Table Tennis Blade Production and Features

Abstract

Table tennis, which emerged in the late 1800s, has changed and developed with equipment development, as in many sports. In the early days, table tennis was played with parchment-covered long-handled rackets and cork or rubber balls. The game started to change with the invention of the hard rubber-coated racket in the 1930s, and the table tennis racket also changed with the spread of composite materials. A racket blade made of wood can consist of a single layer, or it mostly consists of 3-7 layers. The racket blade is produced 17 cm long and 15 cm wide on average. However, since there is no limitation in shape, size, and weight in their production, players choose racket blades according to their playing style. According to the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) regulations, at least 85% of the racket blade thickness must be made of wood, and the surfaces must be smooth and hard. Wood species with high impact absorption energy value are more suitable for table tennis blade production. There is an important relationship between the vibro-acoustic feature when the racket hits the ball and the racket blade. Density, hardness resistances, compressive strength, bending resistance, impact absorption energy, vibro-acoustic properties should be known in determining the suitability of the wood material to be used in the production of table tennis rackets. Various tree species such as Hinoki, Limba, Balsa, Kiri (Paulownia), Ash, Spruce, Linden, and Walnut are widely used in racket blades production.