Composite#10 Lesson Learned for

composite design

How materials have been

revolusionised/evolusionised by
composite

How Composites
Changed Fishing
Rods

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

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

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

Fishing Rod Specifications

Action

Power

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

Trolling

Crankbaits

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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How Composites
Changed
the Face of Golf
...no thanks to Tiger Woods

What propertiesDistance
are we looking for?
Feel
Spin Control
Stopping
Aerodynamics

Elasticity
High Compression Low Compression

Feel and
Control
Stopping

Distance
Spin
Resistance
2

Gutta
Percha

Woo
d

1600

1800 1840

Feather
y Cube

Rubb
er
Balls

1900

1940

2012

Modern
Balls

Wood Ball
- 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

Feathery Cube
- 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

Gutta Ball
- 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

Rubber Ball
- 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
7 due to
improved ball control and distance

Modern Balls
Combines multilayer technology
3/4 vs 2
Expensive (Tour Balls) vs Range
balls
Composite layer properties
combine
Workability (Tour Balls) with
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Distance
Distance and Forgiveness

itleist Pro-V1 and Pro-V1

Combines multilayer (3)
technology

Polybutadiene SINGLE core

Moderate Compression (v1)
Ionomer casing
Higher compression thin layer
(v1)
Urethane cover
Durable, moderate

itleist Pro-V1 and Pro-V1

Combines multilayer (4)
technology

Polybutadiene DUAL core

Soft, High Compression
centre (v1x)
Low-Moderate Compression
outer
Ionomer casing
Higher compression thin1layer
(v1x)
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Future Ideas and

Monetizing
More diverse composites and layers
Better manufacturing techniques

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

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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

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