US20160151682A1 - Golf club head with composite face - Google Patents
Golf club head with composite face Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20160151682A1 US20160151682A1 US15/014,415 US201615014415A US2016151682A1 US 20160151682 A1 US20160151682 A1 US 20160151682A1 US 201615014415 A US201615014415 A US 201615014415A US 2016151682 A1 US2016151682 A1 US 2016151682A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- patch
- golf club
- club head
- pluralities
- variable thickness
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B53/00—Golf clubs
- A63B53/04—Heads
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B53/00—Golf clubs
- A63B53/04—Heads
- A63B53/0416—Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
- A63B53/042—Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert the face insert consisting of a material different from that of the head
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B53/00—Golf clubs
- A63B53/04—Heads
- A63B53/0458—Heads with non-uniform thickness of the impact face plate
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B60/00—Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
-
- A63B2053/0425—
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B2209/00—Characteristics of used materials
- A63B2209/02—Characteristics of used materials with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B2209/00—Characteristics of used materials
- A63B2209/02—Characteristics of used materials with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
- A63B2209/023—Long, oriented fibres, e.g. wound filaments, woven fabrics, mats
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B53/00—Golf clubs
- A63B53/04—Heads
- A63B53/0416—Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
- A63B53/042—Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert the face insert consisting of a material different from that of the head
- A63B53/0425—Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert the face insert consisting of a material different from that of the head the face insert comprising two or more different materials
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a multiple material golf club head. More specifically, the present invention relates to a golf club head with a face comprising a composite material.
- U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,310,185, 6,607,623, 6,612,938, 7,267,620, 7,628,712, 7,850,546, 7,862,452, 7,871,340, 8,096,897, and 8,163,119 disclose face inserts or face components formed of multiple prepreg plies
- U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,874,936, 7,874,937, 7,874,938, and 8,303,435 disclose face plates composed of multiple composite prepreg plies and prepreg strips to achieve variable face thickness.
- Prepreg plies are not the ideal materials to use for golf club face construction, however, because using these materials to create the variable face thickness patterns that are demanded by consumers can be time consuming (the plies must be oriented by hand in a mold), expensive (the cost of plies can be high), and wasteful (scrap parts of the plies cannot easily be reused). Therefore, there is a need for improved materials and methods to create composite golf club faces.
- One aspect of the present invention is a composition
- a composition comprising a first plurality of prepreg plies (collectively known as a laminate), a second plurality of prepreg plies, and a variable thickness core material, wherein the variable thickness core material is permanently sandwiched between the first plurality of prepreg plies and the second plurality of prepreg plies, and wherein the composition comprises a variable thickness pattern.
- the variable thickness core material may be selected from a group consisting of sheet molding compound, metal, and polymeric material, and in some embodiments may be sheet molding compound.
- the thickness of the composition may be continuously variable.
- a golf club head may comprise a component composed of this composition, and the component may be selected from the group consisting of a face cup, a face insert, a face plate, a sole, and a crown.
- a golf club head comprising a body comprising a top portion, a bottom portion, and a face portion, and a first patch composed of the composition described above, wherein the first patch is affixed to the face portion.
- the first patch may be custom molded onto the face portion, while in other embodiments, the first patch may be affixed to the face portion with an adhesive material.
- the face portion may be composed of a metal material.
- at least one of the face portion and the first patch may comprise a variable thickness pattern.
- the first patch may be affixed to one of an inner surface and an outer surface of the face portion.
- the first patch may be affixed to an inner surface of the face portion and a second patch composed of the composition described above may be affixed to an outer surface of the face portion.
- the face portion may comprise a recess sized to receive the first patch.
- Yet another aspect of the present invention is a method comprising providing first and second pluralities of prepreg materials, providing a sheet molding compound, forming a combination material from the first and second pluralities of prepreg materials and the sheet molding compound, shaping the combination material into a patch, and affixing the patch to a surface of a golf club head.
- the step of forming a combination material may be selected from the group consisting of co-molding the first and second pluralities of prepreg materials with the sheet molding compound or bonding the first and second pluralities of prepreg materials to the sheet molding compound.
- the step of affixing the patch to a surface of the golf club head may comprise custom-molding the patch onto the surface of the golf club head.
- the step of affixing the patch to a surface of the golf club head may comprise bonding the patch onto the surface of the golf club head with an adhesive material.
- Another aspect of the present invention is a method comprising providing first and second pluralities of prepreg plies, providing a variable thickness core compound, sandwiching the variable thickness core compound between the first and second pluralities of prepreg plies to form a combination material, shaping the combination material into a patch, and co-molding the patch to a surface of a golf club head.
- the step of sandwiching the variable thickness core compound between the first and second pluralities of prepreg plies may further comprise the step of co-molding the variable thickness core compound with the first and second pluralities of prepreg plies.
- FIG. 1 is a line drawing of a prior art laminate material with constant thickness.
- FIG. 2 is a line drawing of a prior art laminate material with discrete thicknesses.
- FIG. 3 is a line drawing of the combination composite material of the present invention.
- FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of a golf club head of the present invention.
- FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a golf club head of the present invention.
- FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of a golf club head of the present invention.
- FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment of a golf club head of the present invention.
- FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of a fifth embodiment of a golf club head of the present invention.
- FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a sixth embodiment of a golf club head of the present invention.
- FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a seventh embodiment of a golf club head of the present invention.
- FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the circled portion of FIG. 7B .
- FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing a preferred method of the present invention.
- the present invention provides a solution to the problems set forth above by providing a preferred, combination composite material that can be used to more efficiently make structurally sound golf club parts, including face cups, face inserts, face plates, face patches, soles, crowns, and other parts that require specific and/or continuously variable thicknesses.
- the present invention also provides face structures that incorporate the novel composite material.
- the present invention may also be used to make parts for products and devices other than golf clubs.
- the composite material 10 used to create prior art composite golf club faces typically is made up of multiple prepreg plies 20 . Collections of prepreg plies are also referred to as laminates herein. These plies include collections of core-level plies 22 , exterior plies 24 , and interior plies 26 . As noted above, it is both time consuming and expensive to create thickness changes in composite parts when using layers of prepreg plies.
- the inventive material 100 of the present invention is novel because, as shown in FIG. 3 , the core-level plies 22 are replaced with a core 30 comprising sheet molding compound (also referred to herein as SMC), which may be one of the sheet molding compounds disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No.
- variable thickness core 30 materials that can be manufactured easily into desired shapes with variable thicknesses may also be combined with or used instead of SMC or titanium.
- Polymers, other metals, foams, honeycomb structures, wood, and fiber reinforced polymers may all be used as variable thickness core 30 materials. Manufacturing methods for variable thickness cores 30 include casting, forging, injection molding, metal injection molding, die casting and machining.
- the pluralities of prepreg plies 24 , 26 can be combined in several ways.
- the inventive material 100 can be co-molded, in which case the pluralities of prepreg plies 24 , 26 are pressed together around the core 30 during their cure cycle.
- a second process involves curing the core 30 piece separately, then pressing the collections of prepreg plies 24 , 26 onto the core 30 in a separate cure cycle.
- An adhesive layer may also be added between the core 30 and the collections of prepreg plies 24 , 26 .
- a third process is to mold the core 30 and the outer collections of prepreg plies 24 , 26 completely separately, and then bond them together afterwards. Similar options exist for titanium variable thickness cores 30 .
- the collections of prepreg plies 24 , 26 can be molded directly onto the titanium with or without an adhesive layer. This method is preferable for titanium variable thickness cores 30 because it allows for custom molding of the collections of prepreg plies 24 , 26 onto each golf club head casting, which ensures a perfect fit between the parts, even if the casting has some dimensional variation.
- the collections of prepreg plies 24 , 26 can also be molded separately and then bonded to the titanium.
- a flow chart showing a high-level process of creating and using the inventive material 100 is shown in FIG. 11 .
- Variable thickness cores 30 are preferable to prepreg plies because the thicknesses of the materials used to make these cores 30 , including but not limited to SMC and metals (including titanium), are easier to manipulate than that of laminate or layers of prepreg plies. SMC also is cheaper than prepreg plies. When a prior art composite material comprising only laminate or multiple layers of prepreg plies is subject to bending forces, the deformation of the material is influenced the most by the stiffness of the collections of exterior and interior prepreg plies 24 , 26 , while the properties of the core-level prepreg plies 22 are not nearly as important to the structural integrity of the material.
- the prepreg plies at the center of a part composed entirely of prepreg plies have much less of an influence on bending stiffness and strength of the part than do its outer layers.
- Replacing the core-level plies 22 with a core 30 made of a more easily/cheaply made variable thickness material thus allows a manufacture to fine-tune a golf club part's thicknesses without adding additional plies or layers (which must be hand-placed in a mold), while at the same time using collections of prepreg plies 24 , 26 on the inside and outside surfaces of the part where they can have the most influence on the structure of that part.
- the inventive material 100 thus allows a golf club manufacturer to make more complicated and/or continuously variable thickness patterns, an example of which is shown in FIG. 3 , especially in golf club faces, without sacrificing structural integrity of the face and without wasting the time, material, and money that is required when working only with laminates or collections of prepreg plies.
- the bending stiffness (D) of the inventive material 100 can be altered using variable thickness patterns and by changing the orientation of its collections of prepreg plies 24 , 26 . If the prepreg plies are oriented properly, the inventive material 100 can be stiff in one direction and compliant in another, thus positively affecting launch angle robustness, backspin robustness, and off-center ball speed when the inventive material 100 is used to form a golf club face.
- A-B-D matrix that satisfies the force/moment to strain/curvature relationship:
- [ N M ] [ A B B D ] ⁇ [ ⁇ 0 ⁇ ] ⁇ ⁇ where ⁇ [ D ] ⁇ [ Dxx Dxy Dxs Dyx Dyy Dys Dsx Dsy Dss ]
- variable thickness patterns can be chosen such that Dxx is significantly different from Dyy.
- the A-B-D matrix represents the relationship between loads and bending moments to strains and curvatures.
- N represents forces
- M represents bending moments
- ⁇ ° represents strains
- K represents curvatures.
- the x-direction typically is defined as the projection of the heel-toe direction onto the face.
- the y-direction also is on the surface of the face and perpendicular to the x-direction.
- the z-direction is the direction through the thickness of the collections of prepreg plies and face. Golf club faces are not perfectly circular, so an optimal face does not have the same bending stiffness in every direction.
- Launch conditions and launch condition robustness launch angle, back spin, side spin, ball speed
- a face formed from or including the inventive material 100 may satisfy one or both of the following equations:
- C can range from 1.00 to 1.50, and more preferably from 1.05 to 1.10.
- FIG. 4 An exemplary golf club face insert 150 made from the inventive material 100 is shown in FIG. 4 in combination with a golf club head 200 , which may be a driver, fairway wood, iron, hybrid, or putter head, but preferably is a driver.
- the face insert 150 includes a recess 155 in its inner or outer surfaces 151 , 152 to receive a reinforcement plate 270 .
- This embodiment may be particularly attractive to a golfer who wishes to continue using a golf club head 200 with a metallic face but wants a golf club head 200 with lower overall weight. Golfers who like visible technology in their golf clubs will also appreciate the fact that the inventive material 100 is visible in this embodiment.
- FIG. 5 An exemplary golf club face insert 150 made from the inventive material 100 is shown in FIG. 4 in combination with a golf club head 200 , which may be a driver, fairway wood, iron, hybrid, or putter head, but preferably is a driver.
- the face insert 150 includes a recess 155 in its inner or outer surfaces 151 ,
- a metal plate or cap 280 covers the entire outer surface 152 of the face insert 150 , and holes or slots 281 , 282 are drilled into or otherwise formed in the cap 280 so that the inventive material 100 is visible to a consumer. These holes or slots 281 , 282 can be filled with another material, such as the inventive material 100 or another lightweight material known to a person skilled in the art.
- the inventive material 100 can also be used to make other face components, such as face plates, face cups, face patches, and other golf club head parts.
- a patch 250 of the inventive material 100 can be affixed to an inside surface 215 of a face 210 as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B or on an outside surface 217 of a face 210 as shown in FIG. 8 .
- multiple patches 250 a , 250 b are fixed to both the inside and outside surfaces 215 , 217 of a face 210 as shown in FIG. 9 .
- the patch 250 may be affixed to the face 210 by any means known to a person skilled in the art, including via adhesives and mechanical fasteners, but it is most preferable to custom mold the patch 250 onto the face 210 .
- a patch 250 of the inventive material 100 is custom molded onto a golf club face 210 , it reduces or eliminates the need for a separate adhesive layer between the face 210 and the patch 250 and guarantees a perfect fit between the patch 250 and any part with which it is molded.
- the face 210 preferably is composed of a metal material, such as stainless steel or titanium alloy.
- the overall thickness of the resulting golf club striking face 300 is controlled by varying the thickness of the metal face 210 , the variable thickness core (e.g., SMC or metal) material included in the inventive material 100 , or both.
- the patch 250 can be smoothly blended with the surface of the golf club head 200 to which it is attached, as shown in FIGS. 5, 7A, and 9 (with respect to the rear patch 250 a ), or disposed entirely within a recess or cavity, as shown in FIGS. 7B, 8, and 9 (with respect to the front patch 250 b ).
- the joint angles 410 and configurations in the hinge regions 400 , 450 defined as the regions where the face transitions into the crown 220 and sole 230 , an example of which is shown in FIG. 10 , preferably are custom tailored to allow for efficient stress transfer and a more gradual transition from the fully metallic composition of crown 220 and sole 230 portions of the club head 200 to the metallic and composite composition of the face.
- holes and/or slots may be drilled into or otherwise included in the metal face 210 portion of the club head 200 , and can be filled with something less dense than the original material in order to reduce the overall weight of the golf club head 200 .
- the filler material may be a lightweight metal such as aluminum or magnesium, or a thermoset or thermoplastic material.
- the holes and slots may go part of the way through the thickness of the metal face 210 , or may extend all the way through the face 210 before the patch 250 disclosed herein is added.
- the golf club parts, and particularly the faces, disclosed herein preferably have a variable thickness pattern, which may be any of the patterns disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,163,682, 5,318,300, 5,474,296, 5,830,084, 5,971,868, 6,007,432, 6,338,683, 6,354,962, 6,368,234, 6,398,666, 6,413,169, 6,428,426, 6,435,977, 6,623,377, 6,997,821, 7,014,570, 7,101,289, 7,137,907, 7,144,334, 7,258,626, 7,422,528, 7,448,960, 7,713,140, 8,012,041, and 8,376,876, the disclosure of each of which is incorporated in its entirety herein.
- the golf club parts disclosed herein may also have the variable face thickness patterns disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20120021849, the disclosure of which is incorporated in its entirety herein.
Abstract
Description
- The present application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/158,963, filed on Jan. 20, 2014, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/881,159, filed on Sep. 23, 2013, the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.
- Not Applicable
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to a multiple material golf club head. More specifically, the present invention relates to a golf club head with a face comprising a composite material.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- The prior art discloses several different composite golf club face concepts. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,310,185, 6,607,623, 6,612,938, 7,267,620, 7,628,712, 7,850,546, 7,862,452, 7,871,340, 8,096,897, and 8,163,119, disclose face inserts or face components formed of multiple prepreg plies, while U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,874,936, 7,874,937, 7,874,938, and 8,303,435, disclose face plates composed of multiple composite prepreg plies and prepreg strips to achieve variable face thickness.
- Prepreg plies are not the ideal materials to use for golf club face construction, however, because using these materials to create the variable face thickness patterns that are demanded by consumers can be time consuming (the plies must be oriented by hand in a mold), expensive (the cost of plies can be high), and wasteful (scrap parts of the plies cannot easily be reused). Therefore, there is a need for improved materials and methods to create composite golf club faces.
- One aspect of the present invention is a composition comprising a first plurality of prepreg plies (collectively known as a laminate), a second plurality of prepreg plies, and a variable thickness core material, wherein the variable thickness core material is permanently sandwiched between the first plurality of prepreg plies and the second plurality of prepreg plies, and wherein the composition comprises a variable thickness pattern. The variable thickness core material may be selected from a group consisting of sheet molding compound, metal, and polymeric material, and in some embodiments may be sheet molding compound. In some embodiments, the thickness of the composition may be continuously variable. In a further embodiment, a golf club head may comprise a component composed of this composition, and the component may be selected from the group consisting of a face cup, a face insert, a face plate, a sole, and a crown.
- Another aspect of the present invention is a golf club head comprising a body comprising a top portion, a bottom portion, and a face portion, and a first patch composed of the composition described above, wherein the first patch is affixed to the face portion. In some embodiments, the first patch may be custom molded onto the face portion, while in other embodiments, the first patch may be affixed to the face portion with an adhesive material. In some embodiments, the face portion may be composed of a metal material. In other embodiments, at least one of the face portion and the first patch may comprise a variable thickness pattern. In some embodiments, the first patch may be affixed to one of an inner surface and an outer surface of the face portion. In a further embodiment, the first patch may be affixed to an inner surface of the face portion and a second patch composed of the composition described above may be affixed to an outer surface of the face portion. In another embodiment, the face portion may comprise a recess sized to receive the first patch.
- Yet another aspect of the present invention is a method comprising providing first and second pluralities of prepreg materials, providing a sheet molding compound, forming a combination material from the first and second pluralities of prepreg materials and the sheet molding compound, shaping the combination material into a patch, and affixing the patch to a surface of a golf club head. In some embodiments, the step of forming a combination material may be selected from the group consisting of co-molding the first and second pluralities of prepreg materials with the sheet molding compound or bonding the first and second pluralities of prepreg materials to the sheet molding compound. In one embodiment, the step of affixing the patch to a surface of the golf club head may comprise custom-molding the patch onto the surface of the golf club head. In another embodiment, the step of affixing the patch to a surface of the golf club head may comprise bonding the patch onto the surface of the golf club head with an adhesive material.
- Another aspect of the present invention is a method comprising providing first and second pluralities of prepreg plies, providing a variable thickness core compound, sandwiching the variable thickness core compound between the first and second pluralities of prepreg plies to form a combination material, shaping the combination material into a patch, and co-molding the patch to a surface of a golf club head. In some embodiments, the step of sandwiching the variable thickness core compound between the first and second pluralities of prepreg plies may further comprise the step of co-molding the variable thickness core compound with the first and second pluralities of prepreg plies.
- Having briefly described the present invention, the above and further objects, features and advantages thereof will be recognized by those skilled in the pertinent art from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
-
FIG. 1 is a line drawing of a prior art laminate material with constant thickness. -
FIG. 2 is a line drawing of a prior art laminate material with discrete thicknesses. -
FIG. 3 is a line drawing of the combination composite material of the present invention. -
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of a golf club head of the present invention. -
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a golf club head of the present invention. -
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of a golf club head of the present invention. -
FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment of a golf club head of the present invention. -
FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of a fifth embodiment of a golf club head of the present invention. -
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a sixth embodiment of a golf club head of the present invention. -
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a seventh embodiment of a golf club head of the present invention. -
FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the circled portion ofFIG. 7B . -
FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing a preferred method of the present invention. - The present invention provides a solution to the problems set forth above by providing a preferred, combination composite material that can be used to more efficiently make structurally sound golf club parts, including face cups, face inserts, face plates, face patches, soles, crowns, and other parts that require specific and/or continuously variable thicknesses. The present invention also provides face structures that incorporate the novel composite material. The present invention may also be used to make parts for products and devices other than golf clubs.
- As shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2 , thecomposite material 10 used to create prior art composite golf club faces typically is made up of multiple prepreg plies 20. Collections of prepreg plies are also referred to as laminates herein. These plies include collections of core-level plies 22,exterior plies 24, andinterior plies 26. As noted above, it is both time consuming and expensive to create thickness changes in composite parts when using layers of prepreg plies. Theinventive material 100 of the present invention is novel because, as shown inFIG. 3 , the core-level plies 22 are replaced with acore 30 comprising sheet molding compound (also referred to herein as SMC), which may be one of the sheet molding compounds disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/912,994, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein, or a titanium alloy. Other materials that can be manufactured easily into desired shapes with variable thicknesses may also be combined with or used instead of SMC or titanium. Polymers, other metals, foams, honeycomb structures, wood, and fiber reinforced polymers may all be used asvariable thickness core 30 materials. Manufacturing methods forvariable thickness cores 30 include casting, forging, injection molding, metal injection molding, die casting and machining. - Once the
variable thickness core 30 is formed, the pluralities of prepreg plies 24, 26 (collectively laminates) and the core 30 can be combined in several ways. In a first process, theinventive material 100 can be co-molded, in which case the pluralities of prepreg plies 24, 26 are pressed together around thecore 30 during their cure cycle. A second process involves curing the core 30 piece separately, then pressing the collections of prepreg plies 24, 26 onto the core 30 in a separate cure cycle. An adhesive layer may also be added between the core 30 and the collections of prepreg plies 24, 26. A third process is to mold thecore 30 and the outer collections of prepreg plies 24, 26 completely separately, and then bond them together afterwards. Similar options exist for titaniumvariable thickness cores 30. The collections of prepreg plies 24, 26 can be molded directly onto the titanium with or without an adhesive layer. This method is preferable for titaniumvariable thickness cores 30 because it allows for custom molding of the collections of prepreg plies 24, 26 onto each golf club head casting, which ensures a perfect fit between the parts, even if the casting has some dimensional variation. The collections of prepreg plies 24, 26 can also be molded separately and then bonded to the titanium. A flow chart showing a high-level process of creating and using theinventive material 100 is shown inFIG. 11 . -
Variable thickness cores 30 are preferable to prepreg plies because the thicknesses of the materials used to make thesecores 30, including but not limited to SMC and metals (including titanium), are easier to manipulate than that of laminate or layers of prepreg plies. SMC also is cheaper than prepreg plies. When a prior art composite material comprising only laminate or multiple layers of prepreg plies is subject to bending forces, the deformation of the material is influenced the most by the stiffness of the collections of exterior and interior prepreg plies 24, 26, while the properties of the core-level prepreg plies 22 are not nearly as important to the structural integrity of the material. In other words, the prepreg plies at the center of a part composed entirely of prepreg plies have much less of an influence on bending stiffness and strength of the part than do its outer layers. Replacing the core-level plies 22 with a core 30 made of a more easily/cheaply made variable thickness material thus allows a manufacture to fine-tune a golf club part's thicknesses without adding additional plies or layers (which must be hand-placed in a mold), while at the same time using collections of prepreg plies 24, 26 on the inside and outside surfaces of the part where they can have the most influence on the structure of that part. Theinventive material 100 thus allows a golf club manufacturer to make more complicated and/or continuously variable thickness patterns, an example of which is shown inFIG. 3 , especially in golf club faces, without sacrificing structural integrity of the face and without wasting the time, material, and money that is required when working only with laminates or collections of prepreg plies. - The bending stiffness (D) of the
inventive material 100 can be altered using variable thickness patterns and by changing the orientation of its collections of prepreg plies 24, 26. If the prepreg plies are oriented properly, theinventive material 100 can be stiff in one direction and compliant in another, thus positively affecting launch angle robustness, backspin robustness, and off-center ball speed when theinventive material 100 is used to form a golf club face. In an A-B-D matrix that satisfies the force/moment to strain/curvature relationship: -
- prepreg plies, variable thickness patterns, and combinations of the two can be chosen such that Dxx is significantly different from Dyy.
- The A-B-D matrix represents the relationship between loads and bending moments to strains and curvatures. N represents forces, M represents bending moments, ε° represents strains, and K represents curvatures. The x-direction typically is defined as the projection of the heel-toe direction onto the face. The y-direction also is on the surface of the face and perpendicular to the x-direction. The z-direction is the direction through the thickness of the collections of prepreg plies and face. Golf club faces are not perfectly circular, so an optimal face does not have the same bending stiffness in every direction. Launch conditions and launch condition robustness (launch angle, back spin, side spin, ball speed) can be improved by creating faces with the appropriate bending stiffness in each direction and each location on the face. In some embodiments, a face formed from or including the
inventive material 100 may satisfy one or both of the following equations: -
- wherein C can range from 1.00 to 1.50, and more preferably from 1.05 to 1.10.
- An exemplary golf
club face insert 150 made from theinventive material 100 is shown inFIG. 4 in combination with agolf club head 200, which may be a driver, fairway wood, iron, hybrid, or putter head, but preferably is a driver. In a further embodiment, shown inFIG. 5 , theface insert 150 includes arecess 155 in its inner orouter surfaces reinforcement plate 270. This embodiment may be particularly attractive to a golfer who wishes to continue using agolf club head 200 with a metallic face but wants agolf club head 200 with lower overall weight. Golfers who like visible technology in their golf clubs will also appreciate the fact that theinventive material 100 is visible in this embodiment. In an alternative embodiment, shown inFIG. 6 , a metal plate or cap 280 covers the entireouter surface 152 of theface insert 150, and holes orslots cap 280 so that theinventive material 100 is visible to a consumer. These holes orslots inventive material 100 or another lightweight material known to a person skilled in the art. - The
inventive material 100 can also be used to make other face components, such as face plates, face cups, face patches, and other golf club head parts. For example, apatch 250 of theinventive material 100 can be affixed to aninside surface 215 of aface 210 as shown inFIGS. 7A and 7B or on anoutside surface 217 of aface 210 as shown inFIG. 8 . In another embodiment,multiple patches surfaces face 210 as shown inFIG. 9 . Thepatch 250 may be affixed to theface 210 by any means known to a person skilled in the art, including via adhesives and mechanical fasteners, but it is most preferable to custom mold thepatch 250 onto theface 210. When apatch 250 of theinventive material 100 is custom molded onto agolf club face 210, it reduces or eliminates the need for a separate adhesive layer between theface 210 and thepatch 250 and guarantees a perfect fit between thepatch 250 and any part with which it is molded. In each of these embodiments, theface 210 preferably is composed of a metal material, such as stainless steel or titanium alloy. - In each of the embodiments shown in
FIGS. 5-9 , the overall thickness of the resulting golf clubstriking face 300 is controlled by varying the thickness of themetal face 210, the variable thickness core (e.g., SMC or metal) material included in theinventive material 100, or both. In each of the embodiments shown in these Figures, thepatch 250 can be smoothly blended with the surface of thegolf club head 200 to which it is attached, as shown inFIGS. 5, 7A, and 9 (with respect to therear patch 250 a), or disposed entirely within a recess or cavity, as shown inFIGS. 7B, 8, and 9 (with respect to thefront patch 250 b). - In each of the embodiments disclosed herein, the
joint angles 410 and configurations in thehinge regions crown 220 and sole 230, an example of which is shown inFIG. 10 , preferably are custom tailored to allow for efficient stress transfer and a more gradual transition from the fully metallic composition ofcrown 220 and sole 230 portions of theclub head 200 to the metallic and composite composition of the face. - In any of the embodiments disclosed herein, holes and/or slots may be drilled into or otherwise included in the
metal face 210 portion of theclub head 200, and can be filled with something less dense than the original material in order to reduce the overall weight of thegolf club head 200. The filler material may be a lightweight metal such as aluminum or magnesium, or a thermoset or thermoplastic material. The holes and slots may go part of the way through the thickness of themetal face 210, or may extend all the way through theface 210 before thepatch 250 disclosed herein is added. - The golf club parts, and particularly the faces, disclosed herein preferably have a variable thickness pattern, which may be any of the patterns disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,163,682, 5,318,300, 5,474,296, 5,830,084, 5,971,868, 6,007,432, 6,338,683, 6,354,962, 6,368,234, 6,398,666, 6,413,169, 6,428,426, 6,435,977, 6,623,377, 6,997,821, 7,014,570, 7,101,289, 7,137,907, 7,144,334, 7,258,626, 7,422,528, 7,448,960, 7,713,140, 8,012,041, and 8,376,876, the disclosure of each of which is incorporated in its entirety herein. The golf club parts disclosed herein may also have the variable face thickness patterns disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20120021849, the disclosure of which is incorporated in its entirety herein.
- From the foregoing it is believed that those skilled in the pertinent art will recognize the meritorious advancement of this invention and will readily understand that while the present invention has been described in association with a preferred embodiment thereof, and other embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings, numerous changes, modifications and substitutions of equivalents may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention which is intended to be unlimited by the foregoing except as may appear in the following appended claims. Therefore, the embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined in the following appended claims.
Claims (15)
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US15/014,415 US20160151682A1 (en) | 2013-09-23 | 2016-02-03 | Golf club head with composite face |
US15/878,165 US20180147458A1 (en) | 2013-09-23 | 2018-01-23 | Golf Club Head With Composite Face |
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US201361881159P | 2013-09-23 | 2013-09-23 | |
US14/158,963 US9283447B1 (en) | 2013-09-23 | 2014-01-20 | Golf club head with composite face |
US15/014,415 US20160151682A1 (en) | 2013-09-23 | 2016-02-03 | Golf club head with composite face |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US14/158,963 Division US9283447B1 (en) | 2013-09-23 | 2014-01-20 | Golf club head with composite face |
Related Child Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US15/878,165 Continuation US20180147458A1 (en) | 2013-09-23 | 2018-01-23 | Golf Club Head With Composite Face |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20160151682A1 true US20160151682A1 (en) | 2016-06-02 |
Family
ID=55449986
Family Applications (3)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US14/158,963 Active 2034-06-18 US9283447B1 (en) | 2013-09-23 | 2014-01-20 | Golf club head with composite face |
US15/014,415 Abandoned US20160151682A1 (en) | 2013-09-23 | 2016-02-03 | Golf club head with composite face |
US15/878,165 Abandoned US20180147458A1 (en) | 2013-09-23 | 2018-01-23 | Golf Club Head With Composite Face |
Family Applications Before (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US14/158,963 Active 2034-06-18 US9283447B1 (en) | 2013-09-23 | 2014-01-20 | Golf club head with composite face |
Family Applications After (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US15/878,165 Abandoned US20180147458A1 (en) | 2013-09-23 | 2018-01-23 | Golf Club Head With Composite Face |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (3) | US9283447B1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
TWM569640U (en) * | 2018-08-22 | 2018-11-11 | 莊繼舜 | Golf club head |
CN109228375B (en) * | 2018-11-01 | 2023-08-18 | 成都纵横大鹏无人机科技有限公司 | Skin forming method |
US20210016137A1 (en) * | 2019-07-19 | 2021-01-21 | Acushnet Company | Golf club head having multi-layered striking face |
US11771962B2 (en) | 2020-08-21 | 2023-10-03 | Wilson Sporting Goods Co. | Faceplate of a golf club head |
US20230181976A1 (en) * | 2021-12-10 | 2023-06-15 | Wilson Sporting Goods Co. | Golf club head having a composite face |
US11491377B1 (en) | 2021-12-28 | 2022-11-08 | Acushnet Company | Golf club head having multi-layered striking face |
US11850461B2 (en) | 2022-03-11 | 2023-12-26 | Acushnet Company | Golf club head having supported striking face |
US11786784B1 (en) | 2022-12-16 | 2023-10-17 | Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp. | Golf club head |
Citations (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4339490A (en) * | 1979-09-12 | 1982-07-13 | Mitsubishi Rayon Company, Limited | Fiber reinforced plastic sheet molding compound |
US5310185A (en) * | 1992-02-27 | 1994-05-10 | Taylor Made Golf Company | Golf club head and processes for its manufacture |
US5662293A (en) * | 1995-05-05 | 1997-09-02 | Hower; R. Thomas | Polyimide foam-containing radomes |
US6126556A (en) * | 1999-04-02 | 2000-10-03 | Hsieh; Wen-Liang | Golf club head |
US20040235584A1 (en) * | 2003-05-21 | 2004-11-25 | Bing-Ling Chao | Golf club head having a lightweight face insert and method of manufacturing it |
US20060252869A1 (en) * | 2005-05-09 | 2006-11-09 | Ashland Inc. | Synergistic filler compositions and low density sheet molding compounds therefrom |
US20070243949A1 (en) * | 2006-04-18 | 2007-10-18 | Ray Solari | Golf club head having intermittent grooves with filled polymer |
US8007369B2 (en) * | 2008-12-15 | 2011-08-30 | Cobra Golf, Inc. | Golf club head with stiffening and sound tuning composite member |
US20120010019A1 (en) * | 2010-07-08 | 2012-01-12 | Curtis Andrew J | Golf club head having a multi-material face |
Family Cites Families (40)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1562956A (en) * | 1925-03-23 | 1925-11-24 | Alfred A Guerne | Golf-club head |
US3975023A (en) * | 1971-12-13 | 1976-08-17 | Kyoto Ceramic Co., Ltd. | Golf club head with ceramic face plate |
US4581190A (en) * | 1982-04-23 | 1986-04-08 | Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha | Process for producing a wood-type golf club head |
US5417419A (en) * | 1989-06-12 | 1995-05-23 | Anderson; Donald A. | Golf club with recessed, non-metallic outer face plate |
FR2693378A1 (en) * | 1992-07-10 | 1994-01-14 | Taylor Made Golf Inc | Improvement for "iron" type golf club head. |
US5403007A (en) * | 1992-07-28 | 1995-04-04 | Chen; Archer C. C. | Golf club head of compound material |
US5445382A (en) * | 1993-01-26 | 1995-08-29 | Edo Sports, Inc. | Golf club head of entangled fiber reinforced plastic |
JPH0666730U (en) * | 1993-03-10 | 1994-09-20 | ヤマハ株式会社 | Golf club head |
US5524331A (en) | 1994-08-23 | 1996-06-11 | Odyssey Sports, Inc. | Method for manufacturing golf club head with integral inserts |
US5637045A (en) * | 1995-06-02 | 1997-06-10 | Igarashi; Lawrence Y. | Hollow wood-type golf club with vibration dampening |
US6334818B1 (en) * | 1996-09-06 | 2002-01-01 | Acushnet Company | Golf club head with an insert on the striking surface |
US6435977B1 (en) | 1999-11-01 | 2002-08-20 | Callaway Golf Company | Set of woods with face thickness variation based on loft angle |
US6364789B1 (en) * | 1999-12-30 | 2002-04-02 | Callaway Golf Company | Golf club head |
US6428427B1 (en) | 2000-10-03 | 2002-08-06 | Callaway Golf Company | Golf club head with coated striking plate |
US6443857B1 (en) * | 2001-01-12 | 2002-09-03 | Chao-Jan Chuang | Shock-absorbing golf-club head |
US6769998B2 (en) * | 2002-09-20 | 2004-08-03 | Callaway Golf Company | Iron golf club head |
US7874936B2 (en) | 2007-12-19 | 2011-01-25 | Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. | Composite articles and methods for making the same |
US8777776B2 (en) | 2003-05-21 | 2014-07-15 | Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. | Golf club head having a composite face insert |
US20080149267A1 (en) | 2006-12-26 | 2008-06-26 | Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. | Methods for fabricating composite face plates for use in golf clubs and club-heads for same |
US7140974B2 (en) | 2004-04-22 | 2006-11-28 | Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc. | Golf club head |
US8409032B2 (en) * | 2011-08-10 | 2013-04-02 | Acushnet Company | Golf club head with multi-material face |
US8096897B2 (en) | 2006-12-19 | 2012-01-17 | Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. | Golf club-heads having a particular relationship of face area to face mass |
US7985146B2 (en) | 2007-06-27 | 2011-07-26 | Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. | Golf club head and face insert |
US7874937B2 (en) | 2007-12-19 | 2011-01-25 | Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. | Composite articles and methods for making the same |
US9174099B2 (en) | 2007-12-19 | 2015-11-03 | Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. | Golf club face |
US20090163289A1 (en) | 2007-12-19 | 2009-06-25 | Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. | Method of creating scorelines in club face insert |
US8628434B2 (en) | 2007-12-19 | 2014-01-14 | Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. | Golf club face with cover having roughness pattern |
US8444504B2 (en) | 2009-07-09 | 2013-05-21 | Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. | Golf club head |
US9033822B1 (en) * | 2009-09-15 | 2015-05-19 | Callaway Golf Company | Golf club head with a compression-molded, thin-walled aft-body |
US8092318B2 (en) * | 2009-10-12 | 2012-01-10 | Nike, Inc. | Golf club assembly and golf club with suspended face plate |
US8876629B2 (en) | 2010-07-08 | 2014-11-04 | Acushnet Company | Golf club head having a multi-material face |
US9033818B2 (en) * | 2010-07-08 | 2015-05-19 | Acushnet Company | Golf club head having a multi-material face |
US20130040757A1 (en) * | 2011-08-10 | 2013-02-14 | Uday V. Deshmukh | Golf club head with multi-material face formed using spray deposition method |
US8956247B2 (en) * | 2011-08-10 | 2015-02-17 | Acushnet Company | Golf club head with multi-material face |
US20140148271A1 (en) * | 2011-08-10 | 2014-05-29 | Acushnet Company | Golf club head with multi-material face |
US8882609B2 (en) | 2012-05-31 | 2014-11-11 | Nike, Inc. | Golf club head or other ball striking device with face having modulus variance |
HUE039053T2 (en) * | 2012-11-26 | 2018-12-28 | Mitsubishi Chem Corp | Chopped carbon fiber bundles and method for producing chopped carbon fiber bundles |
US9750991B2 (en) | 2013-03-07 | 2017-09-05 | Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. | Golf club head |
US9028341B2 (en) | 2013-03-11 | 2015-05-12 | Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. | Golf club head |
US20140274446A1 (en) | 2013-03-15 | 2014-09-18 | Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. | Golf club |
-
2014
- 2014-01-20 US US14/158,963 patent/US9283447B1/en active Active
-
2016
- 2016-02-03 US US15/014,415 patent/US20160151682A1/en not_active Abandoned
-
2018
- 2018-01-23 US US15/878,165 patent/US20180147458A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4339490A (en) * | 1979-09-12 | 1982-07-13 | Mitsubishi Rayon Company, Limited | Fiber reinforced plastic sheet molding compound |
US5310185A (en) * | 1992-02-27 | 1994-05-10 | Taylor Made Golf Company | Golf club head and processes for its manufacture |
US5662293A (en) * | 1995-05-05 | 1997-09-02 | Hower; R. Thomas | Polyimide foam-containing radomes |
US6126556A (en) * | 1999-04-02 | 2000-10-03 | Hsieh; Wen-Liang | Golf club head |
US20040235584A1 (en) * | 2003-05-21 | 2004-11-25 | Bing-Ling Chao | Golf club head having a lightweight face insert and method of manufacturing it |
US20060252869A1 (en) * | 2005-05-09 | 2006-11-09 | Ashland Inc. | Synergistic filler compositions and low density sheet molding compounds therefrom |
US20070243949A1 (en) * | 2006-04-18 | 2007-10-18 | Ray Solari | Golf club head having intermittent grooves with filled polymer |
US8007369B2 (en) * | 2008-12-15 | 2011-08-30 | Cobra Golf, Inc. | Golf club head with stiffening and sound tuning composite member |
US20120010019A1 (en) * | 2010-07-08 | 2012-01-12 | Curtis Andrew J | Golf club head having a multi-material face |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US20180147458A1 (en) | 2018-05-31 |
US9283447B1 (en) | 2016-03-15 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US9283449B1 (en) | Golf club head with composite face | |
US20160151682A1 (en) | Golf club head with composite face | |
US11534666B2 (en) | Mixed material golf club head | |
US11110325B2 (en) | Mixed material golf club head | |
US11318643B2 (en) | Golf club head having multi-material face and method of manufacture | |
US7530901B2 (en) | Golf club head | |
JP4287769B2 (en) | Golf club head and manufacturing method thereof | |
CN103182167B (en) | Golf clubs and golf club heads | |
CN100462117C (en) | Golf club head | |
CN100428970C (en) | Golf club head | |
US7455600B2 (en) | Golf club head | |
US7530903B2 (en) | Golf club head | |
US9199137B2 (en) | Golf club having multi-material face | |
JP6427190B2 (en) | Lost core molded polymer golf club head | |
US20150360094A1 (en) | Golf club head with improved composite material | |
US20240082666A1 (en) | Mixed material golf club head | |
JP4680554B2 (en) | Manufacturing method of golf club head | |
CN102343676A (en) | Golf club head member with a composite layered structure and a manufacturing method thereof | |
JP6845073B2 (en) | How to make a golf club head | |
JP4550452B2 (en) | Manufacturing method of golf club head | |
JP6814123B2 (en) | Shoe sole and sole manufacturing method | |
JP2005296043A (en) | Golf club head and its manufacturing method |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: CALLAWAY GOLF COMPANY, CALIFORNIA Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:DEMILLE, BRANDON D.;EHLERS, STEVEN M.;REEL/FRAME:037655/0571 Effective date: 20131124 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., CALIFORNIA Free format text: SECURITY INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:CALLAWAY GOLF COMPANY;CALLAWAY GOLF SALES COMPANY;CALLAWAY GOLF BALL OPERATIONS, INC.;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:045350/0741 Effective date: 20171120 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |