Ball bat including a fiber composite barrel having an accelerated break-in fuse region

1. A ball bat extending along a longitudinal axis and configured for testing under an accelerated break-in test, the bat configured for organized, competitive play, the bat comprising:

a barrel portion including an inner surface and being formed of a fiber composite material having a generally uniform wall thickness of at least 0.060 inch, the fiber composite material including at least first and second plies, the first ply including a first plurality of fibers aligned adjacent to one another and a first resin, and the second ply including a second plurality of fibers aligned adjacent to one another and a second resin, the inner surface of the barrel portion defining at least one annular groove, the at least one annular groove creating an ABI fuse region of the barrel portion, the barrel portion at the location of the at least one groove being thinner than the generally uniform wall thickness, the at least one annular groove being visible from the inner surface of the barrel portion and uncovered, the ABI fuse region forming a crack initiation location when the bat is subjected to the accelerated break-in test; and

a separate stiffening element positioned within the barrel portion, and the stiffening element positioned adjacent the ABI fuse region.

2. The ball bat of claim 1 , wherein the at least one annular groove is at least a first annular groove and a second annular groove, and wherein the first and second annular grooves are longitudinally spaced apart from each other.

3. The ball bat of claim 1 , wherein the at least one annular groove is a single continuous groove, and wherein the at least one annular groove has a depth within the range of 5 to 75 percent of the wall thickness of the barrel portion.

4. The ball bat of claim 3 , wherein the at least one annular groove has first and second side edges, and wherein the groove has a width within the range of 0.025 to 4.0 inches when measured from the first side edge to the second side edge.

5. The ball bat of claim 4 , wherein the depth of the groove is within the range of 20 to 60 percent of the wall thickness of the barrel portion, and wherein the width of the groove is within the range of 0.025 to 0.5 inch.

6. The ball bat of claim 1 , wherein the at least one annular groove extends about at least one groove plane, and wherein the at least one groove plane is angled with respect to the longitudinal axis by an angular amount within a range of 45 to 90 degrees.

7. The ball bat of claim 6 , wherein the at least one groove plane is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

8. The ball bat of claim 1 , wherein the at least one groove forms at least one spiral groove, and wherein the at least one spiral groove extends about the inner surface of the barrel by an amount less than 720 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis.

9. The ball bat of claim 1 , wherein the stiffening element is an annular member.

10. The ball bat of claim 1 , wherein the stiffening element is a circular disk.

11. The ball bat of claim 10 , wherein the stiffening element is longitudinally spaced apart from the ABI fuse region by at least 0.25 inch.

12. The ball bat of claim 10 , wherein the stiffening element is formed of a rigid material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, polycarbonate, polyurethane, titanium, other metals, other polymeric materials and combinations thereof.

13. The ball bat of claim 1 , further comprising an end cap coupled to a distal end of the barrel portion, and wherein the ABI fuse region is longitudinally spaced apart from the end cap by a distance within the range of 1.0 to 4.0 inches.

14. The ball bat of claim 1 , further comprising an end cap coupled to a distal end of the barrel portion, and wherein the ABI fuse region is longitudinally spaced apart from the end cap by a distance within the range of 7.0 to 12.0 inches.

15. The ball bat of claim 1 , wherein the barrel portion includes first and second barrel regions positioned adjacent to the ABI fuse region on proximal and distal sides of the ABI fuse region, the first ply includes a first proximal ply portion and a first distal ply portion, and wherein the ABI fuse region includes a first fiber discontinuity that separates the first proximal ply portion from the first distal ply portion.

16. The ball bat of claim 1 , wherein the first ply includes a first proximal ply portion and a first distal ply portion, and wherein the first proximal ply portion is longitudinally spaced apart from the first distal ply portion to form a first fiber discontinuity.

17. The ball bat of claim 16 , wherein the barrel portion is formed entirely of the fiber composite material and the fiber composite material forms a single unitary tubular structure, wherein the first plurality of fibers of the first proximal ply portion are generally aligned to define a first proximal angle with respect to the longitudinal axis, wherein the first plurality of fibers of the first distal ply portion are generally aligned to define a first distal angle with respect to the longitudinal axis, and wherein the first proximal angle and the first distal angle vary by at least 10 degrees.

18. The ball bat of claim 17 , wherein the first proximal angle and the first distal angle vary by at least 30 degrees.

19. The ball bat of claim 1 , wherein the inner surface of the barrel portion is not tampered with by a bat doctor.

20. The ball bat of claim 1 , wherein the bat includes a knob, and wherein the stiffening element is longitudinally positioned between the at least one annular groove and the knob.

21. The ball bat of claim 1 , wherein the bat includes an end cap, and wherein the stiffening element is longitudinally positioned between the at least one annular groove and the end cap.