Hockey Stick Blade Having Fiber-Reinforced High Density Foam Core

Abstract

A composite hockey stick blade including a fiber reinforced, high-density foam polymeric core material overlaid with a plastic wrap. The fiber reinforcement material, in the form of a plurality of milled or long fibers, provides increased toughness and stiffness of the high density polymeric foam core material. The hockey stick blade may be utilized as a replacement blade for a two-piece hockey stick, or may be a portion of a one-piece hockey stick.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001]The present invention relates generally to a hockey stick blade and, more particularly to, a hockey stick blade having a fiber reinforced high density foam core.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002]Typical current hockey stick blades or replacement blades are generally made of a core material reinforced with one or more layers of synthetic material, such as fiberglass, carbon fiber or graphite. Traditionally, the core of the blade has been made of natural materials, such as wood or a wood laminate. Traditional wood constructions, however, are expensive to manufacture due to the cost of wood and the manufacturing processes employed. Further, wood sticks and blades are relatively heavy and have somewhat limited durability. Finally, due to variabilities relating to wood construction and manufacturing techniques, wood sticks are difficult to manufacture with consistent tolerances, and even the same model and brand of sticks and blades may have differences in terms of ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006]It is therefore an advantage of the present invention to provide a composite blade for a hockey stick with improved response while handling and / or shooting a puck.

[0007]It is another advantage of the present invention to provide a composite blade for a hockey stick that assists in preventing puck “flutter” that may occur when a player shoots or passes the puck.

[0008]It is a related advantage of the present invention to provide a composite blade for a hockey stick that minimizes twisting of the blade.

[0009]It is still another advantage of the present invention to provide a composite blade for a hockey stick that has decreased weight without adversely affecting the performance or mechanical characteristics of the blade.

[0010]In accordance with the above and the other advantages, the present invention provides a composite hockey stick blade having a high density foam core paddle coupled overlaid with, or coupled within, a plastic wrap. In addition, reinforcing materials such as chopped fibers are introduced to the high density foam core material to increase the toughness and durability of the blade to better withstand the rigors of play. The presence of the high density foam and fiber reinforcement allows the thickness of the plastic wrap to be decreased along the front face and rear face of the paddle while maintaining the desired performance and mechanical characteristics of the blade. The result is a durable, stiff, and light blade that can be formed as a part of a hockey stick or as a separate replacement blade for a hockey stick.

[0011]These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention, when viewed in accordance with the accompanying drawings and appended claims.

Problems solved by technology

Traditional wood constructions, however, are expensive to manufacture due to the cost of wood and the manufacturing processes employed.

Further, wood sticks and blades are relatively heavy and have somewhat limited durability.

Finally, due to variabilities relating to wood construction and manufacturing techniques, wood sticks are difficult to manufacture with consistent tolerances, and even the same model and brand of sticks and blades may have differences in terms of mechanical properties, such as stiffness and curvature.

Nevertheless, these sticks and blades still have disadvantages.

For example, conventional foam core materials form blades are formed of polymeric materials that are limited in strength and durability by a combination of factors, including the type and density of the polymeric material forming the foam core, the thickness of the foam core, and the amount of curing of the foam core during processing.

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