Journal article
A comparative study of baseball bat performance
Sports engineering, Vol.13(4), pp.153-162
07/2011
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/109072
Abstract
The results of a comparative study of five aluminum and one wood baseball bats are presented. The study includes an analysis of field data, high-speed laboratory testing, and modal analysis. It is found that field performance is strongly correlated with the ball–bat coefficient of restitution (BBCOR) and only weakly correlated with other parameters of the bat, suggesting that the BBCOR is the primary feature of a bat that determines its field performance. It is further found that the instantaneous rotation axis of the bat at the moment of impact is very close to the knob of the bat and that the rotational velocity varies inversely with the moment of inertia of the bat about the knob. A swing speed formula is derived from the field data and the limits of its validity are discussed. The field and laboratory measurements of the collision efficiency are generally in good agreement, as expected on theoretical grounds. Finally, the BBCOR is strongly correlated with the frequency of the lowest hoop mode of the hollow bats, as predicted by models of the trampoline effect.
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Details
- Title
- A comparative study of baseball bat performance
- Creators
- Alan Nathan - Department of Physics University of Illinois Urbana IL 61801 USAJoseph Crisco - Department of Orthopaedics Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital Providence RI 02903 USAR Greenwald - Simbex Lebanon NH 03766 USAD Russell - Department of Physics Kettering University Flint MI 48504 USALloyd Smith - School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering Washington State University Pullman WA 99164 USA
- Publication Details
- Sports engineering, Vol.13(4), pp.153-162
- Academic Unit
- Mechanical and Materials Engineering, School of
- Publisher
- Springer-Verlag; London
- Identifiers
- 99900547034901842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article