Composite#10 Lesson Learned for composite design

How materials have been

revolusionised/evolusionised by
composite
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History of Fishing Rods
 Traditional materials included bamboo and other types of
wood

 Bamboo still used because of good dampening properties

 Steel rods introduced in early 1900s

 Fiberglass rods introduced in 1940s

 Carbon fiber rods introduced in 1970s

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Modern Fishing Rod Materials
 Woven fiberglass composites

 Carbon fiber composites (often mislabeled as

graphite)

 Boron and various ceramics sometimes used for fibers

 Split bamboo rods still fairly common

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Ideal Fishing Rod Properties
 Flexibility

 Light weight

 Fatigue resistance

 Withstand Environmental Conditions

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Fishing Rod Specifications
 Classified in 3 ways:

• Power – Strength of rod, how far it will bend

• Light, ML, Medium, MH, Heavy

• Action – How the rod flexes and how quickly the tip
returns to neutral
• slow, medium, fast, extra fast

• Modulus – Rod materials (usually fibers)

• low, medium, high
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Fishing Rod Specifications
Action Power

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Fishing Rod Specifications
Optimum rod depends on fishing technique:
 Trolling/ Downrigging: Fiberglass, heavy, med action
 Crankbaits/Spinners: Carbon fiber, med action
 Soft Plastics: High modulus, fast or extra fast action

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 Trolling

Crankbaits

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Fishing Rod Design
 Geometries
• Tapering
• Action Geometries
• Wall Thickness
• Length
 Composite Materials
• Carbon Fiber / Epoxy Resin
• Fiber Glass

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Manufacturing
 A pre-impregnated synthetic fibre sheet is hand cut
into a particular shape which varies by rod type

 The specific weave and weight of the sheets are

specially designed for each manufacturer

 The cut-out is wrapped around a tapered steel

mandrel and hot rolled

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Manufacturing

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Manufacturing
 Majority of the fibres are lined up along the length of the
mandrel (80-90%)

 A thin polymer film is wrapped around the mandrel before

heat treating it to cure the resin

 The polymer film shrinks increasing pressure on the blank

as the resin hardens

 Blank is removed from the film and mandrel, sanded then

coated in protective materials.

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What properties are we looking
for? Distance
Feel
Spin Control
Stopping
Aerodynamics
Elasticity
High Compression Low Compression

Feel and Control Distance

Stopping Spin Resistance
 Gutta Rubbe
Wood Percha r Balls

1600 1800 1840 1900 1940 2012

Feathery Modern
Cube Balls
- Hard wood coming from beech trees or
boxroot trees
- Unreliable as they were never perfectly
round
- High drag creating surface
- Unpredictable trajectory
- Travelled 100 yards on average
- Leather and feather construction
- Very expensive, time consuming to make
- Excellent flight characteristics, due to rough leather
surface, drag resistance
- Approximately same size and weight as modern day
ball
- Leather/feather construction allowed compression on
impact for more control
- Travel distances up to ~175 yards on average
- Made of Gutta Percha, a gum tapped from a tree
indigenous to Malaysia
- Malleable when boiled in water, becomes harder on
cooling
- Cheaper than Feathery Cube and therefore more popular
- Prone to mid-air fragmentation
- First ball with dimpled surface for improved flight path
- Bramble design was first mass produced ball with
dimples
- Same properties as Feathery Cube
- Invented in 1898, mass produced 1901
- High tension rubber thread wrapped around
solid rubber core
- Gutta Percha cover (first multi-layer
composite ball)
- Became most widely used ball due to
improved ball control and distance
Future Ideas and Monetizing
 More diverse composites and layers

 Better manufacturing techniques

**Build a ball for your gameplay and style**

 Thank you for your attention

Aknowledgement: Marc Crans, Chris Henderson, Matthew Leroux, Deryl

Sedran, David Di Tommaso, Adrian Spallacci, Mike Godden, Robert Bozzo
Mcmaster University, Canada 26