Snowboards: A snowboard will contain about two thirds composite material and although glassfiber is used as the primary reinforcement, there is potential for carbon fiber.
Baseball bats: Carbon fiber is used for baseball bats.
Cricket bats: An early application in 1970 for carbon fiber by Gunn and Moore was the use of a number of pieces of narrow pultruded cfrp strips as the springing in the cricket bat handle, replacing the steel, reputedly giving a more powerful drive.
Hockey sticks: Although wood is the traditional material for hockey sticks, composites do provide a more durable stick with the ability to efficiently transfer energy and reduce player fatigue. The sticks can be produced as a single piece construction with combined shaft and blade, or a two-piece unit utilizing a separate shaft. Carbon fiber is used in the more expensive sticks. Bending Branches produce a wood/carbon fiber stick.
Exel Oy manufacture carbon/glass replacement blades and are using triaxial braiding to produce a stick which can be tailored with a number of flex points, each with its own stiffness rating.
Golf shafts and heads: A carbon shaft weighs about 40% less than a conventional steel shaft, which allows the golf club designer to add weight to the club head and achieve a greater driving distance, yet still save some weight.
The author remembers when carbon fiber was first used for making golf club shafts when it was jokingly stated that it enabled one to hit the ball another 20 yards into the rough, however the popularity of cfrp golf is expected to continue as players strive to achieve greater distance and accuracy. In 1998, Karl Woodward, using a Jordan Golf thermoplastic shaft fitted with a Ti head enabled him to hit the ball a world record distance of 344m. The shaft is molded using a gas injection process, resulting in a central core hollowed out by the gas injection and is subsequently wrapped with several layers of carbon fiber prepreg at specific angles to add the required torque and stiffness. When tested, the energy transfer within the shaft produced an increase of 6.4% in ball velocity, equating a further 15 yards with a 85 mph swing or 25 yards at 115 mph.
The golf club business is very fickle and new materials always attract players wishing to be kitted out with the latest technology. There is no doubt that there has been much research undertaken to improve the golf shaft and head in recent years.
The choice of equipment for golf is obviously a personal issue and some users would claim that a stronger player would be better with steel shafts. However, there is no doubt that from the onset, carbon fiber has made great inroads into golf, perhaps confusing, since they are termed graphite shafts. Interestingly, Yonex introduced a graphite club head in 1990 but the product was withdrawn in 1998.
Phoenix TPC makes a thermoplastic golf shaft from AS-4, IM-6 or IM-7 with PPS, which apparently benefits players with a middle to low handicap. Golf clubs made from thermoplastic shafts are reputed to have less shock, yet matching the thermoset carbon fiber shafts in distance.
Callaway Golf retail a large compression cured carbon fiber composite head attached to a 53g graphite shaft.