Patent Grant
8382609
The present invention relates to a golf club head, more particularly to a face structure capable of controlling the spring-like effect of the face portion without increasing the mass of the face portion, and a method for manufacturing the same.
Recent years, according to the Rules of Golf, golf club heads having a high spring-like effect can not be used. More specifically, the characteristic time of the club head shall not be greater than 239 microseconds with a test tolerance of 18 microseconds. In brief, the spring-like effect is such that when a ball hits the face portion of a hollow golf club head, the face portion is deformed and bounds the ball like a trampoline, and the initial ball speed of the ball is increased.
Accordingly, by increasing the rigidity of the face portion, the deformation at impact is lessened to lower the spring-like effect. The rigidity of the face portion can be increased by increasing the thickness thereof. But, if the thickness is increased, the mass of the face portion is increased accordingly, and the depth of the center of gravity of the head becomes decreased. As a result, motion of the club head at the time of off-center shots (miss shots) increases, and the directionality of the hit ball deteriorates.
A primarily object of the present invention is therefore, to provide a golf club head in which the spring-like effect is adjusted as high as possible while conforming to the Rules of Golf without substantial increase in the mass of the face portion.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing the golf club head, in which in order to adjust the spring-like effect, the rigidity of the face portion can be controlled by utilizing a specific combination of a thickness distribution and an anisotropy of a unidirectionally rolled titanium alloy plate.
According to one aspect the present invention, a golf club head has a hollow structure comprising
a main body member provided with an opening in the front thereof, and
a face member closing the opening so as to form a hollow, wherein
the face member has a front face forming at least a part of a club face and a rear face facing the hollow,
the face member is made of an unidirectionally rolled plate of a titanium alloy having alpha phase crystals, wherein
in the front view of the head under the standard state of the head, the rolled direction of the unidirectionally rolled plate is inclined at an angle θ1 of not more than 30 degrees with respect to the horizontal direction, and the rear face is provided with a ribbed part to have a longitudinal direction inclined at an angle θ2 of not more than 30 degrees with respect to the vertical direction.
According to another aspect the present invention, a method for manufacturing the golf club head comprises:
a step of preparing the face member which comprises the steps of
preparing the unidirectionally rolled plate by rolling the titanium alloy a plurality of times in one direction,
cutting out a blank for the face member from the unidirectionally rolled plate, and
forming the ribbed part on the cutout blank by machining, a step of preparing the main body member; and
a step of assembling the face member and the main body member into the head.
Here, the standard state of the club head is such that the club head is set on a horizontal plane HP so that the axis CL of the club shaft (not shown) is inclined at the lie angle β while keeping the axis CL on a vertical plane VP, and the club face 2 forms its loft angle α with respect to the vertical plane VP. Incidentally, in the case of the club head alone, the center line of the shaft inserting hole 7a can be used instead of the axis CL of the club shaft.
The sweet spot SS is the point of intersection between the club face 2 and a straight line N drawn normally to the club face 2 passing the center G of gravity of the head.
The front-back direction is a direction parallel with the straight line N projected on the horizontal plane HP.
The toe-heel direction TH is a direction parallel with the horizontal plane HP and perpendicular to the front-back direction.
The crown-sole direction CS is a direction perpendicular to the toe-heel direction TH, namely, a vertical direction.
The moment of inertia is the lateral moment of inertia around a vertical axis passing through the center G of gravity in the standard state.
If the edge (2a, 2b, 2c and 2d) of the club face 2 is unclear due to smooth change in the curvature, a virtual edge line (Pe) which is defined, based on the curvature change is used instead as follows. As shown in
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
In the drawings, golf club head 1 according to the present invention is a hollow head for a wood-type golf club such as driver (#1) or fairway wood.
As shown in
In the case of a wood-type club head for a driver (#1), it is preferable that the head volume is set in a range of not less than 380 cc, more preferably not less than 400 cc, still more preferably not less than 420 cc, in order to increase the moment of inertia and the depth of the center of gravity G. However, to prevent an excessive increase in the club head weight and deteriorations of swing balance and durability and further in view of golf rules or regulations, the head volume is preferably set in a range of not more than 500 cc, more preferably not more than 470 cc, still more preferably not more than 460 cc.
The mass of the club head 1 is preferably set in a range of not less than 180 g, more preferably not less than 185 g, in view of the swing balance and rebound performance, but not more than 220 g, still more preferably not more than 215 g in view of the directionality and traveling distance of the ball.
The width FW of the club face 2, which is measured in the toe-heel direction along the club face 2 passing through the sweet spot SS, is preferably not less than 90.0 mm, more preferably not less than 92.0 mm, still more preferably not less than 95.0 mm, but not more than 110.0 mm, more preferably not more than 107.0 mm, still more preferably not more than 105.0 mm.
The height FH of the club face 2, which is measured in the crown-sole direction CS along the club face 2 passing through the sweet spot SS, is preferably not less than 48.0 mm, more preferably not less than 50.0 mm, still more preferably not less than 52.0 mm, but not more than 60.0 mm, more preferably not more than 58.0 mm, still more preferably not more than 56.0 mm.
The ratio (FW/FH) is more than 1.00, preferably not less than 1.65, more preferably not less than 1.70, still more preferably not less than 1.80 in order to lower the center G of gravity. However, if the ratio (FW/FH) is too large, the rebound performance greatly deteriorates. Therefore, the ratio (FW/FH) is preferably not more than 2.10, more preferably not more than 2.05, still more preferably not more than 2.00.
In this embodiment, the club head 1 is as shown in
The main body member 1A includes the crown portion 4, sole portion 5, side portion 6 and hose 1 portion 7. The main body member 1A is preferably formed in a one-piece structure by casting, but it is also possible to form it by assembling two or more parts which are prepared through suitable methods such as casting, forging, mold pressing and machining. As the material or materials of the main body member 1A, stainless steel, maraging steel, titanium, titanium alloy, aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy amorphous alloy and the like can be used alone or in combination.
Preferably, a metal material (for example, a titanium alloy such as Ti-6Al-4V, Ti-8Al-1V-1Mo and Ti-8Al-2V) weldable to the face member 1B is used in view of the production efficiency. It is however also possible to use a non-metal material such as fiber reinforced resin having a relatively small specific gravity in order to form a part of the main body member 1A. Furthermore, as a weight member to adjust the position of the center of gravity of the head, a metal material having a relatively large specific gravity such as tungsten can be used in combination with the above-mentioned light weight material(s).
The face member 1B is made from a unidirectionally rolled plate M of a titanium alloy having alpha phase crystals. The face member 1B in this embodiment is a slightly curved plate and forms the almost entirety of the face portion 3.
The titanium alloy having alpha phase crystals means an alpha alloy and alpha-beta alloy.
Since the alpha-beta alloys are higher in the strength than the alpha alloys, in the case that an alpha-beta alloy is used, the durability of the face portion 3 can be improved, and the face member 1B can be decreased in the thickness to reduce the weight and to increase the design freedman of the center of gravity, therefore, the use of the alpha-beta alloys is preferred. The alpha-beta alloys are for example, Ti-4.5Al-3V-2Fe-2Mo, Ti-4.5Al-2Mo-1.6V-0.5Fe-0.3Si-0.03C, Ti-8Al-1Mo, Ti-1Fe-0.35O-0.01N, Ti-5.5Al-1Fe, Ti-6Al-4V, Ti-6Al-6V-2Sn, Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-6Mo, Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo, Ti-8Al-1Mo-1V and the like. Especially, Ti-4.5Al-3V-2Fe-2Mo, Ti-4.5Al-2Mo-1.6V-0.5Fe-0.3Si-0.03C and Ti-1Fe-0.35O-0.01N are preferably used because of the high specific tensile strength and excellent workability. For example, Ti-5Al-2.5Sn is a typical alpha alloy.
As shown in
Alpha phase crystals of a titanium alloy have a hexagonal close-packed structure as shown in
In the unidirectionally rolled plate M of the titanium alloy, the axes (a) of the hexagonal close packing crystals are orientated to extend along the rolled direction RD, and the axes (b) are orientated to extend along the direction ND perpendicular to the rolled direction RD.
Thus, the unidirectionally rolled metal plate M is provided with an orthotropic anisotropy such that the tensile elastic modulus Erd and tensile strength Srd in the rolled direction RD are less than the tensile elastic modulus Epd and tensile strength Spd in the perpendicular direction ND.
In the present invention, in order to increase the rigidity of the face portion 3 without increasing the mass of the face portion 3, such anisotropy is utilized.
In the front view of the head 1 under the above-mentioned standard state, the angle θ1 of the rolled direction RD of the unidirectionally rolled metal plate M is set to be not more than 30 degrees with respect to the horizontal direction K1. In other words, the direction ND perpendicular to the rolled direction RD in which direction ND the tensile elastic modulus becomes relatively large is set to be not more than 30 degrees with respect to the vertical direction. The reason therefor is as follows.
In the club face 2, the span between its upper edge 2a and lower edge 2b is shorter than the span between the toe-side edge 2c to heel-side edge 2d, therefore, by directing the perpendicular direction ND as above, the elasticity of the face portion 3 as a whole is effectively increased, and the spring-like effect can be lessened. If the angle θ1 is more than 30 degrees, the effect to lessen the spring-like effect decreases.
It is especially preferable that the rolled direction RD is inclined to the crown portion 4 from the heel towards the toe as shown in
By orienting the rolled direction RD in the same direction as the longitudinal direction of the straight line J, since the elastic modulus in the rolled direction RD is smaller, even if the ball hits a position on the toe-side or heel-side of the sweet spot, the face portion 3 can deflect easier and the coefficient of restitution is increased. Thus, it becomes possible to increase the sweet spot area.
As the parameters showing the degree of the anisotropy of the unidirectionally rolled plate M, there are a ratio (Spd/Srd) of the tensile strength Srd in the rolled direction RD and the tensile strength Spd in the perpendicular direction ND, and
a ratio (Epd/Erd) of the tensile elastic modulus Erd in the rolled direction RD and the tensile elastic modulus Epd in the perpendicular direction ND.
If the values of the ratios are too small, it becomes difficult to reinforce the face portion 3. If too large on the other hand, the strength in the toe-heel direction becomes insufficient and the durability is decreased.
Therefore, the tensile strength ratio (Spd/Srd) is preferably set in a range of not less than 1.20, more preferably not less than 1.25, still more preferably not less than 1.30, but not more than 1.60, more preferably not more than 1.50, still more preferably not more than 1.45.
The tensile elastic modulus ratio (Epd/Erd) is preferably set in a range of not less than 1.10, more preferably not less than 1.14, still more preferably not less than 1.18, but not more than 1.60, more preferably not more than 1.55, still more preferably not more than 1.50.
If the values of the tensile strength Srd and Spd are too small, it is difficult to provide an essential strength for the face portion 3, and the face portion 3 is fatigued and broken readily. In addition, there is a possibility that the reduced tensile elastic modulus increases the spring-like effect which will result in the golf club head which does not conform with the golf rules. If the values of the tensile strength Srd and Spd are too large, on the other hand, due to the increased tensile elastic modulus, the spring-like effect is greatly decreased, and the carry distance of the ball is decreased.
In view of the above, the tensile strength Spd is preferably not less than 1000 MPa, more preferably not less than 1100 MPa, still more preferably not less than 1150 MPa, but not more than 1500 MPa, more preferably not more than 1450 MPa, still more preferably not more than 1400 MPa.
The tensile strength Srd is preferably not less than 800 MPa, more preferably not less than 850 MPa, still more preferably not less than 900 MPa, but not more than 1200 MPa, more preferably not more than 1100 MPa, still more preferably not more than 1050 MPa.
The tensile elastic modulus Epd is preferably not less than 115 GPa, more preferably not less than 120 GPa, still more preferably not less than 125 GPa, but not more than 170 GPa, more preferably not more than 165 GPa, still more preferably not more than 160 GPa.
The tensile elastic modulus Erd is preferably not less than 90 GPa, more preferably not less than 95 GPa, still more preferably not less than 100 GPa, but not more than 125 GPa, more preferably not more than 120 GPa, still more preferably not more than 118 GPa.
Further, according to the invention, in addition to the provision of the anisotropy, the face portion 3 is provided on the rear face 3b with a ribbed part 10, namely, thicker part as shown in
The ribbed part 10 is arranged such that the longitudinal direction L1 thereof is inclined at an angle θ2 of not more than 30 degrees with respect to the vertical direction K2 in the front view of the head under the standard state as shown in
It is especially preferable that the ribbed part 10 is inclined along the direction perpendicular to the straight line J of the distribution of the hitting positions of the average golfers, namely, inclined to the heel from the sole portion towards the crown portion as shown in
Since the ribbed part 10 extends between the crown and sole portions while having a certain width and a relatively larger thickness, in cooperation with the anisotropy of the unidirectionally rolled metal plate M, the ribbed part 10 is effectively increased in the strength and rigidity in the crown-sole direction. Therefore, even if the width and thickness of the ribbed part 10 are relatively small, the spring-like effect can be effectively decreased. Namely, the spring-like effect can be decreased while minimizing the weight increase of the face portion.
The angle θ3 between the longitudinal direction L1 of the ribbed part 10 and the rolled direction RD is preferably set in a range of from 75 to 105 degrees, more preferably 85 to 95 degrees, most preferably 90 degrees.
It is desirable that the ribbed part 10 extends continuously from the inner surface 4i of the crown portion 4 to the inner surface 5i of the sole portion 5.
In this embodiment, the number of the ribbed part 10 is one, but a plurality of ribbed parts 10 can be provided. In such case, the number of the ribbed parts 10 is preferably not more than 5, more preferably not more than 4, still more preferably not more than 3 in order to avoid an undesirable increase of the weight of the face portion 3.
In the case of a single ribbed part 10 as in this embodiment, the ribbed part 10 is positioned on the center of the club face so as to include the sweet spot SS. In the case of a plurality of ribbed parts 10, it is preferable that one of the ribbed parts is positioned to include the sweet spot SS.
If the width WL of each ribbed part 10 is less than 2 mm, it becomes difficult to control the spring-like effect. If the total width WL of the ribbed part or parts 10 is more than 25 mm, the spring-like effect is decreased greatly beyond the limit and the carry distance of the ball is decreased. Further, the weight of the face portion 3 is unfavorably increased. Therefore, the width WL of the ribbed part 10 measured perpendicularly to the above-mentioned longitudinal direction L1 is preferably set in a range of not less than 2 mm, more preferably not less than 3 mm, still more preferably not less than 5 mm, but in total not more than 25 mm, more preferably not more than 20 mm, still more preferably not more than 15 mm. The ribbed part 10 in this embodiment has a substantially constant width WL from the upper end to the lower end, but it is also possible to provide a variable width WL preferably within the above-mentioned range.
If the maximum thickness TC of the ribbed part 10 is less than 2.8 mm, the face reinforcing effect in the crown-sole direction is decreased and it becomes difficult to control the spring-like effect. If the maximum thickness of the ribbed part 10 exceeds 5.0 mm, the spring-like effect is made almost void. Further, the mass of the face portion 3 is unfavorably increased. Therefore, as shown in
In order to prevent stress concentration, the ribbed part 10 in this embodiment comprises a central part 10a having a substantially constant thickness, and a pair of lateral parts 10b disposed on the heel-side and toe-side of the central part 10a and having a variable thickness gradually decreasing from the central part 10a towards the side edge 10e of the ribbed part 10.
In this embodiment, on the toe-side and heel-side of the single ribbed part 10, a toe-side thinner part 11 and a heel-side thinner part 12 are formed as a consequence. The thinner parts 11 and 12 each have a thickness Tt, Th less than the ribbed part 10. Each of the thicknesses Tt and Th is substantially constant and smallest in the face portion 3. Therefore, the mass of the face portion 3 is decreased. Further, even if the ball hitting position is off centered towards the heel or toe, the ball hitting part of the face portion 3 is effectively deflected, and the loss of the carry distance can be lessened. Namely, the sweet spot area can be extended towards the toe and heel.
The thicknesses Tt and Th are preferably in a range of not more than 3.0 mm, more preferably not more than 2.8 mm, still more preferably not more than 2.5 mm, but not less than 1.5 mm, more preferably not less than 1.8 mm, still more preferably not less than 1.9 mm in view of the durability of the face portion 3.
The difference (Tc−Tt) between the thickness Tt and the maximum thickness Tc of the ribbed part 10 and the difference (Tc−Th) between the thickness Th and the maximum thickness Tc are preferably not less than 0.5 mm, more preferably not less than 0.7 mm, still more preferably not less than 0.9 mm, but not more than 2.0 mm, more preferably not more than 1.8 mm, still more preferably not more than 1.6 mm.
If the thickness difference is less than 0.5 mm, it is difficult to increase the rigidity of the face portion 3. If the thickness difference is more than 2.0 mm, there is a possibility that the durability deteriorates.
The toe-side thick part 13 is formed continuously from the middle part of the ribbed part 10 and protrudes towards the toe to have a contour shape similar to that of the club face.
The heel-side thick part 14 is formed continuously from the middle part of the ribbed part 10 and protrudes towards the heel to have a contour shape similar to that of the club face.
The thick parts 13 and 14 can increase the rigidity of the center zone of the face portion 3 and the durability thereof can be improved.
In this example, each of the thick parts 13 and 14 comprises a thick main portion 13a, 14a having the same thickness as the thickness Tc of the above-mentioned central part 10a of the ribbed part 10, and
a tapered portion 13b, 14b formed along the edge of the thick main portion 13a, 14a and having a gradually decreasing thickness.
If the area of the thick parts 13 and 14 is too large, the spring-like effect is greatly decreased and the carry distance decreases, and the mass of the face portion 3 unfavorably increases. Therefore, the total area of the thick parts 13 and 14 is preferably in a range of not more than 30%, more preferably not more than 25%, still more preferably not more than 23% of the overall area of the rear face of the face portion 3.
The above-mentioned face member 1B is made from the unidirectionally rolled plate M having a substantially constant thickness.
As shown in
As to the rolling operation, either hot rolling or cold rolling can be employed in this invention.
Here, the hot rolling means that carried out at a material temperature of higher than 200 degrees C.
The cold rolling means that carried out at a material temperature of lower than 200 degrees C.
In order to increase the elastic modulus anisotropy while achieving a high strength, it is desirable that the material is subjected to hot rolling as rough rolling and then cold rolling as finish rolling.
In the rough rolling, the material is rolled 2 to 10 times, preferably 3 to 8 times by heating the material at a temperature in a range of from 700 to 1100 degrees C., more preferably 800 to 1000 degrees C.
In the subsequent finish rolling, the material is rolled 2 to 10 times, preferably 3 to 7 times by keeping the temperature of the material within a range between ambient temperatures and 200 degrees C., preferably between ambient temperatures and 150 degrees C.
As a result, precipitates generated in the material during casting and rough crystal grains are fractured, and the crystal is close-packed, therefore, the strength and toughness of the material can be increased.
The total number of times to apply rolling (in the above case, rough rolling and finish rolling) is preferably not less than 7, more preferably not less than 9, but not more than 15, more preferably not more than 12. If more than 15 times, due to very high activity of a titanium alloy, there is a high possibility that the surface of the material is covered by a thick oxide film. If less than 7 times, it is difficult to obtain a sufficient anisotropy. Further, since the rolling ratio per rolling increases, there is a possibility that the homogeneity of the material deteriorates.
The rolling ratio (gross) of the unidirectionally rolled plate M is preferably not less than 70%, more preferably not less than 75%, but not more than 95%, more preferably not more than 90%. If the gross rolling ratio is less than 60%, there is a possibility that the precipitates and rough crystal grains can not be fully fractured, and the orientation of the hexagonal close packing crystals becomes insufficient, therefore, it is difficult to obtain the undermentioned desirable anisotropy values. If the rolling ratio is more than 95%, there is a high possibility that the rolled material is cracked. Further, in view of the production cost, it is not preferable.
Here, the rolling ratio (or reduction of rolling) is
{(h1−h2)/h1}×100(%)
wherein
h1 is the thickness before rolling, and
h2 is thickness after rolling.
In the above-mentioned case, during the rough rolling, the rolling ratio in each time is preferably set in a range of not less than 60%, more preferably not less than 70%, but not more than 94%, more preferably not more than 90%.
During the finish rolling, the rolling ratio is preferably set in a range of not less than 2%, more preferably not less than 3%, but not more than 20%, more preferably not more than 15%.
As shown in
Then, as schematically shown in
As to the bulge and roll (curvature) of the club face 2, such curvature can be provided before or after the above-mentioned machining.
The main body member 1A can be formed by assembling two or more parts which are prepared through suitable methods such as casting, forging, mold pressing and machining.
In this embodiment, however, the main body member 1A is formed by lost-wax precision casting.
The face member 1B and the main body member 1A are fixed to each other to form the club head 1 by means of, for example, welding (Tig welding, plasma welding, laser welding etc.), soldering, press fitting or the like. Among them, laser welding is preferred because the heat affected zone is small and the joint strength is high.
Comparison Tests
Wood club heads (head volume 460 cc, loft 10 degrees, lie 57.5 degrees) were prepared and tested for the spring-like effect and durability and the weight of the face member was measured.
The heads were prepared by combining identical main body members and face members having specifications shown in
In
The rolling was carried out as follows.
Rough rolling
Finish rolling
Finished thickness: 5.0 mm
Gross rolling ratio: 83%
All of the face members were made of an alpha-beta titanium alloy Ti-4.5Al-2Mo-1.6V-0.5Fe-0.3Si-0.03C, and formed by cutting out their blanks from the same unidirectionally rolled metal plate using cutting dies. Then, using a NC milling machine, the ribbed parts and grooves (Ex. 11) were formed.
The main body member was a casting of a titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V formed by a lost-wax precision casting method.
In order to fix the face member to the main body member, plasma welding was utilized.
The details of the test are as follows.
Pendulum Test
According to the R&A and the United states Golf Association's “Pendulum Test”, each of the head was measured for the “Characteristic Time (CT)”. The larger the CT value, the larger the spring-like effect. The upper limit for the CT value is 239 microseconds with a test tolerance of 18 microseconds. Therefore, considering the tolerance, the CT value must be not more than 257 microseconds. The values under 250 microseconds are desirable. The results are shown in Table 1.
Durability Test
Each head was attached to a FRP shaft (SRI sports Ltd. SV-3003J, Flex X) to make a 45-inch wood club, and the club was mounted on a swing robot. Then, the head hit golf balls 10000 times (maximum) at the head speed of 54 meter/second, while checking the face portion every 100 times.
The number of hitting times at which any damage was observed, is indicated by an index based on Ref. 3 being 100, wherein the larger the value, the better the durability.
It was confirmed from the test results that, according to the present invention, the CT values can be restricted to under the regulation limit, while improving the durability, without a substantial increase in the mass of the face member.
The present invention is suitably applied to wood-type hollow golf club heads as explained above, but it is also possible to apply iron-type golf club heads.
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