I-BEAM CONSTRUCTION IN A HOCKEY BLADE CORE

摘要

A reinforced hockey stick blade and a related method of manufacture are provided. The hockey stick blade can include a core element defining one or more longitudinal channels bounded by an upper core portion, a lower core portion, and a bridge portion interconnecting the upper and lower core portions. The hockey stick blade can additionally include a plurality of fiber-reinforced plies substantially encapsulating the core element and a reinforcing material received within the one or more longitudinal channels. The reinforcing material can extend longitudinally from a first channel end portion to a second channel end portion, and can include woven or unidirectional fiber-reinforced plies. The reinforcing material can additionally extend transversely across the channel to form a blade structure having increased blade strength and durability over existing composite hockey stick blades.