Characteristics of golf shafts produced by carbon and basalt fibers

Basalt fibers have been applied for the conventional carbon golf shaft manufacturing process. The woven basalt fiber layer has been replaced for one carbon layer among 7 similar to 8 carbon layers, partially and wholly in the length direction of the shaft, during the rolling process of carbon pre-preg. General shaft characteristics, including the mechanical and microstructural features, have been evaluated and human test by golf players was also performed. The replacement of basalt fiber for carbon fiber brought about the microstructural change and therefore different swing feelings by many golf players. It could be concluded that the introduction of advanced materials processing into conventional shaft manufacturing technique could be beneficial for the economical production of personally customized golf shafts.