Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US8870682B2/en
Timestamp: 2018-12-18 15:41:04
Document Index: 407069956

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 60', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 24', 'art 22', 'art 22']

US8870682B2 - Multi-material golf club head - Google Patents
US8870682B2
US8870682B2 US12759959 US75995910A US8870682B2 US 8870682 B2 US8870682 B2 US 8870682B2 US 12759959 US12759959 US 12759959 US 75995910 A US75995910 A US 75995910A US 8870682 B2 US8870682 B2 US 8870682B2
US12759959
US20100261540A1 (en )
A golf club head formed of multiple materials is disclosed. Those portions of the club head that are subject to high stresses during normal use of the golf club head are formed of a metallic material. Most of the material beyond what is required to maintain structural integrity, however, is removed and replaced with a lightweight material. This freed-up mass that can be redistributed to other, more beneficial locations of the club head. The lightweight material also damps vibrations generated during use of the golf club. This vibration damper may be retained in a state of compression to enhance the vibration damping. One or more weight members may be included to obtain desired center of gravity position, moments of inertia, and other club head attributes. An insert formed of multiple materials and having regions of varying thickness may also be included on a rear surface of the club head.
This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/896,238 filed on Aug. 30, 2007, now pending, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/822,197 filed on Jul. 3, 2007, now pending, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/832,228 filed on Jul. 21, 2006, which are incorporated herein by reference their entireties.
In conventional sets of iron-type golf clubs, each club includes a shaft with a club head attached to one end and a grip attached to the other end. The club head includes a face for striking a golf ball. The angle between the face and a vertical plane is called the loft angle. The set generally includes irons that are designated number 3 through number 9, and a pitching wedge. One or more additional long irons, such as those designated number 1 or number 2, and wedges, such as a gap wedge, a sand wedge, and a lob wedge, may optionally be included with the set. Alternatively, the set may include irons that are designated number 4 through number 9, a pitching wedge, and a gap wedge. Each iron has a shaft length that usually decreases through the set as the loft for each club head increases from the long irons to the short irons. The overall weight of each club head increases through the set as the shaft length decreases from the long irons to the short irons. To properly ensure that each club has a similar feel or balance during a golf swing, a measurement known as “swingweight” is often used as a criterion to define the club head weight and the shaft length. Because each of the clubs within the set is typically designed to have the same swingweight value for each different lofted club head or given shaft length, the weight of the club head is confined to a particular range.
The present invention relates to a golf club. In particular, the present invention relates to a golf club head having a multi-material construction. In one embodiment, the golf club head comprises a first body portion including at least a part of a sole of the club head. The first body portion is made of a first material having a first density. A second body portion may be coupled to a rear surface of the first body portion opposite the face. The second body portion comprises a second material having a second density. A third body portion may be coupled to at least one of the first and second body portions. The third body portion comprises a third material having a third density. In one embodiment, the third density is greater than the first density, and the first density is greater than the second density. According to one aspect of the invention, the loft of the club head may be between about 25° and about 32°.
A face insert may be coupled to the first body portion. The face insert may be made of titanium, a titanium alloy, a high strength steel, a high strength aluminum alloy, or a metal matrix composite material.
According to one aspect of the invention, the rotational moment of inertia about a vertical axis of the club head is greater than about 2800 g·cm2. In one embodiment, the rotational moment of inertia about a vertical axis is greater than about 3000 g·cm2. The club head may satisfy the following relationship:
where IZZ is the rotational moment of inertia about a vertical axis and has units of g·cm2 and CGZ is the vertical center of gravity and has units of mm.
In one embodiment, the density of the third material is greater than about 10 g/cm3. The third body portion may comprise greater than about 10% of the total mass of the club head. In addition, CGZ may be less than 17 mm. The club head may satisfy the following relationship:
I ZZ ≧CG Z *D*17
where IZZ is the rotational moment of inertia about a vertical axis and has units of g·cm2 and CGZ is the vertical center of gravity and has units of mm, and wherein D is the third density.
In one embodiment, the vertical center of gravity of the club head may be greater than about 17 mm. In addition, the second material may have a density less than about 3 g/cm3. The club head may satisfy the relationship:
I ZZ ≧CG Z *D*123
where IZZ is the rotational moment of inertia about a vertical axis and has units of g·cm2 and CGZ is the vertical center of gravity and has units of mm, and wherein D is the density of the second material.
The present invention is also directed toward a golf club head comprising a body defining a front opening with a ledge adjacent the front opening. A face insert may be coupled to the body at the ledge. The face insert may comprise titanium, a titanium alloy, a high strength steel, a high strength aluminum alloy, or a metal matrix composite material. In addition, a damping member may be intermediate the body and the face insert. The damping member may comprise bulk molding compound, rubber, urethane, polyurethane, a viscoelastic material, a thermoplastic or thermoset polymer, butadiene, polybutadiene, silicone, or combinations thereof.
According to one aspect of the invention, the rotational moment of inertia about a vertical axis may be greater than about 2800 g·cm2. The club head may satisfy the relationship:
I ZZ ≧CG Z*170.
The present invention is also directed to a set of iron type golf clubs. The set may include a golf club head having a first body portion including at least a part of a sole. The first body portion is made of a first material having a first density. A second body portion may be coupled to a rear surface of the first body portion opposite the face. The second body portion comprises a second material having a second density. A third body portion may be coupled to at least one of the first and second body portions. The third body portion comprises a third material having a third density. In one embodiment, the third density is greater than the first density, and the first density is greater than the second density. According to one aspect of the invention, at least one club head of the set may have a loft be between about 25° and about 32°. A face insert may be coupled to the first body portion. The face insert may be made of titanium, a titanium alloy, a high strength steel, a high strength aluminum alloy, or a metal matrix composite material. According to one aspect of the invention, the rotational moment of inertia about a vertical axis of each club head in the set is greater than about 2800 g·cm2.
In one embodiment, the set of clubs includes at least one club head having a vertical center of gravity less than 17 mm. In another embodiment, the set of clubs includes at least one club head having a vertical center of gravity greater than 17 mm.
In one embodiment, at least one club of the set satisfies the relationship:
In another embodiment, at least one club of the set satisfies the relationship:
According to another aspect of the invention, at least one club of the set satisfies the relationship:
Traditionally, all or a large portion of the club head body is made of a metallic material. While it is beneficial to form some parts of the club head, such as the striking face, hosel, and sole, from a metallic material, it is not necessarily beneficial to form other parts of the club head from the same material. Most of the material beyond what is required to maintain structural integrity can be considered parasitic when it comes to designing a more forgiving golf club. The present invention provides an improved golf club by removing this excess or superfluous material and redistributing it elsewhere such that it may do one or more of the following: increase the overall size of the club head, optimize the club head center of gravity, produce a greater club head moment of inertia, and/or expand the size of the club head sweet spot.
The face of the club head may be unitary with the first body part, or it may be a separate insert that is joined to the club head body. Providing the face as a separate part allows the designer more freedom in selecting the material of the ball striking face, which may be different than the rest of the club head body. Use of a face insert also allows for the use of a damping member that is retained in a state of compression, which further enhances vibration damping. According to another inventive aspect, a multi-material insert assembly is attached to the rear surface of the golf club head, opposite the striking face. This insert assembly has varying rearward thickness. A relatively thick region of the insert assembly is positioned opposite the hitting region of the striking face, the area intended to impact a golf ball during a golf swing. A region of intermediate thickness is positioned to surround an area opposite the hitting region of the face. Finally, a relatively thin region is positioned towards the top of the club head rear surface.
The face portion of the first body portion 20 preferably is provided as thin as possible, while still maintaining sufficient structural integrity to withstand the forces incurred during normal use of the golf club and while still providing a good feel to the golf club. The second body part 22 provides for a traditional or otherwise desired appearance without adding appreciable weight. The second body part 22 also acts as a spacer, allowing the third body part 24 to be positioned at a desired distance rearward from the face 11, which in turn repositions the COG rearward and/or lower with respect to traditional club heads. By so positioning the center of gravity, the golf club is more forgiving. The COG position may be lowered further by removing unnecessary mass from the top line 12. Preferred methods of doing so are disclosed in pending U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/843,622, published as Publication No. US2005/0255938, 11/266,172, published as Publication No. US2006/0052183, and 11/266,180, published as Publication No. US2006/0052184, which are incorporated herein in their entireties.
I Z ≧CG Z*170 (1)
I ZZ ≧CG Z *D*123 (2)
I ZZ ≧CG Z *D*17 (3)
where D is the density of the third body portion in g/cm3, IZZ is greater than 2800 and is in g·cm2, and CGZ is measured in millimeters (mm) in the z-direction.
A set of club heads including at least one club head with a low center of gravity and at least one club head with a higher center of gravity will preferably have clubs in the set that meet the relationship of all three equations. For example, a set of clubs may include at least one club head with a vertical center of gravity that is greater than about 17 mm. Preferably, at least one club head in the set has a center of gravity that is greater than about 18 mm. In one embodiment, at least one club head in the set has a vertical center of gravity CGZ that is greater than about 20 mm. In addition, at least one club head in the set has a vertical center of gravity CGZ that is less than about 17 mm. In another embodiment, at least one club has a center of gravity CGZ that is less than about 16.5 mm. Preferably, all of the clubs in the set have a moment of inertia IZZ that is preferably greater than about 2800 g·cm2. In addition, at least one club in the set preferably has an moment of inertia IZZ greater than 3000 g·cm2.
Preferred materials for the body 10 and the face insert 30 are discussed above with respect to the first body portion 20, and preferred materials for the damping member 40 are discussed above with respect to second body part 22. Additionally, when a face insert is used, it preferably may comprise a high strength steel or a metal matrix composite material, a high strength aluminum, or titanium. A high strength steel typically means steels other than mild low-carbon steels. A metal matrix composite (MMC) material is a type of composite material with at least two constituent parts, one being a metal. The other material may be a different metal or another material, such as a ceramic or organic compound. These materials have high strength-to-weight ratios that allow the face insert 30 to be lighter than a standard face, further freeing mass to be beneficially repositioned on the club head 1 and further enhancing the playability of the resulting golf club. It should be noted that when a face insert is used, material selection is not limited by such constraints as a requirement for malleability (such as is often the case when choosing materials for the body and hosel). If a dissimilar material with respect to the body 10 is chosen for the face insert 30 such that welding is not a readily available coupling method, brazing, explosion welding, and/or crimping may be used to couple the face insert 30 to the body 10.
A second layer 64 is provided to the rear of and abutting the first layer 62. This layer 64 is formed of a lightweight material, such as those discussed above with respect to the second body part 22. This layer 64 provides the desired sizing and damping characteristics as discussed above. The first and second layers 62, 64 may be joined together, such as via bonding. This second layer 64 may contain a lip extending outward around its perimeter, thus forming a cavity, into which the first layer 62 may be retained. In this manner, the metallic material of the first layer 62 may be isolated from the material of the club head body 10, and galvanic electrical flow between the club head body 10 and the metallic portion(s) of the face insert 30 is prevented. The third main component of the layered face insert 30 is a foil 66. The foil 66 is very thin and may be formed of a variety or materials, including materials that act to prevent galvanic corrosion. The foil 66 includes a pocket or cavity 67 sized to envelop the first and second layers 62, 64. The foil 66 may be joined to the first and second layer 62, 64 combination via an adhesive or other means, or simply by being pressed or otherwise compressed against the rear and perimeter surfaces of the second layer 64. The layered face insert is then joined to the club head body 10 in known manner, such as by bonding and/or crimping. FIG. 12 shows a front view of a golf club head 1 employing the layered face insert 30. Inclusion of the foil 66 is optional.
a first body portion formed of a first material having a first density and including:
at least a part of a sole of the club head and forming a first part of a lower sole surface,
a face portion defining a peripheral opening, and
a hosel of the club head;
a face insert coupled to the peripheral opening of the first body portion and providing at least a portion of a face of the club head;
a second body portion formed of a second material with a second density lower than the first density, the second body portion having an upper part coupled to a rear surface of the first body portion opposite the face and a lower part extending backwards from the upper part and into the sole and forming a second part of the lower sole surface; and
a third body portion coupled to at least one of the first and second body portions and formed of a third material having a third density greater than the first density,
wherein if Izz is a moment of inertia about a the vertical axis and CGz is a height in mm of a center of gravity of the club head when the club head is at address, then CGz * 170≦Izz >about 2800 g·cm2;
wherein the vertical center of gravity of the club head is greater than about 17 mm.
2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the second material has a density less than about 3 g/cm3.
3. The club head of claim 1, wherein the club head is an iron-type club head.
a first body portion including at least a part of a sole and forming a first part of a lower sole surface, a portion of a face defining an opening, and a hosel, the first body portion comprising a first material having a first density;
a face insert coupled to the opening in the first body portion and providing a central portion of the face;
a second body portion coupled to a rear surface of the first body portion opposite the face and extending down the rear surface and curving and extending into the sole and forming a second part of the lower sole surface, the second body portion comprising a second material having a second density; and
a third body portion coupled to at least one of the first and second body portions, the third body portion comprising a third material having a third density;
wherein the third density is greater than the first density and the first density is greater than the second density;
wherein a rotational moment of inertia about a vertical axis is greater than about 2800 G·cm2 and wherein a vertical center of gravity is less than about 17 mm;
wherein the club head satisfies the relationship:
where Izz is the rotational moment of inertia about the vertical axis and has units of g·cm2 and CGZ is the vertical center of gravity and has units of mm, and wherein D is the third density.
5. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein the third body portion comprises greater than about 10% of the total mass of the club head.
6. The club head of claim 4, wherein the club head is an iron-type club head.
wherein the density of the third material is greater than about 10 g/cm3;
wherein a rotational moment of inertia about a vertical axis is greater than about 2800 g·cm2 and wherein a vertical center of gravity is less than about 17 mm.
a first body portion including at least a part of a sole and forming a first part of a lower sole surface, and a hosel;
a face insert coupled to the first body portion;
a second body portion made of a material having a density D that is less dense than a first material of the first body portion and extending along and coupled to a rear surface of the first body portion and also extending back from the rear surface into the sole and forming a second part of the lower sole surface; and
a third body portion made of a third material more dense than the first material and coupled to at least one of the first and second body portions;
wherein, defining CGz as a height of a center of gravity of the club head and Izz as a rotational moment of inertia about a vertical axis when the club head is at address:
I ZZ ≧CG Z *D*123, I zz>about 2800 g·cm2, and CG z>about 17 mm.
9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the club head is an iron-type club head and further wherein Izz>about 3000 g·cm2.
10. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the loft of the club head is between about 25° and about 32°.
11. A set of iron type golf clubs comprising:
at least one club of the set comprising a first club head comprising:
a first body portion including at least a part of a sole and forming a first part of a lower sole surface, and a hosel of the first club head, the first body portion comprising a first material having a first density;
a face insert coupled to the first body portion and cooperating with the first body portion to provide a face of the club head;
a second body portion coupled to a rear surface of the first body portion opposite the face and extending back from the rear surface and into the sole and forming a second part of the lower sole surface, the second body portion comprising a second material having a second density; and
wherein the vertical center of gravity of the club head is greater than about 17 mm; and
at least one club of the set comprising a second club head comprising:
a first body portion including at least a part of a sole and forming a first part of a lower sole surface, the first body portion comprising a first material having a first density;
a second body portion coupled to a rear surface of the first body portion opposite the face and forming a second part of the lower sole surface, the second body portion comprising a second material having a second density; and
wherein the vertical center of gravity of the club head is less than about 17 mm, and
wherein all the clubs in the set have a rotational moment of inertia about a vertical axis is greater than about 2800 g·cm2.
12. The set of golf clubs of claim 11, wherein at least one of the one club of the set satisfies the relationship:
13. The set of golf clubs of claim 11, wherein at least one of the one club of the set satisfies the relationship:
14. The set of golf clubs of claim 11, wherein at least one of the one club of the set satisfies the relationship:
15. The set of golf clubs of claim 11, wherein the face insert comprises titanium, a titanium alloy, a high strength steel, a high strength aluminum alloy, or a metal matrix composite material.
a first body part comprising
a sole portion extending into a sole area member of the club head and forming a first part of a lower-most sole surface,
a hosel portion defining a hosel of the club head;
a face insert coupled to the peripheral opening of the first body part to provide a face;
a low density body part coupled to a rear surface of the first body part and comprising a back portion extending down the rear surface opposite the face,
a turn portion comprising a bend, and
a lower portion extending into the first body part and forming a second part of the lower-most sole surface, the lower portion cooperating with the first body part to define the sole area member;
a high density body part coupled to the sole area member; and
a moment of inertia about a vertical axis when the club head is at address greater than about 2800 g·cm2, wherein the first body part, the low density body part, and the high density part each includes a material not found in the others.
17. The club head of claim 16, wherein the club head is an iron-type club head.
US12759959 2006-07-21 2010-04-14 Multi-material golf club head Active 2029-10-22 US8870682B2 (en)
US14524604 Continuation-In-Part US9586104B2 (en) 2006-07-21 2014-10-27 Multi-material golf club head
US20100261540A1 true US20100261540A1 (en) 2010-10-14
US8870682B2 true US8870682B2 (en) 2014-10-28
ID=42934834
US12759959 Active 2029-10-22 US8870682B2 (en) 2006-07-21 2010-04-14 Multi-material golf club head
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Free format text: PATENT OWNERSHIP;ASSIGNOR:ROACH, RYAN L.;REEL/FRAME:024231/0053