Repair a crack in a Louisville Slugger composite carbon fiber baseball bat

[DanSilver1005]

Louisville Slugger has developed their own carbon fiber composite which they have branded as EKO composite. It appears to be designed with two distinct barrel walls, the inner wall featuring a cantilevered design, a structure in which the inner wall is supported at the taper, which allows for a longer sweet spot that generates incredible performance across the entire barrel.

My oldest son plays travel baseball so I purchased Louisville Slugger's Meta Prime bat, but it now unfortunately has a slight crack in the barrel and I was wondering if there is any way to repair it? And if so, do you think it could be repaired in a manner that would maintain its structural integrity.

I was thinking about using either an epoxy or possibly a heat treatment to seal and repair it. My understanding is that there are two types of composites, a thermoset, which cannot be reheated or recast, and a thermoplastic, which can be reheated and recast, but I'm not sure which one this material falls under.

Purchasing a new bat is pretty expensive, so id prefer, if possible, to repair it.

I very much appreciate your time and any thoughts you could share!

Sincerely,

Dan Silver

[John Kimball]

Unfortunately we don't know of any places that repair this type of issue. With everything bonded together the way it is, it would be extremely difficult to repair the surface without affecting the space between the inner liner and outer sleeve. If I remember correctly, the space between is critical for air pressure to allow the ball to pop off the bat. 

I did find this service company that may be able to help: https://www.bigdawgbatrolling.com/bat-repair.htm

We wish you good luck and hope we have been able to help you understand the nuances of composites.

[John Kimball]

Welcome to the forum. 

As the bats are very proprietary, it's almost impossible to know which part of the barrel is thermoplastic and which is thermoset. And a repair, even if successful, would certainly change the characteristics of the bat. Any crack that has developed would most certainly include a fracture in the carbon fiber, so a repair would include adding more material repair the crack. Simply adding resin would only be cosmetic. And reheating thermoplastic to a melt temp (whatever that is) could ruin the surrounding area, more than it would provide a fix. Thermoplastics come in many different forms, so knowing the reforming temperature is critical. Any repair made to it would most likely turn it into a practice bat at best.

Louisville Slugger does have a warranty period of 1 year for the composite bats. That may be an option for you.

[DanSilver1005]

Thank you for your feedback!

Are thermoset and thermoplastic materials generally mixed together? I wouldn't think so since this would impact a product's ability to be repaired and could potentially impact different material characteristics, due to the chemical change thermoset composites undergo when they are formed.

The cracks I'm seeing appear to be more cosmetic than anything else. See attached pics. 
 

One thing I do want to mention is that many of today's oil and gas pipelines are composed of composite materials. Due to the contents they transport and the high amount of pressure they're exposed to, their structural integrity is vital. My understanding is that companies are able to repair cracks in these pipelines, so I believe it's something that can be achieved. But I'm not an expert on composites. 

[lo_0l]

1 hour ago, DanSilver1005 said:

Thank you for your feedback!

Are thermoset and thermoplastic materials generally mixed together? I wouldn't think so since this would impact a product's ability to be repaired and could potentially impact different material characteristics, due to the chemical change thermoset composites undergo when they are formed.

The cracks I'm seeing appear to be more cosmetic than anything else. See attached pics. 
 

One thing I do want to mention is that many of today's oil and gas pipelines are composed of composite materials. Due to the contents they transport and the high amount of pressure they're exposed to, their structural integrity is vital. My understanding is that companies are able to repair cracks in these pipelines, so I believe it's something that can be achieved. But I'm not an expert on composites. 

 

Hey Dan,

Welcome to Composites Community! Some of that is certainly cosmetic, but there also appears to be some structural damage. You might want to contact Louisville Slugger and see if there's anything they can do to help you out. That sure is one expensive bat, and it's at least worth asking 🙂

[John Kimball]

Thermoset and thermoplastic can not be co-manufactured, but they can be bonded together after curing with the right adhesive.

It appears that some of the cracks are just paint blemishes, but some do appear to be fractures in the fiber. You can tell by tapping the surface with a quarter and listening for changes in the tone. The good surfaces will have a higher pitched "ping" sound, while delaminated fractures will have a more distinctive "thunk" sound. These bats are usually thin walled, so repair is more difficult. From the appearance, it looks like the outer wall is filament wound, so is probably the thermoset resin.

Oil and gas pipelines are specifically designed for the heat and pressure of product flowing through. They have very specific materials and safety factors designed into the pipe. Repair is probably one of the things that is taken into consideration in the design process.

[DanSilver1005]

Thanks! That's a great trick with the coin!! It appears you're correct, the fiber is damaged. 

Do you know of any companies that specialize in composites and you think could repair it? I've already tried contacting the manufacturer and their stance is to buy a new one, which I get. They're in business to sell new products, not repair older ones.

Thanks again!

Dan

[DanSilver1005]

Thanks John, you have!

[lo_0l]

5 hours ago, John Kimball said:

Unfortunately we don't know of any places that repair this type of issue. With everything bonded together the way it is, it would be extremely difficult to repair the surface without affecting the space between the inner liner and outer sleeve. If I remember correctly, the space between is critical for air pressure to allow the ball to pop off the bat. 

I did find this service company that may be able to help: https://www.bigdawgbatrolling.com/bat-repair.htm

We wish you good luck and hope we have been able to help you understand the nuances of composites.

That is crazy. That's way more complex than I ever imagined bats could be!

Seems like softball bats in some regards are considerably more technical than baseball/hardball bats 😄