Do you think it would work?
I know a while ago Kookaburra put out a bat that had graphite on the back. But claimed no performance gain, only that it held it together better, increasing the longevity of the bat. It was banned soon after it's release, believed to have increasing the stiffness of the bat. Less energy wasted in the bat flexing, the more energy put on ball, that sort of thing.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/237489.html That's not a bad article on it.
I've been bored and wondering if it can be taken a little further. Would laying up some carbon fibre directly onto the back of the blade have any benefits?
Some people I've talked to think carbon would just shatter with the shock of a cricket stroke and said that maybe a couple layers of kevlar then a carbon layer to finish would be better?
A bat's blade about 50cm long and 10cm across. Is kevlar/carbon even rigid enough over that sort of length to make a difference? What about binding to the wood?
I can't wait to hear what people think about this one.
Cheers