Dr. Daniel A. Russell
Applied Physics, Kettering University, Flint, MI
All images and text are ©2001-2003 Daniel A. Russell
All images and text are ©2001-2003 Daniel A. Russell
| During the summer of 1998 I was trying to think of some interesting objects to test for a laboratory exercise in which the students perform an experimental modal analysis of a structure to determine its resonance frequencies, damping constants and mode shapes. For a test object I had been using the traditional "rectangular beam" but decided that I wanted to have my students test something else that had interesting results and that was more relevant to their everyday lives. At about the same time I had also been searching sporting goods stores for a specific model of Little League baseball bat which has a dynamic absorber inside. I had seen one a few years earlier and thought it would make a great demonstration for my lecture about dynamic absorbers in my acoustics and vibration course. I got lucky and found two such bats in a department store that was going out of business. I bought them, and then bought a couple of Little League size wood bats for comparison in the laboratory experiment. The experiment was a success and I discovered that there is a lot of really interesting physics in a study of baseball bats, so I began exploring the subject in more detail. I'm trying to write up some of my research for publication, but wanted to share some of the neat stuff I've found with others who might not read a technical paper. So, here's a summary of some of the things I have found so far. |  That's me talking about my baseball bat research during an interview for a local news station in October, 2001 |