Does anyone do an analysis of softball bats with actual data?

[Carty]

Youngs works with tesion. You are looking more for hoop modes. BBCOR has those calculations.

 

[_MIA_]

You do not need a direct value for Young's modulus just some way for you to tell if one bat is better than another at certain speeds/forces.

The best way to do that (with a single number) would be to determine percent energy “lost” (it isn’t lost..just not used for anything useful for the hitter’s purpose) during collision over a range of ball and swing speeds for a given contact position. The hoop modes that @Carty mentions are a way to recover some of the energy “lost” during collision through the "trampoline effect".

That number wouldn't actually be that hard to calculate I don't think. All you would need is a measure of bat/ball speed before and after collision. That said, I have never seen anything out there for that.

 

[Tazman]

My hypothesis (and I'd actually like to see it disproven) is that all high end bats are similar due to regulations/stamps. Easton has used the breakage issue (and an admittedly awesome sound signature) as a marketing tactic to sell high margin products to what we call dumb money in the financial industry. Beyond just selling one, most of our girls buy two for the warranty rotation. Us, we use demarinis and I appreciated the shock in a teammates voice last week that my daughter could hit one out with such a massively inferior implement.

 

[_MIA_]

My hypothesis (and I'd actually like to see it disproven) is that all high end bats are similar due to regulations/stamps. Easton has used the breakage issue (and an admittedly awesome sound signature) as a marketing tactic to sell high margin products to what we call dumb money in the financial industry. Beyond just selling one, most of our girls buy two for the warranty rotation. Us, we use demarinis and I appreciated the shock in a teammates voice last week that my daughter could hit one out with such a massively inferior implement.

Do the regulations include dynamic properties? Or are all the tests static?

 

[Intheboondocks]

ASTM f2219 and f1890 are the testing standards (I don't know the difference). If you dig through the bat digest YouTube videos they built a tester. They basically do exactly what pattar said and measure batted ball coefficient of restitution (bbcor).

I believe Washington State does the testing officially. Its pass/fail testing, I don't think anyone publishes the actual results. I'd be more interested in the correlation between compression testing and bbcor, my gut tells me it's maybe loosely correlated.

 

[Tazman]

Do the regulations include dynamic properties? Or are all the tests static?

I'm sure it's static, but my bet is strong correlation with dynamic testing and still predictive. Like I said, I'd love to be proven wrong... With data. I'll then be the first in line to but a couple ghosts.

 

[Rolling Hard]

Wouldnt be that hard to create an Iron Byron for bats. I would like to see data too. All balls hit off a tee at different bat speeds and launch angles. Different lengths and drop weights. Why don't you get on this pattar. Great project for your freshman class.

I bought a older orange and white Mako as a cage bat at play it again sports. I tried hitting infield/outfield with it. It was totally inferior compared to a 2018 ghost. Felt like bat had grease on it. The ball kind of slips off the barrel. Much smaller sweet spot. So small i couldnt find it. Weird. Bats have come a long way.

 

[4Martini]

There was something like this at the middle school science fair I judged.

Not as cool as the VR strike zone tool for umps one kids made (that our local baseball org picked up for ump training). I was really bummed that one didn’t win a top prize. It was really cool.

 

[_MIA_]

Why don't you get on this pattar. Great project for your freshman class.

I don’t build stuff…

 

[CoreSoftball20]

(and an admittedly awesome sound signature)

Best part is, seems people forget the first bat made that had the first usual sound years ago and they
capitalized on it very well. Not Easton.