
   
       7 . The ball bat of  claim 1 , wherein said barrel is metal and said handle is composite. 
   
   
       8 . The ball bat of  claim 2 , wherein said barrel is metal and said handle is composite. 
   
   
       9 . A ball bat comprising:
 a hollow barrel defining a smooth barrel exterior surface and a smooth barrel interior surface, said barrel having a free distal end with an opening and a tapered joint end with an opening;   a handle defining a smooth handle exterior surface, said handle having a free distal end and a tapered joint end, said tapered joint end of said handle being sized to prevent passage thereof through the opening in said tapered joint end of said barrel resulting in an overlapping relationship between said barrel and said handle in a tapered junction portion; and   a rigid adhesive layer disposed between said barrel interior surface and said handle exterior surface in said junction portion preventing any direct contact between said barrel and said handle.   
   
   
       10 . The ball bat of  claim 7 , wherein said rigid adhesive comprises glass shafting beads added thereto 
   
   
       11 . The ball bat of  claim 7 , wherein said rigid adhesive is formed of a rigid epoxy adhesive. 
   
   
       12 . The ball bat of  claim 7 , wherein said rigid adhesive is formed of a rigid acrylic adhesive. 
   
   
       13 . The ball bat of  claim 8 , wherein said rigid adhesive is formed of a rigid epoxy adhesive. 
   
   
       14 . The ball bat of  claim 8 , wherein said rigid adhesive is formed of a rigid acrylic adhesive. 
   
   
       15 . The ball bat of  claim 9 , wherein said barrel is metal and said handle is composite. 
   
   
       16 . The ball bat of  claim 10 , wherein said barrel is metal and said handle is composite. 
   
   
       17 . A method of making a ball bat comprising the steps of:
 forming a hollow barrel defining a barrel exterior surface and a barrel interior surface, the barrel having a free distal end with an opening and a tapered joint end with an opening;   forming a handle defining a handle exterior surface, the handle having a free distal end and a tapered joint end, the tapered joint end of the handle being sized to prevent passage thereof through the opening in the tapered joint end of the barrel;   applying a rigid adhesive to at least one of a portion of the barrel interior surface proximate the tapered joint end or a portion of the handle exterior surface proximate the tapered joint end;   inserting the handle into the free distal end opening of the barrel with the tapered joint end of the handle inserted first;   applying a tension force to the handle to cause in an overlapping relationship between the barrel and the handle in a tapered junction portion with the rigid adhesive distributed therebetween;   curing the rigid adhesive to form a rigid adhesive layer disposed between the barrel interior surface and the handle exterior surface in the junction portion to prevent direct contact between the barrel and the handle.   
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising the step of adding glass shafting beads to the rigid adhesive. 
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising the step of applying a rigid adhesive to the other of a portion of the barrel interior surface proximate the tapered joint end or a portion of the handle exterior surface proximate the tapered joint end. 
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein said step of forming a barrel employs a metal compound for the barrel, and said step of forming a handle employs a composite for the handle.