Patent Grant
11944878
This disclosure relates to wood-type golf clubs. Particularly, this disclosure relates to wood-type golf club heads with low center of gravity.
As described with reference to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/839,727, entitled “GOLF CLUB WITH COEFFICIENT OF RESTITUTION FEATURE,” filed Mar. 15, 2013—incorporated by reference herein—there is benefit associated with locating the center of gravity (CG) of the golf club head proximal to the face and low in the golf club head. In certain types of heads, it may still be the most desirable design to locate the CG of the golf club head as low as possible regardless of its location within the golf club head. However, in many situations, a low and forward CG location may provide some benefits not seen in prior designs or in comparable designs without a low and forward CG.
For reference, within this disclosure, reference to a “fairway wood type golf club head” means any wood type golf club head intended to be used with or without a tee. For reference, “driver type golf club head” means any wood type golf club head intended to be used primarily with a tee. In general, fairway wood type golf club heads have lofts of 13 degrees or greater, and, more usually, 15 degrees or greater. In general, driver type golf club heads have lofts of 12 degrees or less, and, more usually, of 10.5 degrees or less. In general, fairway wood type golf club heads have a length from leading edge to trailing edge of 73-97 mm. Various definitions distinguish a fairway wood type golf club head from a hybrid type golf club head, which tends to resemble a fairway wood type golf club head but be of smaller length from leading edge to trailing edge. In general, hybrid type golf club heads are 38-73 mm in length from leading edge to trailing edge. Hybrid type golf club heads may also be distinguished from fairway wood type golf club heads by weight, by lie angle, by volume, and/or by shaft length. Fairway wood type golf club heads of the current disclosure are 16 degrees of loft. In various embodiments, fairway wood type golf club heads of the current disclosure may be from 15-19.5 degrees. In various embodiments, fairway wood type golf club heads of the current disclosure may be from 13-17 degrees. In various embodiments, fairway wood type golf club heads of the current disclosure may be from 13-19.5 degrees. In various embodiments, fairway wood type golf club heads of the current disclosure may be from 13-26 degrees. Driver type golf club heads of the current disclosure may be 12 degrees or less in various embodiments or 10.5 degrees or less in various embodiments.
With the ever-increasing popularity and competitiveness of golf, substantial effort and resources are currently being expended to improve golf clubs so that increasingly more golfers can have more enjoyment and more success at playing golf. Much of this improvement activity has been in the realms of sophisticated materials and club-head engineering. For example, modern “wood-type” golf clubs (notably, “drivers,” “fairway woods,” and “utility clubs”), with their sophisticated shafts and non-wooden club-heads, bear little resemblance to the “wood” drivers, low-loft long-irons, and higher numbered fairway woods used years ago. These modern wood-type clubs are generally called “metal-woods.”
An exemplary metal-wood golf club such as a fairway wood or driver typically includes a hollow shaft having a lower end to which the club-head is attached. Most modern versions of these club-heads are made, at least in part, of a light-weight but strong metal such as titanium alloy. The club-head comprises a body to which a strike plate (also called a face plate) is attached or integrally formed. The strike plate defines a front surface or strike face that actually contacts the golf ball.
The current ability to fashion metal-wood club-heads of strong, light-weight metals and other materials has allowed the club-heads to be made hollow. Use of materials of high strength and high fracture toughness has also allowed club-head walls to be made thinner, which has allowed increases in club-head size, compared to earlier club-heads. Larger club-heads tend to provide a larger “sweet spot” on the strike plate and to have higher club-head inertia, thereby making the club-heads more “forgiving” than smaller club-heads. Characteristics such as size of the sweet spot are determined by many variables including the shape profile, size, and thickness of the strike plate as well as the location of the center of gravity (CG) of the club-head.
The distribution of mass around the club-head typically is characterized by parameters such as rotational moment of inertia (MOI) and CG location. Club-heads typically have multiple rotational MOIs, each associated with a respective Cartesian reference axis (x, y, z) of the club-head. A rotational MOI is a measure of the club-head's resistance to angular acceleration (twisting or rotation) about the respective reference axis. The rotational MOIs are related to, inter alia, the distribution of mass in the club-head with respect to the respective reference axes. Each of the rotational MOIs desirably is maximized as much as practicable to provide the club-head with more forgiveness.
Another factor in modern club-head design is the face plate. Impact of the face plate with the golf ball results in some rearward instantaneous deflection of the face plate. This deflection and the subsequent recoil of the face plate are expressed as the club-head's coefficient of restitution (COR). A thinner face plate deflects more at impact with a golf ball and potentially can impart more energy and thus a higher rebound velocity to the struck ball than a thicker or more rigid face plate. Because of the importance of this effect, the COR of clubs is limited under United States Golf Association (USGA) rules.
Regarding the total mass of the club-head as the club-head's mass budget, at least some of the mass budget must be dedicated to providing adequate strength and structural support for the club-head. This is termed “structural” mass. Any mass remaining in the budget is called “discretionary” or “performance” mass, which can be distributed within the club-head to address performance issues, for example.
Some current approaches to reducing structural mass of a club-head are directed to making at least a portion of the club-head of an alternative material. Whereas the bodies and face plates of most current metal-woods are made of titanium alloy, several “hybrid” club-heads are available that are made, at least in part, of components formed from both graphite/epoxy-composite (or another suitable composite material) and a metal alloy. For example, in one group of these hybrid club-heads a portion of the body is made of carbon-fiber (graphite)/epoxy composite and a titanium alloy is used as the primary face-plate material. Other club-heads are made entirely of one or more composite materials. Graphite composites have a density of approximately 1.5 g/cm3, compared to titanium alloy which has a density of 4.5 g/cm3, which offers tantalizing prospects of providing more discretionary mass in the club-head.
Composite materials that are useful for making club-head components comprise a fiber portion and a resin portion. In general the resin portion serves as a “matrix” in which the fibers are embedded in a defined manner. In a composite for club-heads, the fiber portion is configured as multiple fibrous layers or plies that are impregnated with the resin component. The fibers in each layer have a respective orientation, which is typically different from one layer to the next and precisely controlled. The usual number of layers is substantial, e.g., fifty or more. During fabrication of the composite material, the layers (each comprising respectively oriented fibers impregnated in uncured or partially cured resin; each such layer being called a “prepreg” layer) are placed superposedly in a “lay-up” manner. After forming the prepreg lay-up, the resin is cured to a rigid condition.
Conventional processes by which fiber-resin composites are fabricated into club-head components utilize high (and sometimes constant) pressure and temperature to cure the resin portion in a minimal period of time. The processes desirably yield components that are, or nearly are, “net-shape,” by which is meant that the components as formed have their desired final configurations and dimensions. Making a component at or near net-shape tends to reduce cycle time for making the components and to reduce finishing costs. Unfortunately, at least three main defects are associated with components made in this conventional fashion: (a) the components exhibit a high incidence of composite porosity (voids formed by trapped air bubbles or as a result of the released gases during a chemical reaction); (b) a relatively high loss of resin occurs during fabrication of the components; and (c) the fiber layers tend to have “wavy” fibers instead of straight fibers. Whereas some of these defects may not cause significant adverse effects on the service performance of the components when the components are subjected to simple (and static) tension, compression, and/or bending, component performance typically will be drastically reduced whenever these components are subjected to complex loads, such as dynamic and repetitive loads (i.e., repetitive impact and consequent fatigue).
Manufacturers of metal wood golf club-heads have more recently attempted to manipulate the performance of their club heads by designing what is generically termed a variable face thickness profile for the striking face. It is known to fabricate a variable-thickness composite striking plate by first forming a lay-up of prepreg plies, as described above, and then adding additional “partial” layers or plies that are smaller than the overall size of the plate in the areas where additional thickness is desired (referred to as the “partial ply” method). For example, to form a projection on the rear surface of a composite plate, a series of annular plies, gradually decreasing in size, are added to the lay-up of prepreg plies.
Unfortunately, variable-thickness composite plates manufactured using the partial ply method are susceptible to a high incidence of composite porosity because air bubbles tend to remain at the edges of the partial plies (within the impact zone of the plate). Moreover, the reinforcing fibers in the prepreg plies are ineffective at their ends. The ends of the fibers of the partial plies within the impact zone are stress concentrations, which can lead to premature delamination and/or cracking. Furthermore, the partial plies can inhibit the steady outward flow of resin during the curing process, leading to resin-rich regions in the plate. Resin-rich regions tend to reduce the efficacy of the fiber reinforcement, particularly since the force resulting from golf-ball impact is generally transverse to the orientation of the fibers of the fiber reinforcement.
Typically, conventional CNC machining is used during the manufacture of composite face plates, such as for trimming a cured part. Because the tool applies a lateral cutting force to the part (against the peripheral edge of the part), it has been found that such trimming can pull fibers or portions thereof out of their plies and/or induce horizontal cracks on the peripheral edge of the part. As can be appreciated, these defects can cause premature delamination and/or other failure of the part.
While durability limits the application of non-metals in striking plates, even durable plastics and composites exhibit some additional deficiencies. Typical metallic striking plates include a fine ground striking surface (and for iron-type golf clubs may include a series of horizontal grooves) that tends to promote a preferred ball spin in play under wet conditions. This fine ground surface appears to provide a relief volume for water present at a striking surface/ball impact area so that impact under wet conditions produces a ball trajectory and shot characteristics similar to those obtained under dry conditions. While non-metals suitable for striking plates are durable, these materials generally do not provide a durable roughened, grooved, or textured striking surface such as provided by conventional clubs and that is needed to maintain club performance under various playing conditions. Accordingly, improved striking plates, striking surfaces, and golf clubs that include such striking plates and surfaces and associated methods are needed.
Golf club head manufacturers and designers are constantly looking for ways to improve golf club head performance, which includes the forgiveness and playability of the golf club head, while having an aesthetic appearance. Generally, “forgiveness” can be defined as the ability of a golf club head to compensate for mishits, i.e., hits resulting from striking the golf ball at a less than an ideal impact location on the golf club head. Similarly, “playability” can be defined generally as the ease in which a golfer having any of various skill levels can use the golf club head for producing quality golf shots.
Golf club head performance can be directly affected by the moments of inertia of the club head. A moment of inertia is the measure of a club head's resistance to twisting upon impact with a golf ball. Generally, the higher the moments of inertia of a golf club head, the less the golf club head twists at impact with a golf ball, particularly during “off-center” impacts with a golf ball. The less a golf club head twists, the greater the forgiveness of the golf club head and the greater the probability of hitting a straight golf shot. In some instances, a golf club head with high moments of inertia may also result in an increased ball speed upon impact with the golf club head, which generally translates into increased golf shot distance.
In general, the moment of inertia of a mass about a given axis is proportional to the square of the distance of the mass away from the axis. In other words, the greater is the distance of a mass away from a given axis, the greater is the moment of inertia of the mass about the given axis. To reduce ball speed-loss on off-center golf shots, golf club head designers and manufacturers have sought to increase the moment of inertia about a golf club head z-axis extending vertically through the golf club head center of gravity, i.e., Izz. By increasing the distance of the outer periphery of the golf club head from the vertical axis, e.g., the further the golf club head extends outward away from the vertical axis, the greater the moment of inertia (Izz), and the lesser the golf club head twists about the vertical axis upon impact with a golf ball and the greater the forgiveness of the golf club head.
United States Golf Association (US GA) regulations and constraints on golf club head shapes, sizes and other characteristics tend to limit the moments of inertia achievable by a golf club head. For example, the highest moment of inertia (Izz) allowable by the USGA is currently 5,900 g·cm2 (590 kg·mm2).
Because of increased demand by golfers to hit straighter and longer golf shots, golf club manufacturers recently have produced golf club heads that increasingly approach the maximum allowed moment of inertia (Izz). Although golf club heads with high moments of inertia (Izz) may provide greater left-to-right shot shape forgiveness, such benefits are contingent upon the golfer being able to adequately square up the club face prior to impacting the golf ball. For example, if the golf club head face is too open on impact with a golf ball, the ball will have a tendency to fade or slice. The harder it is to rotate the golf club head during a swing, the more difficult it is to square the golf club head prior to impact with a golf ball and the greater the tendency to hit errant golf shots. Often, the bulkiness or size of a golf club head can negatively affect the ability of a golfer to rotate the golf club head into proper impact position. In other words, because the mass of bulkier golf club heads is distributed further away from the hosel and shaft, the moment of inertia about the shaft is increased making it harder it is to rotate the golf club head about the shaft during a swing.
Conventional golf club heads approaching the maximum allowable moment of inertia (Izz), tend to be bulkier than club heads with lower moments of inertia due to the outward extend of the periphery of the golf club head. Although the bulkiness of the golf club heads may provide a higher moment of inertia (Izz) for greater forgiveness, such benefits tend to diminish as the bulkiness of the golf club head makes it harder for a golfer to square up the golf club head. In other words, the high forgiveness of the golf club head can be negated by the inability of the golfer to square the club face due to the bulkiness of the golf club head.
A golf club head includes a club body including a crown, a sole, a skirt disposed between and connecting the crown and the sole and a face portion connected to a front end of the club body. The face portion includes a geometric center defining the origin of a coordinate system when the golf club head is ideally positioned, the coordinate system including an x-axis being tangent to the face portion at the origin and parallel to a ground plane, a y-axis intersecting the origin being parallel to the ground plane and orthogonal to the x-axis, and a z-axis intersecting the origin being orthogonal to both the x-axis and the y-axis. The golf club head defines a center of gravity CG, the CG being a distance CGY from the origin as measured along the y-axis and a distance CGZ from the origin as measured along the z-axis.
Some disclosed examples pertain to composite articles, and in particular a composite face plate for a golf club-head, and methods for making the same. In certain embodiments, a composite face plate for a club-head is formed with a cross-sectional profile having a varying thickness. The face plate comprises a lay-up of multiple, composite prepreg plies. The face plate can include additional components, such as an outer polymeric or metal layer (also referred to as a cap) covering the outer surface of the lay-up and forming the striking surface of the face plate. In other embodiments, the outer surface of the lay-up can be the striking surface that contacts a golf ball upon impact with the face plate.
In order to vary the thickness of the lay-up, some of the prepreg plies comprise elongated strips of prepreg material arranged in a cross-cross, overlapping pattern so as to add thickness to the composite lay-up in one or more regions where the strips overlap each other. The strips of prepreg plies can be arranged relative to each other in a predetermined manner to achieve a desired cross-sectional profile for the face plate. For example, in one embodiment, the strips can be arranged in one or more clusters having a central region where the strips overlap each other. The lay-up has a projection or bump formed by the central overlapping region of the strips and desirably centered on the sweet spot of the face plate. A relatively thinner peripheral portion of the lay-up surrounds the projection. In another embodiment, the lay-up can include strips of prepreg plies that are arranged to form an annular projection surrounding a relatively thinner central region of the face plate, thereby forming a cross-sectional profile that is reminiscent of a “volcano.”
The strips of prepreg material desirably extend continuously across the finished composite part; that is, the ends of the strips are at the peripheral edge of the finished composite part. In this manner, the longitudinally extending reinforcing fibers of the strips also extend continuously across the finished composite part such that the ends of the fibers are at the periphery of the part. In addition, the lay-up can initially be formed as an “oversized” part in which the reinforcing fibers of the prepreg material extend into a peripheral sacrificial portion of the lay-up. Consequently, the curing process for the lay-up can be controlled to shift defects into the sacrificial portion of the lay-up, which subsequently can be removed to provide a finished part with little or no defects. Moreover, the durability of the finished part is increased because the free ends of the fibers are at the periphery of the finished part, away from the impact zone.
The sacrificial portion desirably is trimmed from the lay-up using water-jet cutting. In water-jet cutting, the cutting force is applied in a direction perpendicular to the prepreg plies (in a direction normal to the front and rear surfaces of the lay-up), which minimizes damage to the reinforcing fibers.
In one representative embodiment, a golf club-head comprises a body having a crown, a heel, a toe, and a sole, and defining a front opening. The head also includes a variable-thickness face insert closing the front opening of the body. The insert comprises a lay-up of multiple, composite prepreg plies, wherein at least a portion of the plies comprise a plurality of elongated prepreg strips arranged in a criss-cross pattern defining an overlapping region where the strips overlap each other. The lay-up has a first thickness at a location spaced from the overlapping region and a second thickness at the overlapping region, the second thickness being greater than the first thickness.
In another representative embodiment, a golf club-head comprises a body having a crown, a heel, a toe, and a sole, and defining a front opening. The head also includes a variable-thickness face insert closing the front opening of the body. The insert comprises a lay-up of multiple, composite prepreg plies, the lay-up having a front surface, a peripheral edge surrounding the front surface, and a width. At least a portion of the plies comprise elongated strips that are narrower than the width of the lay-up and extend continuously across the front surface. The strips are arranged within the lay-up so as to define a cross-sectional profile having a varying thickness.
In another representative embodiment, a composite face plate for a club-head of a golf club comprises a composite lay-up comprising multiple prepreg layers, each prepreg layer comprising at least one resin-impregnated layer of longitudinally extending fibers at a respective orientation. The lay-up has an outer peripheral edge defining an overall size and shape of the lay-up. At least a portion of the layers comprise a plurality of composite panels, each panel comprising a set of one or more prepreg layers, each prepreg layer in the panels having a size and shape that is the same as the overall size and shape of the lay-up. Another portion of the layers comprise a plurality of sets of elongated strips, the sets of strips being interspersed between the panels within the lay-up. The strips extend continuously from respective first locations on the peripheral edge to respective second locations on the peripheral edge and define one or more areas of increased thickness of the lay-up where the strips overlap within the lay-up.
In another representative embodiment, a method for making a composite face plate for a club-head of a golf club comprises forming a lay-up of multiple prepreg composite plies, a portion of the plies comprising elongated strips arranged in a criss-cross pattern defining one or more areas of increased thickness in the lay-up where one or more of the strips overlap each other. The method can further include at least partially curing the lay-up, and shaping the at least partially cured lay-up to form a part having specified dimensions and shape for use as a face plate or part of a face plate for a club-head.
In still another representative embodiment, a method for making a composite face plate for a club-head of a golf club comprises forming a lay-up of multiple prepreg plies, each prepreg ply comprising at least one layer of reinforcing fibers impregnated with a resin. The method can further include at least partially curing the lay-up, and water-jet cutting the at least partially cured lay-up to form a composite part having specified dimensions and shape for use as a face plate or part of a face plate in a club-head.
In some examples, golf club heads comprise a club body and a striking plate secured to the club body. The striking plate includes a face plate and a cover plate secured to the face plate and defining a striking surface, wherein the striking surface includes a plurality of scoreline indentations. In some examples, an adhesive layer secures the cover plate to the face plate. In other alternative embodiments, the scoreline indentations are at least partially filled with a pigment selected to contrast with an appearance of an impact area of the striking surface and the cover plate is metallic and has a thickness between about 0.25 mm and 0.35 mm. In further examples, the scoreline indentations are between about 0.05 and 0.09 mm deep. In other representative examples, a ratio of a scoreline indentation width to a cover plate thickness is between about 2.5 and 3.5, and the face plate is formed of a titanium alloy. In some examples, the scoreline indentations include transition regions having radii of between about 0.2 mm and 0.6 mm, and the cover plate includes a rim configured to extend around a perimeter of the face plate. According to some embodiments, the face plate is a composite face plate and the club body is a wood-type club body.
Cover plates for a golf club face plate comprise a titanium alloy sheet having bulge and roll curvatures, and including a plurality of scoreline indentations. A scoreline indentation depth D is between about 0.05 mm and 0.12 mm, and a titanium alloy sheet thickness T is between about 0.20 mm and 0.40 mm.
In further examples, golf club heads comprise a club body and a striking plate secured to the club body. The striking plate includes a metallic cover having a plurality of impact resistant scoreline indentations situated on a striking surface. In some examples, the metallic cover is between about 0.2 mm and 1.0 mm thick and the scoreline indentations have depths between about 0.1 mm and 0.02 mm. In further examples, the scoreline indentations have a depth D and the metallic cover has a thickness T such that a ratio D/T is between about 0.15 and 0.30 or between about 0.20 and 0.25. In additional examples, the face plate is a variable thickness face plate.
Methods comprise selecting a metallic cover sheet and trimming the metallic cover sheet so as to conform to a golf club face plate. The metallic cover sheet provides a striking surface for a golf club. A plurality of scoreline indentations are defined in the striking surface, wherein the metallic cover sheet has a thickness T between about 0.1 mm and 0.5 mm, and the scoreline indentations have a depth D such that a ratio D/T is between about 0.1 and 0.4. In additional examples, a rim is formed on the cover sheet and is configured to cover a perimeter of the face plate. In typical examples, the metallic sheet is a titanium alloy sheet and is trimmed after formation of the scoreline indentations. In some examples, the scoreline indentations are formed in an impact area of the striking surface or outside of an impact area of the striking surface.
According to some examples, golf club heads (wood-type or iron-type) comprise a club body and a striking plate secured to the club body. The striking plate includes a composite face plate having a front surface and a polymer cover layer secured to the front surface of the face plate, the polymer cover layer having a textured striking surface. In some embodiments, a thickness of the cover layer is between about 0.1 mm and about 2.0 mm or about 0.2 mm and 1.2 mm, or the thickness of the cover layer is about 0.4 mm. In further examples, the striking face of the composite face plate has an effective Shore D hardness of at least about 75, 80, or 85. In additional representative examples, the textured striking surface has one or more of a mean surface roughness between about 1 μm and 10 μm, a mean surface feature frequency of at least about 2/mm, or a surface profile kurtosis greater than about 1.5, 1.75, or 2.0. In additional embodiments, the textured striking surface has a mean surface roughness of less than about 4.5 μm, a mean surface feature frequency of at least about 3/mm, and a surface profile kurtosis greater than about 2 as measured in a top-to-bottom direction, a toe-to-heel direction, or along both directions. In some examples, the striking surface is textured along a top-to-bottom direction or a toe-to-heel direction only. In other examples, the striking surface is textured along an axis that is tilted with respect to a toe-to-heel and a top-to-bottom direction.
Methods comprise providing a face plate for a golf club and a cover layer for a front surface of the face plate. A striking surface of the cover layer is patterned so as to provide a roughened or textured striking surface. According to some examples, the roughened striking surface is patterned to include a periodic array of surface features that provide a mean roughness less than about 5 μm and a mean surface feature frequency along at least one axis substantially parallel to the striking surface of at least 2/mm. In other examples, the striking surface of the cover layer is patterned with a mold. In further examples, the striking surface is patterned by pressing a fabric against the cover layer, and subsequently removing the fabric. In a representative example, the cover layer is formed of a thermoplastic and the fabric is applied as the cover layer is formed.
Golf club heads comprise a face plate having a front surface and a control layer situated on the front surface of the face plate, wherein the control layer has a striking surface having a surface roughness configured to provide a ball spin of about 2500 rpm, 3000 rpm, or 3500 rpm under wet conditions. In some examples, the control layer is a polymer layer. In further examples, the control layer is a polymer layer having a thickness of between about 0.3 mm and 0.5 mm, and the surface roughness of the striking surface is substantially periodic along at least one axis that is substantially parallel to the striking surface. In a representative examples, the striking surface of the face plate has a Shore D hardness of at least about 75, 80, or more preferably, at least about 85. The polymer layer can be a thermoset or thermoplastic material. In representative examples, the polymer layer is a SURLYN ionomer or similar material, or a urethane, preferably a non-yellowing urethane.
Described herein are embodiments of a golf club head with less bulk than some conventional high moment of inertia golf club heads but providing increased forgiveness due to a cooperative combination of moments of inertia about respective axes of the golf club head.
According to one embodiment, a golf club head comprises a body and a face. The body can define an interior cavity and comprise a sole positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head, a crown positioned at a top portion, and a skirt positioned around a periphery between the sole and crown. The body can have a forward portion and a rearward portion. The face can be positioned at the forward portion of the body and have an ideal impact location that defines a golf club head origin. The head origin can include an x-axis tangential to the face and generally parallel to the ground when the head is ideally positioned, a y-axis generally perpendicular to the x-axis and generally parallel to the ground when the head is ideally positioned, and a z-axis perpendicular to both the x-axis and y-axis. The golf club head can have a moment of inertia about a golf club head center of gravity z-axis generally parallel to the head origin z-axis greater than approximately 500 kg·mm2. Further, the ratio of a moment of inertia about a golf club head center of gravity x-axis generally parallel to the origin x-axis to the moment of inertia about the golf club head center of gravity z-axis (Ixx/Izz) is greater than approximately 0.6.
In some implementations, the ratio Ixx/Izz is greater than approximately 0.7. In other implementations, the ratio Ixx/Izz is greater than approximately 0.8. The moment of inertia about the golf club head center of gravity x-axis can be between approximately 330 kg·mm2 and approximately 550 kg·mm2.
The features and components of the following figures are illustrated to emphasize the general principles of the present disclosure. Corresponding features and components throughout the figures may be designated by matching reference characters for the sake of consistency and clarity.
Disclosed is a golf club and a golf club head as well as associated methods, systems, devices, and various apparatus. It would be understood by one of skill in the art that the disclosed golf club heads are described in but a few exemplary embodiments among many. No particular terminology or description should be considered limiting on the disclosure or the scope of any claims issuing therefrom.
Low and forward center of gravity in a wood-type golf club head is advantageous for any of a variety of reasons. The combination of high launch and low spin is particularly desirable from wood-type golf club heads. Low and forward center of gravity location in wood-type golf club heads aids in achieving the ideal launch conditions by reducing spin and increasing launch angle. In certain situations, however, low and forward center of gravity can reduce the moment of inertia of a golf club head if a substantial portion of the mass is concentrated in one region of the golf club head. As described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,731,603, filed Sep. 27, 2007, entitled “GOLF CLUB HEAD,” increasing moment of inertia can be beneficial to improve stability of the golf club head for off-center contact. For example, when a substantial portion of the mass of the golf club head is located low and forward, the center of gravity of the golf club head can be moved substantially. However, moment of inertia is a function of mass and the square of the distance from the mass to the axis about which the moment of inertia is measured. As the distance between the mass and the axis of the moment of inertia changes, the moment of inertia of the body changes quadratically. However, as mass becomes concentrated in one location, it is more likely that the center of gravity approaches that localized mass. As such, golf club heads with mass concentrated in one area can have particularly low moments of inertia in some cases.
Particularly low moments of inertia can be detrimental in some cases. Especially with respect to poor strikes and/or off-center strikes, low moment of inertia of the golf club head can lead to twisting of the golf club head. With respect to moment of inertia along an axis passing through the center of gravity, parallel to the ground, and parallel to a line that would be tangent to the face (hereinafter the “center of gravity x-axis”), low moment of inertia can change flight properties for off-center strikes. In the current discussion, when the center of gravity is particularly low and forward in the golf club head, strikes that are substantially above the center of gravity lead to a relatively large moment arm and potential for twisting. If the moment of inertia of the golf club head about the center of gravity x-axis (hereinafter the “Ixx”) is particularly low, high twisting can result in energy being lost in twisting rather than being transferred to the golf ball to create distance. As such, although low and forward center of gravity is beneficial for creating better launch conditions, poor implementation may result in a particularly unforgiving golf club head in certain circumstances.
A low and forward center of gravity location in the golf club head results in favorable flight conditions because the low and forward center of gravity location results in a projection of the center of gravity normal to a tangent face plane (see discussion of tangent face plane and center of gravity projection as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/839,727, entitled “Golf Club,” filed Mar. 15, 2013, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). During impact with the ball, the center of gravity projection determines the vertical gear effect that results in higher or lower spin and launch angle. Although moving the center of gravity low in the golf club head results in a lower center of gravity projection, due to the loft of the golf club head, moving the center of gravity forward also can provide a lower projection of the center of gravity. The combination of low and forward center of gravity is a very efficient way to achieve low center of gravity projection. However, forward center of gravity can cause the IXX to become undesirably low. Mass distributions which achieve low CG projection without detrimental effect on moment of inertia in general—and Ixx, specifically—would be most beneficial to achieve both favorable flight conditions and more forgiveness on off center hits. A parameter that helps describe to the effectiveness of the center of gravity projection is the ratio of CGZ (the vertical distance of the center of gravity as measured from the center face along the z-axis) to CGY (the distance of the center of gravity as measured rearward from the center face along the y-axis). As the CGZ/CGY ratio becomes more negative, the center of gravity projection would typically become lower, resulting in improved flight conditions.
As such, the current disclosure aims to provide a golf club head having the benefits of a large negative number for CGZ/CGY (indicating a low CG projection) without substantially reducing the forgiveness of the golf club head for off-center—particularly, above-center—strikes (indicating a higher Ixx). To achieve the desired results, weight may be distributed in the golf club head in a way that promotes the best arrangement of mass to achieve increased Ixx, but the mass is placed to promote a substantially large negative number for CGZ/CGY.
For general reference, a golf club head 100 is seen with reference to
A three dimensional reference coordinate system 200 is shown. An origin 205 of the coordinate system 200 is located at the geometric center of the face (CF) of the golf club head 100. See U.S.G.A. “Procedure for Measuring the Flexibility of a Golf Clubhead,” Revision 2.0, Mar. 25, 2005, for the methodology to measure the geometric center of the striking face of a golf club. The coordinate system 200 includes a z-axis 206, a y-axis 207, and an x-axis 208 (shown in
As seen with reference to
Referring back to
For the sake of the disclosure, portions and references disclosed above will remain consistent through the various embodiments of the disclosure unless modified. One of skill in the art would understand that references pertaining to one embodiment may be included with the various other embodiments.
One embodiment of a golf club head 1000 of the current disclosure is included and described in
In the view of
With specific reference to
As seen with specific reference to
Each mass box 1030, 1040 represents a defined zone of mass allocation for analysis and comparison of the golf club head 1000 and the various golf club heads of the current. In the current embodiment, each mass box 1030, 1040 is rectangular in shape, although in various embodiments mass definition zones may be of various shapes.
The forward mass box 1030 has a first dimension 1032 as measured parallel to the z-axis 206 and a second dimension 1034 as measured parallel to the y-axis 207. In the current embodiment, the first dimension 1032 is measured from the GP. In the current embodiment, the first dimension 1032 measures a distance of the mass box 1030 from a first side 1036 to a third side 1038 and the second dimension 1034 measures a distance of the mass box 1030 from a second side 1037 to a fourth side 1039. The forward mass box 1030 includes the first side 1036 being coincident with the GP. The second side 1037 is parallel to the z-axis 206 and is tangent to the leading edge 170 such that the forward mass box 1030 encompasses a region that is defined as the lowest and most forward portions of the golf club head 1000. The forward mass box 1030 includes a geometric center point 1033. One of skill in the art would understand that the geometric center point 1033 of the forward mass box 1030 is a point located one-half the first dimension 1032 from the first side 1036 and the third side 1038 and one-half the second dimension 1034 from the second side 1037 and the fourth side 1039. In the current embodiment, the first dimension 1032 is about 20 mm and the second dimension 1034 is about 35 mm. In various embodiments, it may be of value to characterize the mass distribution in various golf club heads in terms of different geometric shapes or different sized zones of mass allocation, and one of skill in the art would understand that the mass boxes 1030, 1040 of the current disclosure should not be considered limiting on the scope of this disclosure or any claims issuing therefrom.
The rearward mass box 1040 has a first dimension 1042 as measured parallel to the z-axis 206 and a second dimension 1044 as measured parallel to the y-axis 207. In the current embodiment, the first dimension 1042 is measured from the GP. In the current embodiment, the first dimension 1042 measures a distance of the mass box 1040 from a first side 1046 to a third side 1048 and the second dimension 1044 measures a distance of the mass box 1040 from a second side 1047 to a fourth side 1049. The rearward mass box 1040 includes the first side 1046 being coincident with the GP. The fourth side 1049 is parallel to the z-axis 206 and is tangent to the trailing edge 180 such that the rearward mass box 1040 encompasses a region that is defined as the lowest and most rearward portions of the golf club head 1000. The rearward mass box 1040 includes a geometric center point 1043. One of skill in the art would understand that the geometric center point 1043 of the rearward mass box 1040 is a point located one-half the first dimension 1042 from the first side 1046 and the third side 1048 and one-half the second dimension 1044 from the second side 1047 and the fourth side 1049. In the current embodiment, the first dimension 1042 is about 30 mm and the second dimension 1044 is about 35 mm. In various embodiments, it may be of value to characterize the mass distribution in various golf club heads in terms of different geometric shapes or different sized zones of mass allocation, and one of skill in the art would understand that the mass boxes 1030, 1040 of the current disclosure should not be considered limiting on the scope of this disclosure or any claims issuing therefrom.
The mass boxes 1030, 1040 illustrate an area of the golf club head 1000 inside which mass is measured to provide a representation of the effectiveness of mass distribution in the golf club head 1000. The forward mass box 1030 is projected through the golf club head 1000 in direction parallel to x-axis 208 (shown in
In the current embodiment, the forward mass box 1030 encompasses 55.2 grams and the rearward mass box 1040 encompasses 30.1 grams, although varying embodiments may include various mass elements. Additional mass of the golf club head 1000 is 125.2 grams outside of the mass boxes 1030, 1040.
A center of gravity (CG) of the golf club head 1000 is seen as annotated in the golf club head 1000. The overall club head CG includes all components of the club head as shown, including any weights or attachments mounted or otherwise connected or attached to the club body. The CG is located a distance 1051 from the ground plane as measured parallel to the z-axis 206. The distance 1051 is also termed ΔZ in various embodiments and may be referred to as such throughout the current disclosure. The CG is located a distance 1052 from the origin 205 as measured parallel to the z-axis 206. The distance 1052 is also termed CGZ in various embodiments and may be referred to as such throughout the current disclosure. CGZ is measured with positive upwards and negative downwards, with the origin 205 defining the point of 0.0 mm. In the current embodiment, the CGZ location is −8.8 mm, which means that the CG is located 8.8 mm below center face as measured perpendicularly to the ground plane. The CG is located a distance 1053 from the origin 205 as measured parallel to the y-axis 207. The distance 1053 is also termed CGY in various embodiments and may be referred to as such throughout the current disclosure. In the current embodiment, the distance 1051 is 24.2 mm, the distance 1052 is −8.8 mm, and the distance 1053 is 33.3 mm.
A first vector distance 1057 defines a distance as measured in the y-z plane from the geometric center point 1033 of the forward mass box 1030 to the CG. In the current embodiment, the first vector distance 1057 is about 24.5 mm. A second vector distance 1058 defines a distance as measured in the y-z plane from the CG to the geometric center point 1043 of the rearward mass box 1040. In the current embodiment, the second vector distance 1058 is about 56.2 mm. A third vector distance 1059 defines a distance as measured in the y-z plane from the geometric center point 1033 of the forward mass box 1030 to the geometric center point 1043 of the rearward mass box 1040. In the current embodiment, the third vector distance 1059 is about 76.3 mm.
As can be seen, the locations of the CG, the geometric center point 1033, and the geometric center point 1043 form a vector triangle 1050 describing the relationships of the various features. The vector triangle 1050 is for reference and does not appear as a physical feature of the golf club head 1000. As will be discussed in more detail later in this disclosure, the vector triangle 1050 may be utilized to determine the effectiveness of a particular design in improving performance characteristics of the of the golf club heads of the current disclosure. The vector triangle 1050 includes a first leg 1087 corresponding to the distance 1057, a second leg 1088 corresponding to the distance 1058, and a third leg 1089 corresponding to the third distance 1059.
A tangent face plane TFP can be seen in the view of
A CG projection line 1062 shows the projection of the CG onto the TFP at a CG projection point 1064. CG projection point 1064 describes the location of the CG as projected onto the TFP at a 90° angle. As such, the CG projection point 1064 allows for description of the CG in relation to the center face (CF) point at the origin 205. The CG projection point 1064 of the current embodiment is offset from the CF 205. The offset of the CG projection point 1064 from the CF 205 may be measured along the TFP in various embodiments or parallel to the z-axis in various embodiments. In the current embodiment, the offset distance of the CG projection point 1064 from the CF 205 is about −2.3 mm, meaning that the CG projects about 2.3 mm below center face.
In various embodiments, the dimensions and locations of features disclosed herein may be used to define various ratios, areas, and dimensional relationships—along with, inter alia, various other dimensions of the golf club head 1000—to help define the effectiveness of weight distribution at achieving goals of the design.
The CG defines the origin of a CG coordinate system including a CG z-axis 806, a CG y-axis 807, and a CG x-axis 808 (shown in
As described elsewhere in this disclosure, particularly low MOI can lead to instability for off-center hits. However, MOI is typically proportioned to particular mass using the length and the magnitude of the mass. One example appears in the equation below:
I∝m×L2
where I is the moment of inertia, m is the mass, and L is the distance from the axis of rotation to the mass (with a indicating proportionality). As such, distance from the axis of rotation to the mass is of greater importance than magnitude of mass because the moment of inertia varies with the square of the distance and only linearly with respect to the magnitude of mass.
In the current embodiment of the golf club head 1000, the inclusion of multiple mass elements—including mass element 1010 and sole feature 1020—allows mass to be located distal to the center of gravity. As a result, the moment of inertia of the golf club head 1000 is higher than some comparable clubs having similar CG locations. Ixx in the current embodiment is about 283 kg·mm2. Izz in the current embodiment is about 380 kg-mm2.
In golf club heads of many prior designs, the main mechanism for increasing MOI was to move a substantial proportion of the golf club head mass as far toward the trailing edge 180 as possible. Although such designs typically achieved high MOI, the projection of the CG onto the TFP was particularly high, reducing performance of the golf club head by negating the benefits of low CG. In one embodiment the golf club head has an Ixx between about 70 kg*mm2 and about 400 kg*mm2, and between about 200 kg*mm2 and about 300 kg*mm2 in another embodiment, and between about 200 kg*mm2 and about 500 kg*mm2 in a further embodiment. Further, in one embodiment the golf club head has an Izz between about 200 kg*mm2 and about 600 kg*mm2, and between about 400 kg*mm2 and about 500 kg*mm2 in another embodiment, and between about 350 kg*mm2 and about 600 kg*mm2 in a further embodiment. Still further, in one embodiment the golf club head has an Iyy between about 200 kg*mm2 and about 400 kg*mm2, and between about 250 kg*mm2 and about 350 kg*mm2. In another embodiment the golf club head has a mass of about 200 g to about 210 g, or about 190 g to about 200 g in another embodiment, and less than about 205 g in a further embodiment. One particular embodiment has an Izz between about 500 kg*mm2 and about 550 kg*mm2, and/or an Iyy between about 320 kg*mm2 and about 370 kg*mm2, and/or an Ixx between about 310 kg*mm2 and about 360 kg*mm2. A further embodiment narrows these ranges to an Izz between about 510 kg*mm2 and about 540 kg*mm2, and/or an Iyy between about 330 kg*mm2 and about 360 kg*mm2, and/or an Ixx between about 320 kg*mm2 and about 350 kg*mm2, while yet another embodiment has an Izz between about 520 kg*mm2 and about 530 kg*mm2, and/or an Iyy between about 340 kg*mm2 and about 350 kg*mm2, and/or an Ixx between about 330 kg*mm2 and about 340 kg*mm2. In one embodiment the CGz distance is −3 mm to −8 mm, and −4 mm to −7 mm in another embodiment, and −5 mm to −6 mm in still a further embodiment. Similarly, in one embodiment the CGy distance is 30 mm to 37 mm, and 31 mm to 36 mm in another embodiment, and 32 mm to 34 mm in still a further embodiment. Likewise, in one embodiment the CGx distance is 3 mm to 9 mm, and 4 mm to 8 mm in another embodiment, and 5 mm to 7 mm in still a further embodiment.
Magnitudes of the mass boxes 1030, 1040 provides some description of the effectiveness of increasing moment of inertia in the golf club head 1000. The vector triangle 1050 provides a description of the effectiveness of increasing MOI while maintaining a low CG in the golf club head 1000. Additionally, the golf club head 1000 can be characterized using ratios of the masses within the mass boxes 1030, 1040 (55.2 g and 30.1 g, respectively) as compared to the mass of the golf club head 1000 outside of the mass boxes (125.2 g). As previously described, low CG provides benefits of a low CG projection onto the TFP. As such, to increase MOI without suffering negative effects of low MOI, multiple masses located low in the golf club head 1000 can produce high stability while allowing the performance gains of a low CG.
One method to quantify the effectiveness of increasing MOI while lowering CG location in the golf club head 1000 is to determine an area of the vector triangle 1050. Area of the vector triangle 1050 is found using the following equation:
A=√{square root over (s(s−a)(s−b)(s−c))}
where
Utilizing the area calculation, A of the vector triangle 1050 is about 456 mm2.
One method to quantify the effectiveness of increasing the MOI while lowering CG location in the golf club head 1000 is to provide ratios of the various legs 1087, 1088, 1089 of the vector triangle 1050. In various embodiments, a vector ratio is determined as a ratio of the sum of the distances of the first leg 1087 and second leg 1088 of the vector triangle 1050 as compared to the third leg 1089 of the vector triangle 1050. With reference to the vector triangle 1050, the legs are of the first distance 1057, the second distance 1058, and the third distance 1059, as previously noted. As oriented, the first leg 1087 and the second leg 1088 are both oriented above the third leg 1089. In most embodiments, one leg of the vector triangle 1050 will be larger than the other two legs. In most embodiments, the largest leg of the vector triangle 1050 will be the third leg 1089. In most embodiments, the vector ratio is determined by taking a ratio of the sum of the two minor legs as compared to the major leg. In some embodiments, it is possible that the third leg 1089 is smaller than one of the other two legs, although such embodiments would be rare for driver-type golf club heads. The vector ratio can be found using the formula below:
where VR is the vector ratio, a is the first distance 1057 as characterizing the first leg 1087, b is the second distance 1058 as characterizing the second leg 1088, and c is the third distance 1059 as characterizing the third leg 1089. In all embodiments, the vector ratio should be at least 1, as mathematical solutions of less than 1 would not indicate that a triangle had been formed. In the current embodiment, the vector ratio is about (24.5+56.2)/76.3=1.0577.
In various embodiments, the largest leg may not be the third leg. In such embodiments, the third distance 1059 should still be utilized as element c in the equation above to maintain the relation of the vector ratio to a low CG and high MOI. In various embodiments, vector triangles may be equilateral (all legs equidistant) or isosceles (two legs equidistant). In the case of an equilateral triangle, the vector ratio will be 2.0000.
In various embodiments, the effectiveness of CG location may be characterized in terms of CGZ and in terms of the relation of CGZ to CGY. In various embodiments, the effectiveness of CG location may be characterized in terms of ΔZ and in relation to CGZ. In various embodiments, CGZ may be combined with MOI to characterize performance. In various embodiments, CGZ and CGY may be combined with MOI to characterize performance. Various relationships disclosed herein may be described in greater detail with reference to additional figures of the current disclosure, but one of skill in the art would understand that no particular representation should be considered limiting on the scope of the disclosure.
In various embodiments, the moment of inertia contribution of mass located inside the mass boxes can be somewhat quantified as described herein. To characterize the contribution to moment of inertia of the mass of the golf club head located within the mass box, a MOI effectiveness summation (hereinafter MOIeff) is calculated utilizing the mass within each of the mass boxes 1030, 1040 and the length between the CG and each geometric center 1033, 1043 using the equation below:
MOIeff=m1L12+m2L22
where mn is the mass within a particular mass box n (such as mass boxes 1030, 1040) and L n is the distance between the CG and the mass box n (distances 1057, 1058, respectively). In the current embodiment, MOIeff=(55.2 grams)×(24.5 mm)2+(30.1 grams)×(56.2 mm)2≈128,200 g·mm2=128.2 kg·mm2. Although this is not an exact number for the moment of inertia provided by the mass inside the mass boxes, it does provide a basis for comparison of how the mass in the region of the mass boxes affects MOI in the golf club head such as golf club head 1000.
In various embodiments, an MOI effectiveness summation ratio (RMOI) may be useful as the ratio of MOIeff to the overall club head MOI in the y-z plane (Ixx). In the current embodiment, the RMOI=MOIeff/Ixx=128.2 kg·mm2/283 kg·mm2≈0.453. As can be seen, the golf club head 1000 and other golf club heads of the current disclosure include adjustable loft sleeves, including loft sleeve 1072. Adjustable loft technology is described in greater detail with reference to U.S. Pat. No. 7,887,431, entitled “GOLF CLUB,” filed Dec. 30, 2008, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, and in additional applications claiming priority to such application. However, in various embodiments, adjustable loft need not be required for the functioning of the current disclosure.
In addition to the features described herein, the embodiment of
As seen with reference to
As seen with specific reference to
The sole feature 1020 of the current embodiment is shown to have a width 1022 as measured in a direction parallel to the x-axis 208 of about 36.6 mm. The sole feature 1020 has a length 1024 of about 74.5 mm as measured parallel to the y-axis 207 from a faceward most point 1026 of the sole feature 1020 to a trailing edge point 1028 coincident with the trailing edge 180. Although the sole feature 1020 has some contour and variation along the length 1024, the sole feature 1020 remains about constant width 1022. In the current embodiment, the trailing edge point 1028 is proximate the center of the sole feature 1020 as measured along a direction parallel to the x-axis 208. A first center point 1029 of the sole feature 1020 is located proximate the faceward most point 1026 and identifies an approximate center of the sole feature 1020 at its facewardmost portion. In the current embodiment, the first center point 1029 is located within the mass element 1010, although the first center point 1029 is a feature of the sole feature 1020. A sole feature flow direction 1025 is shown by connecting the first center point 1029 with the trailing edge point 1028. The sole feature flow direction 1025 describes how the sole feature 1020 extends as it continues along the sole 130 of the golf club head 1000. In the current embodiment, the sole feature flow direction 1025 is arranged at an angle 1031 with respect to the y-axis 207 of about 11°. In the current embodiment, the angle 1031 is chosen with arrangement of the angle of approach of the golf club head 1000 during the golf swing to minimize potential air flow drag from interaction of the sole feature 1020 with the air flow around the golf club head 1000.
The view of
Another embodiment of a golf club head 2000 is seen with reference to
As seen with reference to
In the current embodiment, the forward mass box 1030 encompasses 46.8 grams and the rearward mass box 1040 encompasses 48.9 grams, although varying embodiments may include various mass elements. Additional mass of the golf club head 2000 is 114.2 grams outside of the mass boxes 1030, 1040.
A CG of the golf club head 2000 is seen as annotated in the golf club head 2000. The overall club head CG includes all components of the club head as shown, including any weights or attachments mounted or otherwise connected or attached to the club body. The CG is located a distance 2051 from the ground plane as measured parallel to the z-axis 206. The distance 2051 is also termed ΔZ in various embodiments and may be referred to as such throughout the current disclosure. The CG is located a distance 2052 (CGZ) from the origin 205 as measured parallel to the z-axis 206. In the current embodiment, the CGZ location is −7.6, which means that the CG is located 7.6 mm below center face as measured perpendicularly to the ground plane. The CG is located a distance 2053 (CGY) from the origin 205 as measured parallel to the y-axis 207. In the current embodiment, the distance 2051 is 24.6 mm, the distance 2052 is −7.6 mm, and the distance 2053 is 41.9 mm.
A first vector distance 2057 defines a distance as measured in the y-z plane from the geometric center point 1033 of the forward mass box 1030 to the CG. In the current embodiment, the first vector distance 2057 is about 31.6 mm. A second vector distance 2058 defines a distance as measured in the y-z plane from the CG to the geometric center point 1043 of the rearward mass box 1040. In the current embodiment, the second vector distance 2058 is about 63.0 mm. A third vector distance 2059 defines a distance as measured in the y-z plane from the geometric center point 1033 of the forward mass box 1030 to the geometric center point 1043 of the rearward mass box 1040. In the current embodiment, the third vector distance 2059 is about 90.4 mm.
As can be seen, the locations of the CG, the geometric center point 1033, and the geometric center point 1043 form a vector triangle 2050 describing the relationships of the various features. The vector triangle 2050 is for reference and does not appear as a physical feature of the golf club head 2000. The vector triangle 2050 includes a first leg 2087 corresponding to the distance 2057, a second leg 2088 corresponding to the distance 2058, and a third leg 2089 corresponding to the third distance 2059. For calculation of area A and vector ratio VR, distance 2057 is used for a, distance 2058 is used for b, and distance 2059 is used for c in the calculations described above. A of the vector triangle 2050 is 590.75 mm2. VR of the vector triangle 2050 is 1.0465.
A CG projection line 2062 shows the projection of the CG onto the TFP at a CG projection point 2064. The CG projection point 2064 allows for description of the CG in relation to the center face (CF) point at the origin 205. The CG projection point 2064 of the current embodiment is offset from the CF 205. In the current embodiment, the offset distance of the CG projection point 2064 from the CF 205 is about 0.2 mm, meaning that the CG projects about 0.2 mm above center face.
In the current embodiment, MOIeff=(46.8 grams)×(31.6 mm)2+(48.9 grams)×(63.0 mm)2≈240,800 g·mm2=240.8 kg·mm2. Although this is not an exact number for the moment of inertia provided by the mass inside the mass boxes, it does provide a basis for comparison of how the mass in the region of the mass boxes affects MOI in the golf club head such as golf club head 2000. In the current embodiment, the RMOI=MOIeff/Ixx=240.8 kg·mm2/412 kg·mm2≈0.585.
The golf club head 2000—as seen with reference to
As seen with specific reference to
The second mass element 2020 of the current embodiment is also generally circular with truncated sides. The second mass element 2020 has a center point 2024 and a diameter 2023 in the circular portion of the second mass element 2020 of about 25 mm. The center point 2024 of the second mass element 2020 is located a distance 2036 from the y-axis 207 as measured in a direction parallel to the x-axis 208 (seen in
The sole feature 2030 houses the second mass element 2020 and has a length 2024 as measured parallel to the y-axis 207 from a faceward most point 2026 of the sole feature 2030 to a trailing edge point 2028 coincident with the trailing edge 180. In the current embodiment, the length 2024 is about 85.6 mm.
Although the sole feature 2030 has some variation along the length 2024, the sole feature 2030 remains about constant width 2022 of about 31.8 mm. In the current embodiment, the trailing edge point 2028 is proximate the center of the sole feature 2030 as measured along a direction parallel to the x-axis 208. A first center point 2039 of the sole feature 2030 is located proximate the faceward most point 2026 and identifies an approximate center of the sole feature 2030 at its facewardmost portion. In the current embodiment, the first center point 2039 is located outside of the mass element 2010, in contrast with the golf club head 1000. A sole feature flow direction 2041 is shown by connecting the first center point 2039 with the trailing edge point 2028. The sole feature flow direction 2041 describes how the sole feature 2030 extends as it continues along the sole 130 of the golf club head 2000. In the current embodiment, the sole feature flow direction 2041 is arranged at an angle 2031 with respect to the y-axis 207 of about 9°. In the current embodiment, the angle 2031 is chosen with arrangement of the angle of approach of the golf club head 2000 during the golf swing to minimize potential air flow drag from interaction of the sole feature 2030 with the air flow around the golf club head 2000.
The view of
Another embodiment of a golf club head 3000 is seen with reference to
As seen with specific reference to
As seen with reference to
In the current embodiment, the forward mass box 1030 encompasses 48.9 grams and the rearward mass box 1040 encompasses 74.0 grams, although varying embodiments may include various mass elements. Additional mass of the golf club head 3000 is 87.9 grams outside of the mass boxes 1030, 1040.
A CG of the golf club head 3000 is seen as annotated in the golf club head 3000. The overall club head CG includes all components of the club head as shown, including any weights or attachments mounted or otherwise connected or attached to the club body. The CG is located a distance 3051 from the ground plane as measured parallel to the z-axis 206. The distance 3051 is also termed ΔZ in various embodiments and may be referred to as such throughout the current disclosure. The CG is located a distance 3052 (CGZ) from the origin 205 as measured parallel to the z-axis 206. In the current embodiment, the CGZ location is −3.3, which means that the CG is located 3.3 mm below center face as measured perpendicularly to the ground plane. The CG is located a distance 3053 (CGY) from the origin 205 as measured parallel to the y-axis 207. In the current embodiment, the distance 3051 is 18.7 mm, the distance 3052 is −13.3 (CGZ) mm, and the distance 3053 is 52.8 mm.
A first vector distance 3057 defines a distance as measured in the y-z plane from the geometric center point 1033 of the forward mass box 1030 to the CG. In the current embodiment, the first vector distance 3057 is about 39.7 mm. A second vector distance 3058 defines a distance as measured in the y-z plane from the CG to the geometric center point 1043 of the rearward mass box 1040. In the current embodiment, the second vector distance 3058 is about 51.0 mm. A third vector distance 3059 defines a distance as measured in the y-z plane from the geometric center point 1033 of the forward mass box 1030 to the geometric center point 1043 of the rearward mass box 1040. In the current embodiment, the third vector distance 3059 is about 89.6 mm.
As can be seen, the locations of the CG, the geometric center point 1033, and the geometric center point 1043 form a vector triangle 3050 describing the relationships of the various features. The vector triangle 3050 is for reference and does not appear as a physical feature of the golf club head 3000. The vector triangle 3050 includes a first leg 3087 corresponding to the distance 3057, a second leg 3088 corresponding to the distance 3058, and a third leg 3089 corresponding to the third distance 3059. For calculation of area A and vector ratio VR, distance 3057 is used for a, distance 3058 is used for b, and distance 3059 is used for c in the calculations described above. A of the vector triangle 3050 is 312.94 mm2. VR of the vector triangle 3050 is 1.0123.
A CG projection line 3062 shows the projection of the CG onto the TFP at a CG projection point 3064. The CG projection point 3064 allows for description of the CG in relation to the center face (CF) point at the origin 205. The CG projection point 3064 of the current embodiment is offset from the CF 205. In the current embodiment, the offset distance of the CG projection point 3064 from the CF 205 is about −3.3 mm, meaning that the CG projects about 3.3 mm below center face.
In the current embodiment, MOIeff=(48.9 grams)×(39.7 mm)2+(74.0 grams)×(51.0 mm)2≈269,500 g·mm2=269.5 kg·mm2. Although this is not an exact number for the moment of inertia provided by the mass inside the mass boxes, it does provide a basis for comparison of how the mass in the region of the mass boxes affects MOI in the golf club head such as golf club head 3000. In the current embodiment, the RMOI=MOIeff/Ixx=269.5 kg·mm2/507 kg·mm2≈0.532.
The golf club head 3000—as seen with reference to
As seen with specific reference to
The mass element 3020 of the current embodiment is generally circular with a truncated side. The mass element 3020 has a center point 3024 and a diameter 3023 in the circular portion of the mass element 3020 of about 25 mm. The center point 3024 of the current embodiment is located at a halfway point of the diameter 3023 which is not the same as the geometric center of the mass element 3020 because of the truncated side. In various embodiments, the geometric center of the mass element 3020 may be coincident with the center point 3024. The center point 3024 of the mass element 3020 is located a distance 3036 from the y-axis 207 as measured in a direction parallel to the x-axis 208 (seen in
The view of
For comparison,
The golf club head 4000 includes a mass element 4020 that is external in the current embodiment. The golf club head 4000 also includes a mass element (not shown) located in a toe portion 185 of the golf club head 4000. The mass element 4020 is 1.3 grams and the mass element in the toe portion 185 is about 10 grams.
The golf club head 4000 is characterized using the same mass boxes 1030, 1040 defined according to the same procedure as used with respect to golf club head 1000. In the current embodiment, the mass boxes 1030, 1040 remain of the same dimensions themselves but are separated by variations in distances from those of golf club heads 1000, 2000, 3000.
In the current embodiment, the forward mass box 1030 encompasses 36.5 grams and the rearward mass box 1040 encompasses 13.2 grams. Additional mass of the golf club head 4000 is 157.7 grams outside of the mass boxes 1030, 1040.
A CG of the golf club head 4000 is seen as annotated in the golf club head 4000. The overall club head CG includes all components of the club head as shown, including any weights or attachments mounted or otherwise connected or attached to the club body. The CG is located a distance 4051 from the ground plane as measured parallel to the z-axis 206. The distance 4051 is also termed ΔZ in various embodiments and may be referred to as such throughout the current disclosure. The CG is located a distance 4052 (CGZ) from the origin 205 as measured parallel to the z-axis 206. In the current embodiment, the CGZ location is −1.9 mm, which means that the CG is located 1.9 mm below center face as measured perpendicularly to the ground plane. The CG is located a distance 4053 (CGY) from the origin 205 as measured parallel to the y-axis 207. In the current embodiment, the distance 4051 is 29.7 mm, the distance 4052 is −1.9 mm, and the distance 4053 is 31.6 mm.
A first vector distance 4057 defines a distance as measured in the y-z plane from the geometric center point 1033 of the forward mass box 1030 to the CG. In the current embodiment, the first vector distance 4057 is about 26.1 mm. A second vector distance 4058 defines a distance as measured in the y-z plane from the CG to the geometric center point 1043 of the rearward mass box 1040. In the current embodiment, the second vector distance 4058 is about 65.5 mm. A third vector distance 4059 defines a distance as measured in the y-z plane from the geometric center point 1033 of the forward mass box 1030 to the geometric center point 1043 of the rearward mass box 1040. In the current embodiment, the third vector distance 4059 is about 81.2 mm. The effective face height 163 (not shown) of golf club head 4000 is about 54.0 mm. A distance from the leading edge 170 to the center face 205 as measured in the direction of the y-axis 207 is 3.0 mm.
As can be seen, the locations of the CG, the geometric center point 1033, and the geometric center point 1043 form a vector triangle 4050 describing the relationships of the various features. The vector triangle 4050 is for reference and does not appear as a physical feature of the golf club head 4000. The vector triangle 4050 includes a first leg 4087 corresponding to the distance 4057, a second leg 4088 corresponding to the distance 4058, and a third leg 4089 corresponding to the third distance 4059. For calculation of area A and vector ratio VR, distance 4057 is used for a, distance 4058 is used for b, and distance 4059 is used for c in the calculations described above. A of the vector triangle 4050 is 752.47 mm2. VR of the vector triangle 4050 is 1.1281.
A CG projection line 4062 shows the projection of the CG onto the TFP at a CG projection point 4064. The CG projection point 4064 allows for description of the CG in relation to the center face (CF) point at the origin 205. The CG projection point 4064 of the current embodiment is offset from the CF 205. In the current embodiment, the offset distance of the CG projection point 4064 from the CF 205 is about 4.4 mm, meaning that the CG projects about 4.4 mm above center face.
For comparison, for golf club head 4000, MOIeff=(36.5 grams)×(26.1 mm) 2+(13.2 grams)×(65.5 mm)2≈81,500 g·mm2=81.5 kg·mm2. Although this is not an exact number for the moment of inertia provided by the mass inside the mass boxes, it does provide a basis for comparison of how the mass in the region of the mass boxes affects MOI in the golf club head such as golf club head 4000. In the current embodiment, the RMOI=MOIeff/Ixx=81.5 kg·mm2/249 kg·mm2≈0.327.
For the graphs of
Points 1-1, 1-2, and 1-3 characterize variations of Embodiment 1. Specifically, points 1-1, 1-2 and 1-3 represent three variations of Embodiment 1 with mass in a low front portion of the club head, whereas the specific embodiment 1000 has mass in a low rear portion of the club head. The CG z value for each variation differs because the club head mass for each variation differs, whereas the MOI value for each variation is approximately the same because the shape of the head is approximately the same.
As can be seen, data points of the current disclosure have a combination of CGZ, CGY, and MOI that is not found in other data points. With specific reference to
As illustrated by
However, it is important to note that, with the multiple mass embodiments, higher MOI can be achieved with a lower CGZ/CGY ratio. Stated differently, although single mass efforts may be capable of producing the same CGZ/CGY ratio, the MOI for the golf club head with a single mass would be lower than the MOI for the golf club head with multiple masses. Stated differently yet again, for the same MOI, the multiple-mass embodiments of the golf club head would be able to achieve a lower CGZ/CGY ratio. Effectively, the result is that CG projection can be moved lower in the golf club head while maintaining relatively high MOI. The effectiveness of this difference will be determined by the specific geometry of each golf club head and the masses utilized.
Knowing CGY allows the use of a CG effectiveness product to describe the location of the CG in relation to the golf club head space. The CG effectiveness product is a measure of the effectiveness of locating the CG low and forward in the golf club head. The CG effectiveness product (CGeff) is calculated with the following formula and, in the current disclosure, is measured in units of the square of distance (mm2):
CGeff=CGY×Δz
With this formula, the smaller the CGeff, the more effective the club head is at relocating mass low and forward. This measurement adequately describes the location of the CG within the golf club head without projecting the CG onto the face. As such, it allows for the comparison of golf club heads that may have different lofts, different face heights, and different locations of the CF. For golf club head 1000, CGY is 33.3 mm and Δz is 24.2 mm. As such, the CGeff of golf club head 1000 is about 806 mm2. For golf club head 2000, CGY is 41.9 mm and Δz is 24.6 mm. As such, the CGeff of golf club head 2000 is about 1031 mm2. For golf club head 3000, CGY is about 52.8 and Δz is 18.7 mm. As such, the CGeff of golf club head 3000 is about 987 mm2. For comparison, golf club head 4000, CGY is 31.6 mm and Δz is 29.7 mm. As such CGeff is about 938.52 mm2.
As described briefly above, loft adjustable loft technology is described in greater detail with reference to U.S. Pat. No. 7,887,431, entitled “GOLF CLUB,” filed Dec. 30, 2008, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. An illustration of loft sleeve 1072 is seen with reference to
The technology shown in
In various embodiments, the golf club heads 1000, 2000, 3000 may include composite face plates, composite face plates with titanium covers, or titanium faces as desired as described with reference to U.S. Pat. No. 7,874,936, entitled “COMPOSITE ARTICLES AND METHODS FOR MAKING THE SAME,” filed Dec. 19, 2007. In various embodiments, other materials may be used and would be understood by one of skill in the art to be included within the general scope of the disclosure.
One exemplary composite face plate is included and described with reference to
As used herein, the term “composite” or “composite materials” means a fiber-reinforced polymeric material.
Now with reference to
In a club-head according to one embodiment, at least a portion of the face plate 5012 is made of a composite including multiple plies or layers of a fibrous material (e.g., graphite, or carbon, fiber) embedded in a cured resin (e.g., epoxy). For example, the face plate 5012 can comprise a composite component (e.g., component 40 shown in
An exemplary thickness range of the composite portion of the face plate is 7.0 mm or less. The composite desirably is configured to have a relatively consistent distribution of reinforcement fibers across a cross-section of its thickness to facilitate efficient distribution of impact forces and overall durability. In addition, the thickness of the face plate 5012 can be varied in certain areas to achieve different performance characteristics and/or improve the durability of the club-head. The face plate 5012 can be formed with any of various cross-sectional profiles, depending on the club-head's desired durability and overall performance, by selectively placing multiple strips of composite material in a predetermined manner in a composite lay-up to form a desired profile.
Attaching the face plate 5012 to the support 5018 of the club-head body 5014 may be achieved using an appropriate adhesive (typically an epoxy adhesive or a film adhesive). To prevent peel and delamination failure at the junction of an all-composite face plate with the body of the club-head, the composite face plate can be recessed from or can be substantially flush with the plane of the forward surface of the metal body at the junction. Desirably, the face plate is sufficiently recessed so that the ends of the reinforcing fibers in the composite component are not exposed.
The composite portion of the face plate is made as a lay-up of multiple prepreg plies. For the plies the fiber reinforcement and resin are selected in view of the club-head's desired durability and overall performance. In order to vary the thickness of the lay-up, some of the prepreg plies comprise elongated strips of prepreg material arranged in one or more sets of strips. The strips in each set are arranged in a cross-cross, overlapping pattern so as to add thickness to the composite lay-up in the region where the strips overlap each other, as further described in greater detail below. The strips desirably extend continuously across the finished composite part; that is, the ends of the strips are at the peripheral edge of the finished composite part. In this manner, the longitudinally extending reinforcing fibers of the strips also can extend continuously across the finished composite part such that the ends of the fibers are at the periphery of the part. Consequently, during the curing process, defects can be shifted toward a peripheral sacrificial portion of the composite lay-up, which sacrificial portion subsequently can be removed to provide a finished part with little or no defects. Moreover, the durability of the finished part is increased because the free ends of the fibers are at the periphery of the finished part, away from the impact zone.
In tests involving certain club-head configurations, composite portions formed of prepreg plies having a relatively low fiber areal weight (FAW) have been found to provide superior attributes in several areas, such as impact resistance, durability, and overall club performance. (FAW is the weight of the fiber portion of a given quantity of prepreg, in units of g/m2.) FAW values below 100 g/m2, and more desirably below 70 g/m2, can be particularly effective. A particularly suitable fibrous material for use in making prepreg plies is carbon fiber, as noted. More than one fibrous material can be used. In other embodiments, however, prepreg plies having FAW values above 100 g/m2 may be used.
In particular embodiments, multiple low-FAW prepreg plies can be stacked and still have a relatively uniform distribution of fiber across the thickness of the stacked plies. In contrast, at comparable resin-content (R/C, in units of percent) levels, stacked plies of prepreg materials having a higher FAW tend to have more significant resin-rich regions, particularly at the interfaces of adjacent plies, than stacked plies of low-FAW materials. Resin-rich regions tend to reduce the efficacy of the fiber reinforcement, particularly since the force resulting from golf-ball impact is generally transverse to the orientation of the fibers of the fiber reinforcement.
In certain embodiments, the composite component 5040 is fabricated by first forming an oversized lay-up of multiple prepreg plies, and then machining a sacrificial portion from the cured lay-up to form the finished part 5040.
As shown in
In particular embodiments, the number of panels 5052a-5052k can range from 9 to 14 (with eleven panels 5052a-5052k being used in the illustrated embodiment) and the number of clusters 5054a-5054g can range from 1 to 12 (with seven clusters 5054a-5054g being used in the illustrated embodiment). However, in alternative embodiments, the number of panels and clusters can be varied depending on the desired profile and thickness of the part.
The prepreg plies used to form the panels 5052a-5052k and the clusters 5054a-5054g desirably comprise carbon fibers impregnated with a suitable resin, such as epoxy. An example carbon fiber is “34-700” carbon fiber (available from Grafil, Sacramento, Calif.), having a tensile modulus of 234 Gpa (34 Msi) and a tensile strength of 4500 Mpa (650 Ksi). Another Grafil fiber that can be used is “TR5OS” carbon fiber, which has a tensile modulus of 240 Gpa (35 Msi) and a tensile strength of 4900 Mpa (710 ksi). Suitable epoxy resins are types “301” and “350” (available from Newport Adhesives and Composites, Irvine, Calif.). An exemplary resin content (R/C) is 40%.
The lay-up illustrated in
The strips 5056a-5056g in the illustrated embodiment are of equal length and are arranged such that the geometric center point 5062 of the cluster corresponds to the center of each strip. The first three strips 5056a-5056c in this example have a width w1 that is greater than the width w2 of the last four strips 5056d-5056g. The strips define an angle α between the “horizontal” edges of the second strip 5056b and the adjacent edges of strips 5056a and 5056c, an angle 11 between the edges of strip 5056b and the closest edges of strips 5056d and 5056g, and an angle θ between the edges of strip 5056b and the closest edges of strips 5056e and 5056f. In a working embodiment, the width w1 is about 20 mm, the width w2 is about 15 mm, the angle α is about 24 degrees, the angle μ is about 54 degrees, and the angle θ is about 78 degrees.
Referring again to
When stacked in the lay-up, the overlapping regions 5060 of the clusters are aligned in the direction of the thickness of the lay-up to increase the thickness of the central region 5046 of the part 5040 (
To form the lay-up, according to one specific approach, formation of the panels 5052a-5052k may be done first by stacking individual precut, prepreg plies 5058a-5058d of each panel. After the panels are formed, the lay-up is built up by laying the second panel 5052b on top of the first panel 5052a, and then forming the first cluster 5054a on top of the second panel 5052b by laying individual strips 5056a-5056g in the prescribed manner. The remaining panels 5052c-5052k and clusters 5054b-5054g are then added to the lay-up in the sequence shown in
The fully-formed lay-up can then be subjected to a “debulking” or compaction step (e.g., using a vacuum table) to remove and/or reduce air trapped between plies. The lay-up can then be cured in a mold that is shaped to provide the desired bulge and roll of the face plate. An exemplary curing process is described in detail below. Alternatively, any desired bulge and roll of the face plate may be formed during one or more debulking or compaction steps performed prior to curing. To form the bulge or roll, the debulking step can be performed against a die panel having the final desired bulge and roll. In either case, following curing, the cured lay-up is removed from the mold and machined to form the part 5040.
The following aspects desirably are controlled to provide composite components that are capable of withstanding impacts and fatigue loadings normally encountered by a club-head, especially by the face plate of the club-head. These three aspects are: (a) adequate resin content; (b) fiber straightness; and (c) very low porosity in the finished composite. These aspects can be controlled by controlling the flow of resin during curing, particularly in a manner that minimizes entrapment of air in and between the prepreg layers. Air entrapment is difficult to avoid during laying up of prepreg layers. However, air entrapment can be substantially minimized by, according to various embodiments disclosed herein, imparting a slow, steady flow of resin for a defined length of time during the laying-up to purge away at least most of the air that otherwise would become occluded in the lay-up. The resin flow should be sufficiently slow and steady to retain an adequate amount of resin in each layer for adequate inter-layer bonding while preserving the respective orientations of the fibers (at different respective angles) in the layers. Slow and steady resin flow also allows the fibers in each ply to remain straight at their respective orientations, thereby preventing the “wavy fiber” phenomenon. Generally, a wavy fiber has an orientation that varies significantly from its naturally projected direction.
As noted above, the prepreg strips 5056 desirably are of sufficient length such that the fibers in the strips extend continuously across the part 5040; that is, the ends of each fiber are located at respective locations on the outer peripheral edge 5049 of the part 5040 (
In working examples, parts have been made without any voids, or entrapped air, and with a single void in one of the prepreg plies of the lay-up (either a strip or a panel-size ply). Parts in which there is a single void having its largest dimension equal to the thickness of a ply (about 0.1 mm) have a void content, or porosity, of about 1.7×10−6 percent or less by volume.
As the tool temperature increases from Ti to T5, the viscosity of the resin first decreases to a minimum, at time t1, before the viscosity rises again due to cross-linking of the resin (
Curing continues after time t2 and follows a schedule of relatively constant temperature Ts and constant pressure P2. Note that resin viscosity exhibits some continued increase (typically to approximately 90% of maximum) during this phase of curing. This curing (also called “pre-cure”) ends at time t3 at which the component is deemed to have sufficient rigidity (approximately 90% of maximum) and strength for handling and removal from the tool, although the resin may not yet have reached a “full-cure” state (at which the resin exhibits maximum viscosity). A post-processing step typically follows, in which the components reach a “full cure” in a batch heating mode or other suitable manner.
Thus, important parameters of this specific process are: (a) Ts, the tool-set temperature (or typical resin-cure temperature), established according to manufacturer's instructions; (b) Ti, the initial tool temperature, usually set at approximately 50% of Ts (in ° F. or ° C.) to allow an adequate time span (t2) between Ti and Ts and to provide manufacturing efficiency; (c) P1, the initial pressure that is generally slightly higher than atmospheric pressure and sufficient to hold the component geometry but not sufficient to “squeeze” resin out, in the range of 20-50 psig for example; (d) P2, the ultimate pressure that is sufficiently high to ensure dimensional accuracy of components, in the range of 200-300 psig for example; (e) t1, which is the time at which the resin exhibits a minimal viscosity, a function of resin properties and usually determined by experiment, for most resins generally in the range of 5-10 minutes after first forming the lay-up; (f) t2, the time of maximum pressure, also a time delay from t1, where resin viscosity increases from minimum to approximately 80% of a maximum viscosity (i.e., viscosity of fully cured resin), appears to be related to the moment when the tool reaches Ts; and (g) t3, the time at the end of the pre-cure cycle, at which the components have reached handling strength and resin viscosity is approximately 90% of its maximum.
Many variations of this process also can be designed and may work equally as well. Specifically, all seven parameters mentioned above can be expressed in terms of ranges instead of specific quantities. In this sense, the processing parameters can be expressed as follows (see
After reaching full-cure, the components are subjected to manufacturing techniques (machining, forming, etc.) that achieve the specified final dimensions, size, contours, etc., of the components for use as face plates on club-heads. Conventional CNC trimming can be used to remove the sacrificial portion of the fully-cured lay-up (e.g., the portion surrounding line 5064 in
In certain embodiments, the sacrificial portion of the fully-cured lay-up is removed by water-jet cutting. In water-jet cutting, the cutting force is applied in a direction perpendicular to the prepreg plies (in a direction normal to the front and rear surfaces of the lay-up), which minimizes the occurrence of cracking and fiber pull out. Consequently, water-jet cutting can be used to increase the overall durability of the part.
The potential mass “savings” obtained from fabricating at least a portion of the face plate of composite, as described above, is about 10-30 g, or more, relative to a 2.7-mm thick face plate formed from a titanium alloy such as Ti-6Al-4V, for example. In a specific example, a mass savings of about 15 g relative to a 2.7-mm thick face plate formed from a titanium alloy such as Ti-6Al-4V can be realized. As mentioned above, this mass can be allocated to other areas of the club, as desired.
The embodiments described thus far provide a face plate having a projection or cone at the sweet spot. However, various other cross-sectional profiles can be achieved by selective placement of prepreg strips in the lay-up.
Each cluster 5114a-5114c in this embodiment comprises four criss-cross strips 5116 arranged in a specific shape. In the illustrated embodiment, the strips of the first cluster 5114a are arranged to form a parallelogram centered on the center of the panel 5112a. The strips of the second cluster 5114b also are arranged to form a parallelogram centered on the center of the panel 5112b and rotated 90 degrees with respect to the first cluster 5114a. The strips of the third cluster 5114c are arranged to form a rectangle centered on the center of panel 5112c. When stacked in the lay-up, as best shown in
It can be appreciated that the number of strips in each cluster can vary and still form the same profile. For example, in the another embodiment, clusters 5114a-5114c can be stacked immediately adjacent each other between adjacent panels 5112 (i.e., effectively forming one cluster of twelve strips 5116).
The lay-up 5110 may be cured and shaped to remove the sacrificial portion of the lay-up (the portion surrounding the line 5118 in
As mentioned above, any of various cross-sectional profiles can be achieved by arranging strips of prepreg material in a predetermined manner. Examples of other face plate profiles that can be formed by the techniques described herein are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,800,038, 6,824,475, 6,904,663, and 7,066,832, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
As mentioned above, the face plate 5012 (
The metal cap 5130 desirably is bonded to the composite plate 5040 using a suitable adhesive 5136, such as an epoxy, polyurethane, or film adhesive. The adhesive 5136 is applied so as to fill the gap completely between the cap 5130 and the composite plate 5040 (this gap usually in the range of about 0.05-0.2 mm, and desirably is approximately 0.1 mm). The face plate 5012 desirably is bonded to the body 5014 using a suitable adhesive 5138, such as an epoxy adhesive, which completely fills the gap between the rim 5132 and the adjacent peripheral surface 5140 of the face support 5018 and the gap between the rear surface of the composite plate 5040 and the adjacent peripheral surface 5142 of the face support 5018.
A particularly desirable metal for the cap 5130 is titanium alloy, such as the particular alloy used for fabricating the body (e.g., Ti-6Al-4V). For a cap 5130 made of titanium alloy, the thickness of the titanium desirably is less than about 1 mm, and more desirably less than about 0.3 mm. The candidate titanium alloys are not limited to Ti-6Al-4V, and the base metal of the alloy is not limited to Ti. Other materials or Ti alloys can be employed as desired. Examples include commercially pure (CP) grade Ti, aluminum and aluminum alloys, magnesium and magnesium alloys, and steel alloys.
Surface roughness can be imparted to the composite plate 5040 (notably to any surface thereof that will be adhesively bonded to the body of the club-head and/or to the metal cap 5130). In a first approach, a layer of textured film is placed on the composite plate 5040 before curing the film (e.g., “top” and/or “bottom” layers discussed above). An example of such a textured film is ordinary nylon fabric. Conditions under which the adhesives 5136, 5138 are cured normally do not degrade nylon fabric, so the nylon fabric is easily used for imprinting the surface topography of the nylon fabric to the surface of the composite plate. By imparting such surface roughness, adhesion of urethane or epoxy adhesive, such as 3M® DP 460, to the surface of the composite plate so treated is improved compared to adhesion to a metallic surface, such as cast titanium alloy.
In a second approach, texture can be incorporated into the surface of the tool used for forming the composite plate 5040, thereby allowing the textured area to be controlled precisely and automatically. For example, in an embodiment having a composite plate joined to a cast body, texture can be located on surfaces where shear and peel are dominant modes of failure.
The composite face plate as described above need not be coextensive (dimensions, area, and shape) with a typical face plate on a conventional club-head. Alternatively, a subject composite face plate can be a portion of a full-sized face plate, such as the area of the “sweet spot.” Both such composite face plates are generally termed “face plates” herein. Further, the composite plate 5040 itself (without additional layers of material bonded or formed on the composite plate) can be used as the face plate 5012.
In this example, a number of composite strike plates were formed using the strip approach described above in connection with
In this example, a number of composite strike plates were formed using the strip approach described above in connection with
The methods described above provide improved structural integrity of the face plates and other club-head components manufactured according to the methods, compared to composite component manufactured by prior-art methods. These methods can be used to fabricate face plates for any of various types of clubs, such as (but not limited to) irons, wedges, putter, fairway woods, etc., with little to no process-parameter changes.
The subject methods are especially advantageous for manufacturing face plates because face plates are the most severely loaded components in golf club-heads. If desired, conventional (and generally less expensive) composite-processing techniques (e.g., bladder-molding, etc.) can be used to make other parts of a club-head not subject to such severe loads.
Moreover, the methods for fabricating composite parts described herein can be used to make various other types of composite parts, and in particular, parts that are subject to high impact loads and/or repetitive loads. Some examples of such parts include, without limitation, a hockey stick (e.g., the blade of a stick), a bicycle frame, a baseball bat, and a tennis racket, to name a few.
As shown in
The metallic cover 5160 is generally made of a titanium alloy or other metal such as those mentioned above, and has a bulge/roll center 5166 for bulge and roll curvatures that are provided to control club performance. Centers of curvature for bulge/roll curvatures are typically situated on an axis that is perpendicular to the striking surface 5161 at the bulge/roll center 5166. In this example, innermost edges of the scorelines 5164a-5164j are situated along a circumference of a circle having a diameter of about 40-50 mm that is centered at the bulge/roll center 5166. As shown in the sectional view of
The striking region 5162 can be roughened by sandblasting, bead blasting, sanding, or other abrasive process or by a machining or other process. The scorelines 5164a-5164j are situated outside of the intended striking region 5162 and are generally provided for visual alignment and do not typically contribute to ball trajectory. A cross-section of a representative scoreline 5164a is shown in
In other examples, a cover can be between about 0.10 mm and 1.0 mm thick, between about 0.2 mm and 0.8 mm thick, or between about 0.3 mm and 0.5 mm thick. Indentation depths between about 0.02 mm and 0.12 mm or about 0.06 mm and 0.10 mm are generally preferred for scoreline definition. Impact resistant cover plates with scorelines generally have scoreline depths D and cover plate thicknesses T such that a ratio D/T is less than about 0.4, 0.3, 0.25, or 0.20. A ratio WB/T is typically between about 0.5 and 1.5, 0.75 and 1.25, or 0.9 and 1.1. A ratio WG/T is typically between about 1 and 5, 2 and 4, or 2.5 and 3.5. A ratio of transition region radii of curvature R to cover thickness T is typically between about 0.5 and 1.5, 0.67 and 1.33, or 0.75 and 1.33. While it is convenient to provide scorelines based on common indentation depths, scorelines on a single cover can be based on indentations of one or more depths.
For wood-type golf clubs, an impact area is based on areas associated with inserts used in traditional wood golf clubs. For irons, an impact area is a portion of the striking surface within 20 mm on either side of a vertical centerline, but does not include 6.35 mm wide strips at the top and bottom of the striking surface. For wood-type golf clubs, scorelines are generally provided in a cover so as to be situated exterior to an impact region. The disclosed covers with scorelines are sufficiently robust for placement within or without an impact region for either wood or iron type golf clubs.
A cover is generally formed from a sheet of cover stock that is processed so as to have a bulge/roll region that includes the necessary arrangement of scoreline dents. The formed cover stock is then trimmed to fit an intended face plate, and attached to the face plate with an adhesive. Typically a glue layer is situated between the cover and the face plate, and the cover and face plate are urged together so as to form an adhesive layer of a suitable thickness. For typical adhesives, layer thicknesses between about 0.05 mm and 0.10 mm are preferred. Once a suitable layer thickness is achieved, the adhesive can be cured or allowed to set. In some cases, the cover includes a cover lip or rim as well so as to cover a face plate perimeter. The scoreline indentations are generally filled with paint of a color that contrasts with the remainder of the striking surface.
Although the scorelines are provided to realize a particular appearance in a finished product, the indentations used to define the scorelines also serve to control adhesive thickness. As a cover plate and a face plate are urged together in a gluing operation, the rear surface protrusions associated with the indentations tend to approach the face plate and thus regulate an adhesive layer thickness. Accordingly, indentation depth can be selected not only to retain paint or other pigment on a striking face, but can also based on a preferred adhesive layer thickness. In some examples, protruding features of indentations in a cover plate are situated at distances of less than about 0.10 mm, 0.05 mm, 0.03 mm, and 0.01 mm from a face plate surface as an adhesive layer thickness is established.
In other examples, the indent-based scorelines shown in
In alternative embodiments, a cover includes a plurality of slots situated around a striking region. A suitably colored adhesive can be used to secure the cover layer to a face plate so that the adhesive fills the slots or is visible through the slots so to provide visible orientation guides on the striking plate surface.
Polymer or other surface coatings or surface layers can be provided to composite or other face plates to provide performance similar to that of conventional irons and metal type woods. Such surface layers, methods of forming such layers, and characterization parameters for such layers are described below.
Surface Texture and Roughness
Surface textures or roughness can be conveniently characterized based a surface profile, i.e., a surface height as a function of position on the surface. A surface profile is typically obtained by interrogating a sample surface with a stylus that is translated across the surface. Deviations of the stylus as a function of position are recorded to produce the surface profile. In other examples, a surface profile can be obtained based on other contact or non-contact measurements such as with optical measurements. Surface profiles obtained in this way are often referred to as “raw” profiles. Alternatively, surface profiles for a golf club striking surface can be functionally assessed based on shot characteristics produced when struck with surfaces under wet conditions.
For convenience, a control layer is defined as a striking face cover layer configured so that shots are consistent under wet and dry playing conditions. Generally, satisfactory roughened or textured striking surfaces (or other control surfaces) provide ball spins of at least about 2000 rpm, 2500 rpm, 3000 rpm, or 3500 rpm under wet conditions when struck with club head speeds of between about 75 mph and 120 mph. Such control surfaces thus provide shot characteristics that are substantially the same as those obtained with conventional metal woods. Stylus or other measurement based surface roughness characterizations for such control surfaces are described in detail below.
A surface profile is generally processed to remove gradual deviations of the surface from flatness. For example, a wood-type golf club striking face generally has slight curvatures from toe-to-heel and crown-to-sole to improve ball trajectory, and a “raw” surface profile of a striking surface or a cover layer on the striking surface can be processed to remove contributions associated with these curvatures. Other slow (i.e., low spatial frequency) contributions can also be removed by such processing. Typically features of size of about 1 mm or greater (or spatial frequencies less than about 1/mm) can be removed by processing as the contributions of these features to ball spin about a horizontal or other axis tend to be relatively small. A raw (unprocessed) profile can be spatially filtered to enhance or suppress high or low spatial frequencies. Such filtering can be required in some measurements to conform to various standards such as DIN or other standards. This filtering can be performed using processors configured to execute a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT).
Generally, a patterned roughness or texture is applied to a substantial portion of a striking surface or at least to an impact area. For wood-type golf clubs, an impact area is based on areas associated with inserts used in traditional wood golf clubs. For irons, an impact area is a portion of the striking surface within 20 mm on either side of a vertical centerline, but does not include 6.35 mm wide strips at the top and bottom of the striking surface. Generally, such patterned roughness need not extend across the entire striking surface and can be provided only in a central region that does not extend to a striking surface perimeter. Typically for hollow metal woods, at least some portions of the striking surface at the striking surface perimeter lack pattern roughness in order to provide an area suitable for attachment of the striking plate to the head body.
Striking surface roughness can be characterized based on a variety of parameters. A surface profile is obtained over a sampling length of the striking surface and surface curvatures removed as noted above. An arithmetic mean Ra is defined a mean value of absolute values of profile deviations from a mean line over a sampling length of the surface. For a surface profile over the sampling length that includes N surface samples each of which is associated with a mean value of deviations Yi, from the mean line, the arithmetic mean Ra is:
wherein i is an integer i=1, . . . , N. The sampling length generally extends along a line on the striking surface over a substantial portion or all of the striking area, but smaller samples can be used, especially for a patterned roughness that has substantially constant properties over various sample lengths. Two-dimensional surface profiles can be similarly used, but one dimensional profiles are generally satisfactory and convenient. For convenience, this arithmetic mean is referred to herein as a mean surface roughness.
A surface profile can also be further characterized based on a reciprocal of a mean width Sm of the profile elements. This parameter is used and described in one or more standards set forth by, for example, the German Institute for Standardization (DIN) or the International Standards Organization (ISO). In order to establish a value for Sm, an upper count level (an upward surface deviation associated with a peak) and a lower count level (a downward surface deviation associated with a valley) are defined. Typically, the upper count level and the lower count level are defined as values that are 5% greater than the mean line and 5% less than the mean line, but other count levels can be used. A portion of a surface profile projecting upward over the upper count level is called a profile peak, and a portion projecting downward below the given lower count level is called a profile valley. A width of a profile element is a length of the segment intersecting with a profile peak and the adjacent profile valley. Sm is a mean of profile element widths Smi within a sampling length:
For convenience, this mean is referred to herein as a mean surface feature width.
In determining Sm, the following conditions are generally satisfied: 1) Peaks and valleys appear alternately; 2) An intersection of the profile with the mean line immediately before a profile element is the start point of a current profile element and is the end point of a previous profile element; and 3) At the start point of the sampling length, if either of the profile peak or profile valley is missing, the profile element width is not taken into account. Rpc is defined as a reciprocal of the mean width Sm and is referred to herein as mean surface feature frequency.
Another surface profile characteristic is a surface profile kurtosis Ku that is associated with an extent to which profile samples are concentrated near the mean line. As used herein, a the profile kurtosis Ku is defined as:
wherein Rq a square root of the arithmetic mean of the squares of the profile deviations from the mean line, i.e.,
Profile kurtosis is associated with an extent to which surface features are pointed or sharp. For example, a triangular wave shaped surface profile has a kurtosis of about 0.79, a sinusoidal surface profile has a kurtosis of about 1.5, and a square wave surface profile has a kurtosis of about 1.
Other parameters that can be used to characterize surface roughness include Rz which is based on a sum of a mean of a selected number of heights of the highest peaks and a mean of a corresponding number of depths of the lowest valleys.
One or more values or ranges of values can be specified for surface kurtosis Ku, mean surface feature width Sm, and arithmetic mean deviation Ra (mean surface roughness) for a particular golf club striking surface. Superior results are generally obtained with Ra≤5 μm, Rpc≥30/cm, and Ku≥2.0.
For convenient illustration, representative examples of striking plates and cover layers for such striking plates are set forth below with reference to wood-type golf clubs. In other examples, such striking plates can be used in iron-type golf clubs. In some examples, face plate cover layers are formed on a surface of a face plate in a molding process, but in other examples surface layers are provided as caps that are formed and then secured to a face plate.
As illustrated in
Referencing
A club head origin coordinate system can also be used. Referencing
The head origin coordinate system, with head origin 5260, includes three axes: a z-axis 5265 extending through the head origin 5260 in a generally vertical direction relative to the ground 5100 when the club head 5205 is at address position; an x-axis 5270 extending through the head origin 5060 in a heel-to-toe direction generally parallel to the striking face 5240 and generally perpendicular to the z-axis 5265; and a y-axis 5275 extending through the head origin 5260 in a front-to-back direction and generally perpendicular to the x-axis 5270 and the z-axis 5265. The x-axis 5270 and the y-axis 5275 both extend in a generally horizontal direction relative to the ground 5299 when the club head 5205 is at address position. The x-axis 5270 extends in a positive direction from the origin 5260 to the toe 5250 of the club head 5205; the y-axis 5275 extends in a positive direction from the origin 5260 towards the rear portion 5255 of the club head 5205; and the z-axis 5265 extends in a positive direction from the origin 5260 towards the crown 5215.
In a club-head according to one embodiment, a striking plate includes a face plate and a cover layer. In addition, in some examples, at least a portion of the face plate is made of a composite including multiple plies or layers of a fibrous material (e.g., graphite, or carbon, fiber) embedded in a cured resin (e.g., epoxy). Examples of suitable polymers that can be used to form the cover layer include, without limitation, urethane, nylon, SURLYN ionomers, or other thermoset, thermoplastic, or other materials. The cover layer defines a striking surface that is generally a patterned, roughened, and/or textured surface as described in detail below. Striking plates based on composites typically permit a mass reduction of between about 5 g and 20 g in comparison with metal striking plates so that this mass can be redistributed.
In the example shown in
As shown in
Club face hardness or striking face hardness is generally measured based on a force required to produce a predetermined penetration of a probe of a standard size and/or shape in a selected time into a striking face of the club, or a penetration depth associated with a predetermined force applied to the probe. Based on such measurements, an effective Shore D hardness can be estimated. For the club faces described herein, the Shore D hardness scale is convenient, and effective Shore D hardnesses of between about 75 and 90 are generally obtained. In general, measured Shore D values decrease for longer probe exposures. Club face hardnesses as described herein are generally based on probe penetrations sufficient to produce an effective hardness estimate (an effective Shore D value) that can be associated with shot characteristics substantially similar to conventional wood or metal wood type golf clubs. The effective hardness generally depends on faceplate and polymer layer thicknesses and hardnesses.
As shown in
Cover layers such as the cover layer 5330 can be formed and secured to a face plate using various methods. In one example, a striking surface of a cover layer is patterned with a mold. A selected roughness pattern is etched, machined, or otherwise transferred to a mold surface. The mold surface is then used to shape the striking surface of the cover layer for subsequent attachment to a composite face plate or other face plate. Such cover layers can be bonded with an adhesive to the face plate. Alternatively, the mold can be used to form the cover layer directly on the composite part. For example, a layer of a thermoplastic material (or pellets or other portions of such a material) can be situated on an external surface of a face plate, and the mold pressed against the thermoplastic material and the face plate at suitable temperatures and pressures so as to impress the roughness pattern on a thermoplastic layer, thereby forming a cover layer with a patterned surface. In another example, a thermoset material can be deposited on the external surface of the cover plate, and the mold pressed against the thermoset material and the face plate to provide a suitable cover layer thickness. The face plate, the thermoset material, and the mold are then raised to a suitable temperature so as to cure or otherwise fix the shape and thickness of the cover layer. These methods are examples only, and other methods can be used as may be convenient for various cover materials.
In another method, a layer of a so-called “peel ply” fabric is bonded to an exterior surface of a composite face plate (preferably as the face plate is fabricated) or to a striking surface on a polymer cover layer. In some examples, a thermoset material is used for the cover layer, while in other examples thermoplastic materials are used. With either type of material, the peel ply fabric is removably bonded to the cover layer (or to the face plate). The peel ply fabric is removed from the cover layer, leaving a textured or roughened striking surface. A striking surface texture can be selected based upon peel ply fabric texture, fabric orientation, and fiber size so as to achieve surface characteristics comparable to conventional metal woods and irons.
A representative peel ply based process is illustrated in
Representative surface profiles of peel ply based striking surfaces are shown in
An example striking plate 5810 based on a machined or other mold is shown in
The following table summarize surface roughness parameters associated with the scans of
A striking surface of a cover layer can be provided with a variety of other roughness patterns some examples of which are illustrated in
While the pattern features 5412 may have substantially constant cross-sectional dimensions in one or more planes perpendicular the xz-plane (i.e. vertical cross-sections), these vertical cross-sections can vary along a y-axis 5424 or as a function of an angle of a cross-sectional plane with respect to the x-axis, the y-axis, or the z-axis. For example, columnar protrusions can have bases that taper outwardly, inwardly, or a combination thereof along the y-axis 5424, and can be tilted with respect to the y-axis 5424.
In an example shown in
In other examples, pattern features can be periodic, aperiodic, or partially periodic, or randomly situated. Spatial frequencies associated with pattern features can vary, and pattern feature size and orientation can vary as well. In some examples, a roughened surface is defined as series of features that are randomly situated and sized.
Similar striking plates can be provided for iron-type golf clubs. While striking plates for wood-type golf clubs generally have top-to-bottom and toe-to-heel curvatures (commonly referred to as bulge and roll), striking plates for irons are typically flat. Composite-based striking plates for iron-type clubs typically include a polymer cover layer selected to protect the underlying composite face plate. In some examples, similar striking surface textures to those described above can be provided. In addition, one or more conventional grooves are generally provided on the striking surface. Such striking plates can be secured to iron-type golf club bodies with various adhesives or otherwise secured.
Representative polymer materials suitable for face plate covers or caps are described herein.
The term “bimodal polymer” as used herein refers to a polymer comprising two main fractions and more specifically to the form of the polymer's molecular weight distribution curve, i.e., the appearance of the graph of the polymer weight fraction as a function of its molecular weight. When the molecular weight distribution curves from these fractions are superimposed onto the molecular weight distribution curve for the total resulting polymer product, that curve will show two maxima or at least be distinctly broadened in comparison with the curves for the individual fractions. Such a polymer product is called bimodal. The chemical compositions of the two fractions may be different.
The term “chain extender” as used herein is a compound added to either a polyurethane or polyurea prepolymer, (or the prepolymer starting materials), which undergoes additional reaction but at a level sufficiently low to maintain the thermoplastic properties of the final composition
The term “conjugated” as used herein refers to an organic compound containing two or more sites of unsaturation (e.g., carbon-carbon double bonds, carbon-carbon triple bonds, and sites of unsaturation comprising atoms other than carbon, such as nitrogen) separated by a single bond.
The term “curing agent” or “curing system” as used interchangeably herein is a compound added to either polyurethane or polyurea prepolymer, (or the prepolymer starting materials), which imparts additional crosslinking to the final composition to render it a thermoset.
The term “(meth)acrylate” is intended to mean an ester of methacrylic acid and/or acrylic acid.
The term “(meth)acrylic acid copolymers” is intended to mean copolymers of methacrylic acid and/or acrylic acid.
The term “polyurea” as used herein refers to materials prepared by reaction of a diisocyanate with a polyamine.
The term “polyurethane” as used herein refers to materials prepared by reaction of a diisocyanate with a polyol.
The term “prepolymer” as used herein refers to any material that can be further processed to form a final polymer material of a manufactured golf ball, such as, by way of example and not limitation, a polymerized or partially polymerized material that can undergo additional processing, such as crosslinking.
The term “thermoplastic” as used herein is defined as a material that is capable of softening or melting when heated and of hardening again when cooled. Thermoplastic polymer chains often are not cross-linked or are lightly crosslinked using a chain extender, but the term “thermoplastic” as used herein may refer to materials that initially act as thermoplastics, such as during an initial extrusion process or injection molding process, but which also may be crosslinked, such as during a compression molding step to form a final structure.
The term “thermoplastic polyurea” as used herein refers to a material prepared by reaction of a prepared by reaction of a diisocyanate with a polyamine, with optionally addition of a chain extender.
The “thermoplastic polyurethane” as used herein refers to a material prepared by reaction of a diisocyanate with a polyol, with optionally addition of a chain extender.
The term “thermoset” as used herein is defined as a material that crosslinks or cures via interaction with as crosslinking or curing agent. The crosslinking may be brought about by energy in the form of heat (generally above 200 degrees Celsius), through a chemical reaction (by reaction with a curing agent), or by irradiation. The resulting composition remains rigid when set, and does not soften with heating. Thermosets have this property because the long-chain polymer molecules cross-link with each other to give a rigid structure. A thermoset material cannot be melted and re-molded after it is cured thus thermosets do not lend themselves to recycling unlike thermoplastics, which can be melted and re-molded.
The term “thermoset polyurethane” as used herein refers to a material prepared by reaction of a diisocyanate with a polyol, and a curing agent.
The term “thermoset polyurea” as used herein refers to a material prepared by reaction of a diisocyanate with a polyamine, and a curing agent.
The term “urethane prepolymer” as used herein is the reaction product of diisocyante and a polyol.
The term “urea prepolymer” as used herein is the reaction product of a diisocyanate and a polyamine.
The term “unimodal polymer” refers to a polymer comprising one main fraction and more specifically to the form of the polymer's molecular weight distribution curve, i.e., the molecular weight distribution curve for the total polymer product shows only a single maximum.
Polymeric materials generally considered useful for making the golf club face cap according to the present invention include both synthetic or natural polymers or blend thereof including without limitation, synthetic and natural rubbers, thermoset polymers such as other thermoset polyurethanes or thermoset polyureas, as well as thermoplastic polymers including thermoplastic elastomers such as metallocene catalyzed polymer, unimodal ethylene/carboxylic acid copolymers, unimodal ethylene/carboxylic acid/carboxylate terpolymers, bimodal ethylene/carboxylic acid copolymers, bimodal ethylene/carboxylic acid/carboxylate terpolymers, unimodal ionomers, bimodal ionomers, modified unimodal ionomers, modified bimodal ionomers, thermoplastic polyurethanes, thermoplastic polyureas, polyamides, copolyamides, polyesters, copolyesters, polycarbonates, polyolefins, halogenated (e.g. chlorinated) polyolefins, halogenated polyalkylene compounds, such as halogenated polyethylene [e.g. chlorinated polyethylene (CPE)], polyalkenamer, polyphenylene oxides, polyphenylene sulfides, diallyl phthalate polymers, polyimides, polyvinyl chlorides, polyamide-ionomers, polyurethane-ionomers, polyvinyl alcohols, polyarylates, polyacrylates, polyphenylene ethers, impact-modified polyphenylene ethers, polystyrenes, high impact polystyrenes, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymers, styrene-acrylonitriles (SAN), acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylonitriles, styrene-maleic anhydride (S/MA) polymers, styrenic copolymers, functionalized styrenic copolymers, functionalized styrenic terpolymers, styrenic terpolymers, cellulosic polymers, liquid crystal polymers (LCP), ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymers (EPDM), ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers (EVA), ethylene-propylene copolymers, ethylene vinyl acetates, polyureas, and polysiloxanes and any and all combinations thereof.
One preferred family of polymers for making the golf club face cap of the present invention are the thermoplastic or thermoset polyurethanes and polyureas made by combination of a polyisiocyanate and a polyol or polyamine respectively. Any isocyanate available to one of ordinary skill in the art is suitable for use in the present invention including, but not limited to, aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, aromatic aliphatic, aromatic, any derivatives thereof, and combinations of these compounds having two or more isocyanate (NCO) groups per molecule.
Any polyol available to one of ordinary skill in the polyurethane art is suitable for use according to the invention. Polyols suitable for use include, but are not limited to, polyester polyols, polyether polyols, polycarbonate polyols and polydiene polyols such as polybutadiene polyols.
Any polyamine available to one of ordinary skill in the polyurea art is suitable for use according to the invention. Polyamines suitable for use include, but are not limited to, amine-terminated hydrocarbons, amine-terminated polyethers, amine-terminated polyesters, amine-terminated polycaprolactones, amine-terminated polycarbonates, amine-terminated polyamides, and mixtures thereof.
The previously described diisocyante and polyol or polyamine components may be previously combined to form a prepolymer prior to reaction with the chain extender or curing agent. Any such prepolymer combination is suitable for use in the present invention. Commercially available prepolymers include LFH580, LFH120, LFH710, LFH1570, LF930A, LF950A, LF601D, LF751D, LFG963A, LFG640D.
One preferred prepolymer is a toluene diisocyanate prepolymer with polypropylene glycol. Such polypropylene glycol terminated toluene diisocyanate prepolymers are available from Uniroyal Chemical Company of Middlebury, Conn., under the trade name ADIPRENE® LFG963A and LFG640D. Most preferred prepolymers are the polytetramethylene ether glycol terminated toluene diisocyanate prepolymers including those available from Uniroyal Chemical Company of Middlebury, Conn., under the trade name ADIPRENE® LF930A, LF950A, LF601D, and LF751D.
Polyol chain extenders or curing agents may be primary, secondary, or tertiary polyols. Diamines and other suitable polyamines may be added to the compositions of the present invention to function as chain extenders or curing agents. These include primary, secondary and tertiary amines having two or more amines as functional groups.
Depending on their chemical structure, curing agents may be slow- or fast-reacting polyamines or polyols. As described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,793,864, 6,719,646 and copending U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0201133 A1, (the contents of all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference).
Suitable curatives for use in the present invention are selected from the slow-reacting polyamine group include, but are not limited to, 3,5-dimethylthio-2,4-toluenediamine; 3,5-dimethylthio-2,6-toluenediamine; N,N′-dialkyldiamino diphenyl methane; trimethylene-glycol-di-p-aminobenzoate; polytetramethyleneoxide-di-p-aminobenzoate, and mixtures thereof. Of these, 3,5-dimethylthio-2,4-toluenediamine and 3,5-dimethylthio-2,6-toluenediamine are isomers and are sold under the trade name ETHACURE® 300 by Ethyl Corporation. Trimethylene glycol-di-p-aminobenzoate is sold under the trade name POLACURE 740M and polytetramethyleneoxide-di-p-aminobenzoates are sold under the trade name POLAMINES by Polaroid Corporation. N,N′-dialkyldiamino diphenyl methane is sold under the trade name UNILINK® by UOP. Suitable fast-reacting curing agent can be used include diethyl-2,4-toluenediamine, 4,4″-methylenebis-(3-chloro,2,6-diethyl)-aniline (available from Air Products and Chemicals Inc., of Allentown, Pa., under the trade name LONZACURE®), 3,3′-dichlorobenzidene; 3,3′-dichloro-4,4′-diaminodiphenyl methane (MOCA); N,N,N′,N′-tetrakis(2-hydroxypropyl)ethylenediamine and Curalon L, a trade name for a mixture of aromatic diamines sold by Uniroyal, Inc. or any and all combinations thereof. A preferred fast-reacting curing agent is diethyl-2,4-toluene diamine, which has two commercial grades names, Ethacure® 100 and Ethacure® 100LC commercial grade has lower color and less by-product. Blends of fast and slow curing agents are especially preferred. In another preferred embodiment the polyurethane or polyurea is prepared by combining a diisocyanate with either a polyamine or polyol or a mixture thereof and one or more dicyandiamides. In a preferred embodiment the dicyandiamide is combined with a urethane or urea prepolymer to form a reduced-yellowing polymer composition as described in U.S. Patent Application No. 60/852,582 filed on Oct. 17, 2006, the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. Another preferred family of polymers for making the golf club face cap of the present invention are thermoplastic ionomer resins. One family of such resins was developed in the mid-1960's, by E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Co., and sold under the trademark SURLYN®. Preparation of such ionomers is well known, for example see U.S. Pat. No. 3,264,272. Generally speaking, most commercial ionomers are unimodal and consist of a polymer of a mono-olefin, e.g., an alkene, with an unsaturated mono- or dicarboxylic acids having 3 to 12 carbon atoms. An additional monomer in the form of a mono- or dicarboxylic acid ester may also be incorporated in the formulation as a so-called “softening comonomer”. The incorporated carboxylic acid groups are then neutralized by a basic metal ion salt, to form the ionomer. The metal cations of the basic metal ion salt used for neutralization include Li+, Na+, K+, Zn2+, Ca2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Pb2+, and Mg2+, with the Li+, Na+, Ca2+, Zn2+, and Mg2+ being preferred. The basic metal ion salts include those derived by neutralization of for example formic acid, acetic acid, nitric acid, and carbonic acid. The salts may also include hydrogen carbonate salts, metal oxides, metal hydroxides, and metal alkoxides.
Today, there are a wide variety of commercially available ionomer resins based both on copolymers of ethylene and (meth)acrylic acid or terpolymers of ethylene and (meth)acrylic acid and (meth)acrylate, all of which many of which are be used as a golf club component such as a cover layer that provides a striking surface. The properties of these ionomer resins can vary widely due to variations in acid content, softening comonomer content, the degree of neutralization, and the type of metal ion used in the neutralization. The full range commercially available typically includes ionomers of polymers of general formula, E/X/Y polymer, wherein E is ethylene, X is a C3 to C8 α,β ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, such as acrylic or methacrylic acid, and is present in an amount from about 2 to about 30 weight % of the E/X/Y copolymer, and Y is a softening comonomer selected from the group consisting of alkyl acrylate and alkyl methacrylate, such as methyl acrylate or methyl methacrylate, and wherein the alkyl groups have from 1-8 carbon atoms, Y is in the range of 0 to about 50 weight % of the E/X/Y copolymer, and wherein the acid groups present in said ionomeric polymer are partially neutralized with a metal selected from the group consisting of lithium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, barium, lead, tin, zinc or aluminum, and combinations thereof.
The ionomer may also be a so-called bimodal ionomer as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,562,906 (the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference). These ionomers are bimodal as they are prepared from blends comprising polymers of different molecular weights In addition to the unimodal and bimodal ionomers, also included are the so-called “modified ionomers” examples of which are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,100,321, 6,329,458 and 6,616,552 and U.S. Patent Publication U.S. 2003/0158312 A1, the entire contents of all of which are herein incorporated by reference. An example of such a modified ionomer polymer is DuPont® HPF-1000 available from E. I. DuPont de Nemours and Co. Inc.
Also useful for making the golf club face cap of the present invention is a blend of an ionomer and a block copolymer. A preferred block copolymer is SEPTON HG-252. Such blends are described in more detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,861,474 and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0224871 both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
In a further embodiment, the golf club face cap of the present invention can comprise a composition prepared by blending together at least three materials, identified as Components A, B, and C, and melt-processing these components to form in-situ, a polymer blend composition incorporating a pseudo-crosslinked polymer network. Such blends are described in more detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,930,150, to Kim et al., the content of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Component A is a monomer, oligomer, prepolymer or polymer that incorporates at least five percent by weight of at least one type of an acidic functional group. Examples of such polymers suitable for use as include, but are not limited to, ethylene/(meth)acrylic acid copolymers and ethylene/(meth)acrylic acid/alkyl(meth)acrylate terpolymers, or ethylene and/or propylene maleic anhydride copolymers and terpolymers.
As discussed above, Component B can be any monomer, oligomer, or polymer, preferably having a lower weight percentage of anionic functional groups than that present in Component A in the weight ranges discussed above, and most preferably free of such functional groups. Preferred materials for use as Component B include polyester elastomers marketed under the name PEBAX and LOTADER marketed by ATOFINA Chemicals of Philadelphia, Pa.; HYTREL, FUSABOND, and NUCREL marketed by E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. of Wilmington, Del.; SKYPEL and SKYTHANE by S.K. Chemicals of Seoul, South Korea; SEPTON and HYBRAR marketed by Kuraray Company of Kurashiki, Japan; ESTHANE by Noveon; and KRATON marketed by Kraton Polymers. A most preferred material for use as Component B is SEPTON HG-252. Component C is a base capable of neutralizing the acidic functional group of Component A and is a base having a metal cation. These metals are from groups IA, IB, IIA, IIB, IIIA, IIIB, IVA, IVB, VA, VB, VILA, VIIB, VIIB and VIIIB of the periodic table. Examples of these metals include lithium, sodium, magnesium, aluminum, potassium, calcium, manganese, tungsten, titanium, iron, cobalt, nickel, hafnium, copper, zinc, barium, zirconium, and tin. Suitable metal compounds for use as a source of Component C are, for example, metal salts, preferably metal hydroxides, metal oxides, metal carbonates, or metal acetates. The composition preferably is prepared by mixing the above materials into each other thoroughly, either by using a dispersive mixing mechanism, a distributive mixing mechanism, or a combination of these.
In a further embodiment, the golf club face cap of the present invention can comprise a polyamide. Specific examples of suitable polyamides include polyamide 6; polyamide 11; polyamide 12; polyamide 4,6; polyamide 6,6; polyamide 6,9; polyamide 6,10; polyamide 6,12; polyamide MXD6; PA12, CX; PA12, IT; PPA; PA6, IT; and PA6/PPE.
The polyamide may be any homopolyamide or copolyamide. One example of a group of suitable polyamides is thermoplastic polyamide elastomers. Thermoplastic polyamide elastomers typically are copolymers of a polyamide and polyester or polyether. For example, the thermoplastic polyamide elastomer can contain a polyamide (Nylon 6, Nylon 66, Nylon 11, Nylon 12 and the like) as a hard segment and a polyether or polyester as a soft segment. In one specific example, the thermoplastic polyamides are amorphous copolyamides based on polyamide (PA 12). Suitable amide block polyethers include those as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,331,786; 4,115,475; 4,195,015; 4,839,441; 4,864,014; 4,230,848 and 4,332,920.
One type of polyetherester elastomer is the family of Pebax, which are available from Elf-Atochem Company. Preferably, the choice can be made from among Pebax 2533, 3533, 4033, 1205, 7033 and 7233. Blends or combinations of Pebax 2533, 3533, 4033, 1205, 7033 and 7233 can also be prepared, as well. Some examples of suitable polyamides for use include those commercially available under the trade names PEBAX, CRISTAMID and RILSAN marketed by Atofina Chemicals of Philadelphia, Pa., GRIVORY and GRILAMID marketed by EMS Chemie of Sumter, S.C., TROGAMID and VESTAMID available from Degussa, and ZYTEL marketed by E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co., of Wilmington, Del.
The polymeric compositions used to prepare the golf club face cap of the present invention also can incorporate one or more fillers. Such fillers are typically in a finely divided form, for example, in a size generally less than about 20 mesh, preferably less than about 100 mesh U.S. standard size, except for fibers and flock, which are generally elongated. Filler particle size will depend upon desired effect, cost, ease of addition, and dusting considerations. The appropriate amounts of filler required will vary depending on the application but typically can be readily determined without undue experimentation.
The filler preferably is selected from the group consisting of precipitated hydrated silica, limestone, clay, talc, asbestos, barytes, glass fibers, aramid fibers, mica, calcium metasilicate, barium sulfate, zinc sulfide, lithopone, silicates, silicon carbide, diatomaceous earth, carbonates such as calcium or magnesium or barium carbonate, sulfates such as calcium or magnesium or barium sulfate, metals, including tungsten, steel, copper, cobalt or iron, metal alloys, tungsten carbide, metal oxides, metal stearates, and other particulate carbonaceous materials, and any and all combinations thereof. Preferred examples of fillers include metal oxides, such as zinc oxide and magnesium oxide. In another preferred embodiment the filler comprises a continuous or non-continuous fiber. In another preferred embodiment the filler comprises one or more so called nanofillers, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,794,447 and copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/670,090 filed on Sep. 24, 2003 and copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/926,509 filed on Aug. 25, 2004, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Another particularly well-suited additive for use in the compositions of the present invention includes compounds having the general formula:
(R2N)m—R′—(X(O)nORy)m,
wherein R is hydrogen, or a C1-C20 aliphatic, cycloaliphatic or aromatic systems; R′ is a bridging group comprising one or more C1-C20 straight chain or branched aliphatic or alicyclic groups, or substituted straight chain or branched aliphatic or alicyclic groups, or aromatic group, or an oligomer of up to 12 repeating units including, but not limited to, polypeptides derived from an amino acid sequence of up to 12 amino acids; and X is C or S or P with the proviso that when X=C, n=1 and y=1 and when X=S, n=2 and y=1, and when X=P, n=2 and y=2. Also, m=1-3. These materials are more fully described in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/182,170, filed on Jul. 14, 2005, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Most preferably the material is selected from the group consisting of 4,4′-methylene-bis-(cyclohexylamine)-carbamate (commercially available from R.T. Vanderbilt Co., Norwalk Conn. under the tradename Diak® 4), 11-aminoundecanoicacid, 12-aminododecanoic acid, epsilon-caprolactam; omega-caprolactam, and any and all combinations thereof.
If desired, the various polymer compositions used to prepare the golf club face cap of the present invention can additionally contain other conventional additives such as, antioxidants, or any other additives generally employed in plastics formulation. Agents provided to achieve specific functions, such as additives and stabilizers, can be present. Examplary suitable ingredients include plasticizers, pigments colorants, antioxidants, colorants, dispersants, U.V. absorbers, optical brighteners, mold releasing agents, processing aids, fillers, and any and all combinations thereof. UV stabilizers, or photo stabilizers such as substituted hydroxphenyl benzotriazoles may be utilized in the present invention to enhance the UV stability of the final compositions. An example of a commercially available UV stabilizer is the stabilizer sold by Ciba Geigy Corporation under the tradename TINUVIN.
Now with reference to
The crown 6012 is defined as an upper portion of the club head (1) above a peripheral outline 6034 of the club head as viewed from a top-down direction; and (2) rearwards of the topmost portion of a ball striking surface 6022 of the striking face 6018 (see
The sole 6014 is defined as a lower portion of the club head 6002 extending upwards from a lowest point of the club head when the club head is ideally positioned, i.e., at a proper address position relative to a golf ball on a level surface. In some implementations, the sole 6014 extends approximately 50% to 60% of the distance from the lowest point of the club head to the crown 6012, which in some instances, can be approximately 15 mm for a driver and between approximately 10 mm and 12 mm for a fairway wood.
A golf club head, such as the club head 6002, is at its proper address position when angle 6015 (see
The skirt 6016 includes a side portion of the club head 6002 between the crown 6012 and the sole 6014 that extends across a periphery 6034 of the club head, excluding the striking surface 6022, from the toe portion 6028, around the rear portion 6032, to the heel portion 6026.
In the illustrated embodiment, the ideal impact location 6023 of the golf club head 6002 is disposed at the geometric center of the striking surface 6022 (see
In some embodiments, the striking face 6018 is made of a composite material such as described in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2005/0239575 and 2004/0235584, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/642,310, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/877,336, which are incorporated herein by reference. In other embodiments, the striking face 6018 is made from a metal alloy (e.g., titanium, steel, aluminum, and/or magnesium), ceramic material, or a combination of composite, metal alloy, and/or ceramic materials. Further, the striking face 6018 can be a striking plate having a variable thickness such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,997,820, which is incorporated herein by reference.
The crown 6012, sole 6014, and skirt 6016 can be integrally formed using techniques such as molding, cold forming, casting, and/or forging and the striking face 18 can be attached to the crown, sole and skirt by means known in the art. For example, the striking face 6018 can be attached to the body 6010 as described in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2005/0239575 and 2004/0235584. The body 6010 can be made from a metal alloy (e.g., titanium, steel, aluminum, and/or magnesium), composite material, ceramic material, or any combination thereof. The wall 6072 of the golf club head 6002 can be made of a thin-walled construction, such as described in U.S. application Ser. No. 11/067,475, filed Feb. 25, 2005, which is incorporated herein by reference. For example, in some implementations, the wall can have a thickness between approximately 0.65 mm and approximately 0.8 mm. In one specific implementation, the wall 6072 of the crown 6012 and skirt 6016 has a thickness of approximately 0.65 mm, and the wall of the sole 6014 has a thickness of approximately 0.8 mm.
A club head origin coordinate system may be defined such that the location of various features of the club head (including, e.g., a club head center-of-gravity (CG) 6050 (see
Referring to
In one embodiment, the golf club head can have a CG with an x-axis coordinate between approximately −2 mm and approximately 6 mm, a y-axis coordinate between approximately 33 mm and approximately 41 mm, and a z-axis coordinate between approximately −7 mm and approximately 1 mm. Referring to
Referring to
In certain embodiments, the club head 6002 includes a rib 6082 extending along an interior surface of the sole 6014 and skirt 6016 generally parallel to the striking face 6018. In some instances, the rib 6082 provides structural rigidity to the club head 6002 and vibrational dampening. Although club head 6002 includes a single rib 6082, in some implementations, the club head 6002 includes multiple ribs 6082. Further, in some implementations, the rib 6082 extends along only the sole 6014 or includes two spaced-apart portions each extending along the skirt 6016 on separate sides of the club head.
Referring to
A moment of inertia about the golf club head CG x-axis 6090 is calculated by the following equation
Ixx=∫(y2+z2)dm
where y is the distance from a golf club head CG xz-plane to an infinitesimal mass dm and z is the distance from a golf club head CG xy-plane to the infinitesimal mass dm. The golf club head CG xz-plane is a plane defined by the golf club head CG x-axis 6090 and the golf club head CG z-axis 6085. The CG xy-plane is a plane defined by the golf club head CG x-axis 6090 and the golf club head CG y-axis 6095.
A moment of inertia about the golf club head CG z-axis 6085 is calculated by the following equation
Izz=∫(y2+z2)dm
where x is the distance from a golf club head CG yz-plane to an infinitesimal mass dm and y is the distance from the golf club head CG xz-plane to the infinitesimal mass dm. The golf club head CG yz-plane is a plane defined by the golf club head CG y-axis 6095 and the golf club head CG z-axis 6085.
As the moment of inertia about the CG z-axis (Izz) is an indication of the ability of a golf club head to resist twisting about the CG z-axis, the moment of inertia about the CG x-axis (Ixx) is an indication of the ability of the golf club head to resist twisting about the CG x-axis. The higher the moment of inertia about the CG x-axis (Ixx), the greater the forgiveness of the golf club head on high and low off-center impacts with a golf ball. In other words, a golf ball hit by a golf club head on a location of the striking surface 6018 above the ideal impact location 6023 causes the golf club head to twist upwardly and the golf ball to have a higher launch angle and lower spin than desired. Similarly, a golf ball hit by a golf club head on a location of the striking surface 6018 below the ideal impact location 6023 causes the golf club head to twist downwardly and the golf ball to have a lower launch angle and higher spin than desired. Both high and low off-center hits also cause loss of ball speed compared to centered hits. Increasing the moment of inertia about the CG x-axis (Ixx) reduces upward and downward twisting of the golf club head to reduce the negative effects of high and low off-center impacts.
As discussed above, many conventional golf club heads are designed to achieve a moment of inertia about the CG z-axis (Izz) that approaches the maximum moment of inertia allowable by the USGA in order to increase straightness of the shot and reduce ball speed-loss, i.e., forgiveness on heel and toe off-center hits. However, few, if any, conventional golf club heads are designed to achieve a high moment of inertia about the CG x-axis (Ixx) in conjunction with a high moment of inertia about the CG z-axis (Izz). Moreover, the prior art does not recognize the need to, nor the advantages associated with, configuring a golf club head to have an increased moment of inertia about the CG x-axis (Ixx) while maintaining a specific ratio of the moment of inertia about the CG x-axis (Ixx) to the moment of inertia about the CG z-axis, i.e., Ixx/Izz.
Increasing the moment of inertia about the CG x-axis (Ixx) typically does not involve distributing additional mass away from the hosel and shaft. Accordingly, the moment of inertia about the CG x-axis (Ixx) can be increased without significantly affecting the ability of a golfer to square the club head at impact. Therefore, a golf club head can have a moderately high moment of inertia about the CG z-axis (Izz) and an increased moment of inertia about the CG x-axis (Ixx) to provide a golf club head with a high forgiveness on high, low, heel and toe off-center impacts without negatively impacting a golfer's ability to square the golf club head. Further, a given head design offers only so much discretionary mass that can be used to achieve specific moments of inertia, e.g., moment of inertia about the CG x-axis (Ixx) and/or moment of inertia about the CG z-axis (Izz). Thus, it is often not desirable to utilize all or most of the discretionary mass to achieve a selected moment of inertia about the CG z-axis (Izz), in part because increases in moment of inertia about the CG z-axis (Izz) beyond about 500 kg·mm2 accrue proportionately less benefit. In such instances, it is often desirable to maintain moment of inertia about the CG z-axis (Izz) and redistribute mass to achieve an increase in moment of inertia about the CG x-axis (Ixx) and thus an increase in the ratio of moment of inertia about the CG x-axis (Ixx) to moment of inertia about the CG z-axis (Izz).
As moments of inertia are proportional to the square of the distance of the mass away from an axis of rotation, according to several embodiments, golf club heads described herein can include one or more localized or discrete mass elements positioned at strategic locations about the golf club head to affect the moments of the inertia of the head without increasing the bulk of the golf club head. Further, in some embodiments, using localized or discrete mass elements in conjunction with body a made of a thin-walled construction can provide desirable mass properties without the need for composite materials, which can lead to increased material and manufacturing costs.
Referring to
The mass elements 6074, 6076 can be positioned within the interior cavity 6079 and secured to, or be formed integrally with, respective inner surfaces of wall 6072 or striking face 6018. As shown, the mass elements 6074, 6076 are formed integrally with, and extend inwardly from, wall 6072 or striking face 6018 of body 6010 to form a localized area of increased or built-up wall thickness. The heel mass element 6074 is positioned on the skirt 6014 at the heel portion 6026 of the golf club head 6002 proximate the front portion 6030.
The rear mass element 6076 extends inwardly from the sole 6014, skirt 6016, and crown 6012 and is positioned proximate the rear portion 6032 of the golf club head 6002.
The location of each mass element 6074, 6076 on the golf club head can be defined as the location of the center of gravity of the mass element relative to the club head origin coordinate system. For example, in some implementations, the heel mass element 6074 has an origin x-axis coordinate between approximately 35 mm and approximately 65 mm, an origin y-axis coordinate between approximately 0 mm and approximately 30 mm, and an origin z-axis coordinate between approximately −20 mm and approximately 10 mm. In one specific implementation, the heel mass element 6074 has an origin x-axis coordinate of approximately 50 mm, an origin y-axis coordinate of approximately 15 mm, and an origin z-axis coordinate of approximately −3 mm. Similarly, in some implementations, the rear mass element 6076 has an origin x-axis coordinate between approximately −20 mm and approximately 10 mm, an origin y-axis coordinate between approximately 90 mm and approximately 120 mm, and an origin z-axis coordinate between approximately −20 mm and approximately 10 mm. In one specific implementation, the rear mass element 6076 has an origin x-axis coordinate of approximately −7 mm, an origin y-axis coordinate of approximately 106 mm, and an origin z-axis coordinate of approximately −3 mm.
Further, the mass elements 6074, 6076 can have any one of various masses. For example, in some implementations, the heel mass element 6074 has a mass between about 3 g and about 23 g and the rear mass element 6076 has a mass between about 15 g and about 35 g. In one specific implementation, the heel mass element 6074 has a mass of approximately 6 g and the rear mass element 6076 has a mass of approximately 24 g.
The configuration of the golf club head 6002, including the locations and mass of the mass elements 6074, 6076, can, in some implementations, result in the club head 6002 having a moment of inertia about the CG z-axis (Izz) between about 450 kg·mm2 and about 600 kg·mm2, and a moment of inertia about the CG x-axis (Ixx) between about 280 kg·mm2 and about 400 kg·mm2. In one specific implementation having the mass element locations and masses indicated in
Referring to
Unless otherwise noted, the general details and features of the body 6110 of golf club head 6100 can be understood with reference to the same or similar features of the body 6010 of golf club head 6002.
The sole 6114 extends upwardly from the lowest point of the golf club head 6100a shorter distance than the sole 6014 of golf club head 6002. For example, in some implementations, the sole 6114 extends upwardly approximately 20% to 40% of the distance from the lowest point of the club head 6100 to the crown 6112, which in some instances, can be approximately 15 mm for a driver and between approximately 10 mm and approximately 12 mm for a fairway wood. Further, the sole 6114 comprises a substantially flat portion 6119 extending horizontal to the ground 6117 when in proper address position. In some implementations, the bottommost portion of the sole 6114 extends substantially parallel to the ground 6117 between approximately 70% and approximately 40% of the depth (Dch) of the golf club head 6100.
Because the sole 6114 of golf club head 6100 is shorter than the sole 6012 of golf club head 6002, the skirt 6116 is taller, i.e., extends a greater approximately vertical distance, than the skirt 6016 of golf club head 6002. In at least one implementation, the golf club head 6100 includes a weight port 6140 formed in the skirt 6116 proximate the rear portion 6132 of the club head (see
In some implementations, the striking surface 6122 golf club head 6100 has a height (Hss) between approximately 50 mm and approximately 65 mm, and a width (Wss) between approximately 80 mm and approximately 100 mm. Referring to
In one embodiment, the golf club head 6100 has a CG with an x-axis coordinate between approximately −2 mm and approximately 6 mm, a y-axis coordinate between approximately 33 mm and approximately 41 mm, and a z-axis coordinate between approximately −8 mm and approximately 0 mm. Referring to
In some implementations, the golf club head 6100 has a height (Hch) between approximately 55 mm and approximately 75 mm, a width (Wch) between approximately 110 mm and approximately 130 mm, and a depth (Dch) between approximately 110 mm and approximately 130 mm. Referring to
Referring to
Like mass elements 6074, 6076, the mass elements 6174, 6176 can have any one of various masses. For example, in some implementations, the heel mass element 6174 has a mass between about 3 g and about 23 g and the rear mass element 6176 has a mass between about 10 g and about 30 g. In one specific implementation, the heel mass element 6174 has a mass of approximately 6 g and the rear mass element 6176 has a mass of approximately 19 g.
The configuration of the golf club head 6100, including the locations and mass of the mass elements 6174, 6176, can, in some implementations, result in the club head having a moment of inertia about the CG z-axis (Izz) between about 450 kg·mm2 and about 600 kg·mm2, and a moment of inertia about the CG x-axis (Ixx) between about 280 kg·mm2 and about 400 kg·mm2. In one specific implementation having mass element locations and masses indicated in
Referring to
Unless otherwise noted, the general details and features of the body 6210 of golf club head 6200 can be understood with reference to the same or similar features of the body 6010 of golf club head 6002 and body 6110 of golf club head 6100.
Like sole 6114 of golf club head 6100, the sole 6214 extends upwardly approximately 20% to 40% of the distance from the lowest point of the club head 6200 to the crown 6212. Therefore, the skirt 6216 is taller, i.e., extends a greater approximately vertical distance, than the skirt 6016 of golf club head 6002.
In at least one implementation, and shown in
In some implementations, the striking surface 6222 golf club head 6200 has a height (Hss) between approximately 50 mm and approximately 65 mm, and a width (Wss) between approximately 80 mm and approximately 100 mm. Referring to
In one embodiment, the golf club head 6200 has a CG with an x-axis coordinate between approximately −2 mm and approximately 6 mm, a y-axis coordinate between approximately 33 mm and approximately 41 mm, and a z-axis coordinate between approximately −8 mm and approximately 0 mm. Referring to
In some implementations, the golf club head 6200 has a height (Hch) between approximately 55 mm and approximately 75 mm, a width (Wch) between approximately 110 mm and approximately 130 mm, and a depth (Dch) between approximately 110 mm and approximately 130 mm. Referring to
Referring to
Like mass elements 6074, 6076, the mass elements 6274, 6276 can have any one of various masses or weights. For example, in some implementations, the heel mass element 6274 has a mass between about 3 g and about 23 g and the rear mass element 6276 has a mass between about 5 g and about 25 g. In one specific implementation, the heel mass element 6274 has a mass of approximately 5 g and the rear mass element 6276 has a mass of approximately 8 g.
The configuration of the golf club head 6200, including the locations and mass of the mass elements 6274, 6276, can, in some implementations, result in the club head having a moment of inertia about the CG z-axis (Izz) between about 450 kg·mm2 and about 600 kg·mm2, and a moment of inertia about the CG x-axis (Ixx) between about 280 kg·mm2 and about 400 kg·mm2. In one specific implementation having mass element locations and masses indicated in
Referring to
Unless otherwise noted, the general details and features of the body 6310 of golf club head 6300 can be understood with reference to the same or similar features of the body 6010 of golf club head 6002, body 6110 of golf club head 6100 and body 6210 of golf club head 6200.
Like soles 6114, 6214, the sole 6314 extends upwardly approximately 20% to 40% of the distance from the lowest point of the club head 6300 to the crown 6312. Like skirts 6116, 6216, the skirt 6316 is taller, i.e., extends a greater approximately vertical distance, than the skirt 6016 of golf club head 6002. However, unlike, skirts 6116, 6216, skirt 6316 includes an inverted portion 6352 having a substantially concave outer surface 6336 extending about at least a substantial portion of the toe portion 6328 of the golf club head 6300.
Similar to the golf club head described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/565,485, which is incorporated herein by reference, golf club head 6300 includes a rib 6350 that has an external portion 6356 and two internal portions 6358, 6360 (see
In some implementations, the striking surface 6322 golf club head 6300 has a height (Hss) between approximately 50 mm and approximately 65 mm, and a width (Wss) between approximately 80 mm and approximately 100 mm. Referring to
In one embodiment, the golf club head 6300 has a CG with an x-axis coordinate between approximately −2 mm and approximately 6 mm, a y-axis coordinate between approximately 33 mm and approximately 41 mm, and a z-axis coordinate between approximately −6 mm and approximately 2 mm. Referring to
In some implementations, the golf club head 6300 has a height (Hch) between approximately 53 mm and approximately 73 mm, a width (Wch) between approximately 105 mm and approximately 125 mm, and a depth (Dch) between approximately 105 mm and approximately 125 mm. Referring to
Referring to
In some implementations, the heel mass element 6374 has an origin x-axis coordinate between approximately 35 mm and approximately 65 mm, an origin y-axis coordinate between approximately 10 mm and approximately 40 mm, and an origin z-axis coordinate between approximately 0 mm and approximately 20 mm. In one specific implementation, the heel mass element 6374 has an origin x-axis coordinate of approximately 53 mm, an origin y-axis coordinate of approximately 21 mm, and an origin z-axis coordinate of approximately 7 mm. Similarly, in some implementations, the rear mass element 6376 has an origin x-axis coordinate between approximately −25 mm and approximately 5 mm, an origin y-axis coordinate between approximately 90 mm and approximately 120 mm, and an origin z-axis coordinate between approximately −5 mm and approximately 25 mm. In one specific implementation, the rear mass element 6376 has an origin x-axis coordinate of approximately −10 mm, an origin y-axis coordinate of approximately 109 mm, and an origin z-axis coordinate of approximately 10 mm.
Like mass elements 6074, 6076, the mass elements 6374, 6376 can have any one of various masses or weights. For example, in some implementations, the heel mass element 6374 has a mass between about 5 g and about 25 g and the rear mass element 6376 has a mass between about 10 g and about 30 g. In one specific implementation, the heel mass element 6374 has a mass of approximately 11 g and the rear mass element 6376 has a mass of approximately 21 g.
The configuration of the golf club head 6300, including the locations and mass of the mass elements 6374, 6376, can, in some implementations, result in the club head having a moment of inertia about the CG z-axis (Izz) between about 450 kg·mm2 and about 600 kg·mm2, and a moment of inertia about the CG x-axis (Ixx) between about 280 kg·mm2 and about 400 kg·mm2. In one specific implementation having mass element locations and masses indicated in
One specific exemplary implementation of a golf club head 6400 having a generally rectangular ball striking face with a corresponding rectangular ball striking surface 6410 is shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, the edges, or intersections, between the sides 6422, 6424, 6426, 6428, striking surface 6410 and end 6440 appear relatively sharp. Of course, any one or more of the sharp edges between the sides, striking surface and end can be eased or radiused without departing from the general relationships. In general, the golf club head 6400 has a generally pyramidal, prismatic, pyramidal frustum, or prismatic frustum shape. When viewed from above, or in plan view, the golf club head has a generally triangular or trapezoidal shape.
In one specific implementation, for optimum forgiveness and playability, the ball striking surface 6410 has the maximum allowable surface area under current USGA dimensional constraints for golf club heads. In other words, the ball striking surface 6410 has a maximum height (H) of approximately 71 mm (2.8 inches) and a maximum width (W) of approximately 125 mm (5 inches). Accordingly, the ball striking surface 6410 has an area of approximately 8,875 mm2. In other embodiments, the ball striking surface 6410 may have a maximum height (H) between about 67 mm to about 71 mm, a maximum width (W) between about 118 mm to about 125 mm, and a corresponding ball striking surface area of between about 7,900 mm2 to about 8,875 mm2.
In certain implementations, the golf club head 6400 has a maximum depth (D) equal to the maximum allowable depth under current USGA dimensional constraints, i.e., approximately 125 mm. In other embodiments, the golf club head 6400 may have a maximum depth (D) between about 118 mm to about 125 mm. In some implementations, the golf club head 6400 has a volume equal to the maximum allowable volume under current USGA dimensional constraints, i.e., approximately 460 cm3. The area of the square end 6440 may range from about 342 mm2 to about 361 mm2.
The golf club head 6400 includes one or more discrete mass elements. For example, in the illustrated embodiments, the golf club head 6400 includes three discrete mass elements: heel mass element 6474, rear mass element 6476 and toe mass element 6478. Each mass element 6474, 6476, 6478 is defined by its location about the golf club head 6400 and mass. The location of the mass elements about the golf club head are described according to the coordinates of the mass element CG on the golf club head origin coordinate system.
The golf club head 6400 can be configured according to any one of various configurations, e.g., golf club head configurations 6400A-6400G, each having a unique mass element location and weight to achieve specific moments of inertia Ixx and Izz, and a specific Ixx/Izz ratio. The body 6420 of each configuration 6400A-6400G is constructed of a composite material and the total mass of the golf club head 6400 of each configuration 6400A-6400G is approximately 203 g.
Referring to
As indicated in
As perhaps a more preferable configuration compared to configuration 6400A, golf club head configuration 6400B can be accomplished by configuring the golf club head to have a toe mass element 6478 that is closer to the heel mass element 6474 than configuration 6400A. The resultant golf club head configuration 6400B has the same moment of inertia about the CG x-axis (Ixx) as configuration 6400A, but has a moment of inertia about the CG z-axis (Izz), i.e., approximately 593 kg·mm2, that is less than configuration 6400A to achieve a slightly higher Ixx/Izz ratio of approximately 0.72. Although golf club head configuration 6400B has a lower moment of inertia about the CG z-axis (Izz) than configuration 6400B, the moment of inertia is still sufficiently high to provide high forgiveness for left/right off-center hits, while allowing a golfer to more easily square the golf club head prior to impact.
For more ease in squaring the golf club head prior to impact, configuration 6400C includes heel and toe mass elements 6474, 6478 that are closer to each other than configuration 6400B to reduce the moment of inertia about the CG z-axis (Izz) and maintain the moment of inertia about the CG x-axis (Ixx) compared to configuration 400C. Accordingly, configuration 6400C maintains a very high moment of inertia about the CG x-axis (Ixx) for alleviating the negative effects of high/low impacts and achieves a high moment of inertia about the CG z-axis (Izz) for alleviating the negative effects of right/left impacts. The resultant Ixx/Izz ratio of configuration 6400C of approximately 0.96 is significantly higher than the ratio of configuration 6400B.
Configuration 6400D has a moment of inertia about its z-axis (Izz) and an Ixx/Izz ratio that falls between configuration 6400B and configuration 6400C.
Configurations 6400E-6400G follow a similar pattern compared to configurations 6400B-6400D. More specifically, configuration 6400F has a moment of inertia about its z-axis (Izz) and an Ixx/Izz ratio that falls between configuration 6400E and configuration 6400G. However, the configurations 6400E-6400G differ from configurations 6400B-6400D in several respects. Most significantly, the heel and toe mass elements 6474, 6478 of respective configurations 6400E-6400G have less weight than the heel and toe mass elements 6474, 6478 of respective configurations 6400B-6400D. Additionally, the rear mass elements 6476 of respective configurations 6400E-6400G have more weight than the rear mass elements 6476 of respective configurations 6400B-6400D. In other words, more weight is concentrated in the rear of configurations 6400E-6400G than in configurations 6400B-6400D. The result is that the configurations 6400E-6400G have moments of inertia about respective CG x-axes (Ixx) that are significantly higher than the same moments of inertia achieved by configurations 6400B-6400C, while the Ixx/Izz ratios of corresponding configurations remain proportionally similar.
Referring to
One should note that conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more particular embodiments or that one or more particular embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.
It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments are merely possible examples of implementations, merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the present disclosure. Any process descriptions or blocks in flow diagrams should be understood as representing modules, segments, or portions of code which include one or more executable instructions for implementing specific logical functions or steps in the process, and alternate implementations are included in which functions may not be included or executed at all, may be executed out of order from that shown or discussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved, as would be understood by those reasonably skilled in the art of the present disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment(s) without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the present disclosure. Further, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover any and all combinations and sub-combinations of all elements, features, and aspects discussed above. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of the present disclosure, and all possible claims to individual aspects or combinations of elements or steps are intended to be supported by the present disclosure.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/064,528, filed Oct. 6, 2020, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,369,846, issued Jun. 28, 2022, entitled “GOLF CLUB,” which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/410,249, filed May 13, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,828,540, issued Nov. 10, 2020, entitled “GOLF CLUB,” which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/102,293, filed Aug. 13, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,569,145, issued Feb. 25, 2020, entitled “GOLF CLUB,” which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/838,682, filed Dec. 12, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,226,671, issued Mar. 12, 2019, entitled “GOLF CLUB,” which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/144,105, filed Dec. 30, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,861,864, issued Jan. 9, 2018, entitled “GOLF CLUB,” which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/909,964, entitled “GOLF CLUB,” filed Nov. 27, 2013, all of which are hereby specifically incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. This application references U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/839,727, entitled “GOLF CLUB WITH COEFFICIENT OF RESTITUTION FEATURE,” filed Mar. 15, 2013, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety and with specific reference to discussion of center of gravity location and the resulting effects on club performance. This application also references U.S. Pat. No. 7,731,603, entitled “GOLF CLUB HEAD,” filed Sep. 27, 2007, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety and with specific reference to discussion of moment of inertia. This application also references U.S. Pat. No. 7,887,431, entitled “GOLF CLUB,” filed Dec. 30, 2008, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety and with specific reference to discussion of adjustable loft technology described therein. This application also references U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/718,107, entitled “HIGH VOLUME AERODYNAMIC GOLF CLUB HEAD,” filed Dec. 18, 2012, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety and with specific reference to discussion of aerodynamic golf club heads. This application also references U.S. Pat. No. 7,874,936, entitled “COMPOSITE ARTICLES AND METHODS FOR MAKING THE SAME,” filed Dec. 19, 2007, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety and with specific reference to discussion of composite face technology.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Parent | 17064528 | Oct 2020 | US |
| Child | 17825820 | US | |
| Parent | 16410249 | May 2019 | US |
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| Parent | 16102293 | Aug 2018 | US |
| Child | 16410249 | US | |
| Parent | 15838682 | Dec 2017 | US |
| Child | 16102293 | US | |
| Parent | 14144105 | Dec 2013 | US |
| Child | 15838682 | US |
