How is engineering involved with baseball?

Answer 1

"There is a tremendous amount of physics and engineering that goes into the design of a baseball or softball bat, especially the new high-tech aluminum and composite bats which are currently dominating the market. There is also an amazing amount of physics involved in the bat-ball collision, and in the performance and behavior of the bat itself. My interest in the physics of baseball bats began in 1998 when I was setting up a laboratory experiment for my students and decided to have them look at the vibrational behavior of a youth baseball bat. Now, several years later, vibrational and acoustic analysis of softball and baseball bats has become my primary area of research. I have been able to correlate the vibrational frequencies of bat barrels to measured performance, and have signicantly contributed to an understanding of the trampoline effect in a hollow bat. In addition, my vibrational analysis of the bending modes of a bat has added to the understanding of perception and feel, including why some bats sting more or less than others. My research has been presented before international meetings of the Acoustical Society of America, the International Sports Engineering Association, the Sporting Goods and Manufacturers Association, and the Baseball and Softball Equipment Subcommittee of the American Society for Testing and Materials, and several publications are forthcoming. Included on these webpages are answers to often asked questions concerning the physics of baseball bats. An important distinction for my webpages is that the articles provided below are not opinions, but are based on a thorough reading of the available published research literature as well as results from my own experimental research. A full listing of references is attached to each article so interested readers can look up the facts for themselves. Also included on this site are summaries of my research into the vibrational behavior of bats. I wanted to share with the general public some of the fascinating things my students and I have found"

• What happens when ball meets bat?

• How large are the forces between bat and ball?

• How does bat weight affect swing speed and ball velocity?

• What is the Swing Weight (MOI) of a bat?

• What is the COP (center of percussion) and does it matter?

• What (and where) is the sweet spot of a bat?

• Why do wood bats Crack and metal bats Ping?

• Why do aluminum bats outperform wood?

• Aluminum Bats, Performance Standards, and College Baseball Trends

• Should Metal Baseball Bats be Banned because they are Dangerous?

• Are composite bats better than aluminum?

• Why are Titanium bats illegal?

• What about corked wood baseball bats?

• How are baseball and softball bats different?

• Does it matter how tightly you grip the bat?

• Do flexible handles affect the performance of a baseball or softball bat?

• Why is Doctoring a Bat Illegal?

• Do Accelerated Break-in Techniques Really Work?

• How is the performance of a baseball or softball bat regulated?

• Vibrational Behavior of a Baseball/Softball Bat

• Measuring the Vibration of a Baseball/Softball Bat

• Bending Modes and the Sweet Spot

• Hoop Modes and the Trampoline Effect

• Mode splitting in wood bats

• Controlling vibration using a dynamic absorber