JP2005137494A - Golf club head - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a golf club head with a larger coefficient of resilience. <P>SOLUTION: The golf club head 1 comprises a front body 10 made of an amorphous metal material, an FRP body 20, a sole plate 30 made of a metal and a weight material 40. The front body 10 has a face part 2, a metallic sole part 13, a metallic side part (toe) 14, a metallic crown part 15, a metallic side plate (heel) 16 and a hosel part 6. A clearance of 4-12 mm or so is given between the front side 31 of the sole plate 30 and the metallic sole part 13, making the FRP body 20. Preferably, the weight of the front body 10 is 20 to 70% of the total weight of the golf club head. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a hollow golf club head, and more particularly to a golf club head having a wood shape or a shape similar thereto.

  I. As a wood type golf club head such as a driver or a fairway wood, a metal member having a hollow shell structure is widely used. In general, a hollow wood-type golf club head includes a face portion for hitting a ball, a crown portion constituting an upper surface portion of the golf club head, a sole portion constituting a bottom surface portion of the golf club head, and a golf club. The head portion includes side portions constituting side portions on the toe side, rear side, and heel side of the head, and a hosel portion. A shaft is inserted into the hosel part and fixed with an adhesive or the like. Recently, many golf clubs referred to as utility clubs are also commercially available, and one type of utility golf club is similar to the wood-type golf club head (that is, the face portion, the sole portion, the side portion, and the like). Various golf clubs having a head (having a crown portion and a hosel portion) are also commercially available.

  As a metal constituting the hollow golf club head, an aluminum alloy, stainless steel, or titanium alloy is used, but in recent years, a titanium alloy is particularly widely used.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2002-11122 and 2002-224249 describe hollow golf club heads in which the face portion is made of an amorphous alloy such as zirconium and the other portions are made of metal. These publications describe that the use of an amorphous alloy for the face portion helps increase the flight distance.

  II. Generally, the sweet spot can be enlarged by increasing the volume of the hollow golf club head. Increasing the volume tends to increase the weight of the golf club head accordingly. Therefore, in order to prevent this increase in weight, it is considered to employ a fiber reinforced resin having a specific gravity smaller than that of the metal as a component of the golf club head.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-340499 discloses a golf club in which a face portion and a sole portion are made of metal, and other crown portions and toe side and heel side side portions are made of carbon fiber reinforced thermosetting resin (CFRP). The head is described. When the crown portion is made of CFRP, the crown portion is greatly bent at the time of a ball hit, and the launch angle can be increased and the coefficient of restitution can be increased. However, in this golf club head, the joint between the crown and side portions made of CFRP and the peripheral edge of the face portion is abutted. In the crown portion and the joint portion between the side portion and the face portion, remarkably large stress is generated at the time of ball hit, and there is a possibility that the joint portion is peeled off when repeatedly used.

In US Pat. No. 6,471,604, the front edge of the crown, the front edge of the sole, and the front edge of both sides are made of a return portion made of an amorphous alloy, and the face surface is made of an amorphous alloy face plate. In addition, a golf club head is described in which a rear half body (aft body) made of a resin material is joined so as to continue to the rearwardly advanced body, and an aluminum plate is disposed on a sole portion.
JP 2002-11122 A JP 2002-224249 A JP 2001-340499 A US Pat. No. 6,471,604

  I. The first object of the present invention is to provide a golf club head in which the design of the center of gravity is easy.

  II. In the golf club head of the above-mentioned US Pat. No. 6,471,604, since the sole aluminum plate is directly connected to the bottom of the rearward projecting body, the deflection on the sole side at the time of ball hit is small. A second object of the present invention is to provide a golf club head that has a large deflection on the sole side when a ball hits and has a large coefficient of restitution.

  The golf club head of the present invention (Claim 1) is a golf club head having a hollow shell structure, and the front edge portion connected to the face portion and the face portion is constituted by a front body made of an amorphous metal material, The sole portion is a golf club head which is a separate body from the front body and has a metal sole plate extending in the front-rear direction, and the other shell portion is made of fiber reinforced resin. The weight of the body is 20 to 70% of the weight of the golf club head.

  The golf club head of the present invention (Claim 2) is a golf club head having a hollow shell structure, and the front edge portion connected to the face portion and the face portion is constituted by a front body made of an amorphous metal material, The sole portion is a golf club head which is a separate body from the front body and has a metal sole plate extending in the front-rear direction, and the other shell portion is made of fiber reinforced resin. The body and the metal sole plate are separated from each other in the front-rear direction of the golf club head, and both are bonded by a fiber reinforced resin.

  In the golf club head of the present invention (Claim 1), the weight of the front body is 20 to 70%. Since the fiber reinforced resin constituting the other shell part has a remarkably low specific gravity compared to the metal, the remaining weight other than the front body can be assigned to the sole plate and the weight material arranged at the rear part of the sole plate. This makes it easy to design as desired, such as lowering the center of gravity of the golf club head or lowering it to the rear side.

  In the golf club head of the present invention (Claim 2), since the fiber reinforced resin portion between the amorphous metal front body and the sole plate bends when the ball hits, the coefficient of restitution increases, and the flight distance of the ball Will increase.

  The fiber reinforced resin portion between the amorphous metal front body and the sole plate is preferably recessed above the sole plate and the bottom surface of the front body. Thereby, even if the sole surface of the golf club head hits the ground strongly, the fiber reinforced resin portion is hardly damaged.

  By fixing the fiber reinforced resin on the inner surface of the front edge portion of the front body, the adhesion between the front body and the fiber reinforced resin can be strengthened.

  By lining the face part with a fiber reinforced resin, the face part can be reinforced or bent.

  In the present invention, in the crown part and the sole part of the front body, it is preferable that the golf club head longitudinal width on the sole side and the toe side is larger than the center part between them. Thereby, the moment of inertia of the golf club head can be increased.

  The present invention is suitable for application to a large-sized driver head that needs to be pressed to a weight of about 180 to 210 g while having a large volume of about 300 to 500 cc.

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a perspective view of a golf club head according to an embodiment, FIG. 2 is a perspective view from the front of the front body and the sole plate of the golf club head, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view from the rear of the front body. 4 (a) is a plan view of the golf club head, FIG. 4 (b) is a bottom view of the golf club head, FIG. 5 (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line V-V in FIG. 5 (b) and 5 (c) are enlarged views of portions B and C of FIG. 5 (a), FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a method of manufacturing the golf club head, and FIG. 7 is the golf club head. It is explanatory drawing of the prepreg sheet | seat used for manufacture of this FRP body.

  This golf club head 1 is a wood-type golf club head having a hollow shell structure having a face portion 2, a sole portion 3, a side portion 4, a crown portion 5 and a hosel portion 6.

  The face portion 2 is a surface that hits the ball, and is provided with a groove (score line) (not shown). The sole portion 3 constitutes a bottom portion of the golf club head, and the side portion 4 constitutes side portions on the toe side, the heel side, and the rear side. The crown portion 5 constitutes the upper surface portion of the golf club head. A shaft is inserted into the hosel portion 6 and the shaft is fixed by an adhesive.

  The golf club head 1 includes a front body 10 made of an amorphous metal material, a fiber reinforced resin body (hereinafter referred to as an FRP body) 20, a metal sole plate 30, and a weight material 40. The weight of the front body 10 is preferably 20 to 70%, particularly preferably 30 to 60% of the weight of the golf club head.

  As clearly shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the front body 10 includes a face part 2, a metal sole part 13, a metal side part (toe) 14, a metal crown part 15, a metal side part (heel) 16, And a hosel part 6.

  The metal sole portion 13 constitutes the front edge portion of the sole portion 3. The metal side portions 14 and 16 constitute the front edge portion of the side portion 4. The metal crown portion 15 constitutes the front edge portion of the crown portion 5. The metal crown portion 15 is connected to the metal side portion (toe) 14 and the metal side portion (heel) 16. The metal side part (toe) 14 and the metal side part (heel) 16 are connected to the metal sole part 13, respectively. The metal side portions 14 and 16 and the metal sole portion 13 are connected to the face portion 2.

  The metal sole portion 13 and the metal crown portion 15 have a large front-rear width (width in a direction orthogonal to the face portion 2) on the toe side and the heel side, and the other central portions 13a, 15a have a small front-rear width. This increases the moment of inertia of the golf club head. Note that the front-rear width gradually decreases from the toe side and the heel side to the central portions 13a and 15a.

  The length in the toe-heel direction of the central portions 13a, 15a having a small front-rear width is preferably about 50 to 85% of the maximum width of the front body 10 in the crown portion, and the front body 10 in the sole portion. About 55 to 80% of the maximum width is preferable.

  The front-rear width of the central portion 15a of the metal crown portion 15 is preferably about 50 to 95%, particularly about 55 to 70% of the maximum front-rear width of the front body 10, and the front-rear width of the central portion 13a of the metal sole portion 13 is 50 to 95% of the maximum front-rear width of the front body 10 is preferably about 55 to 65%.

  As clearly shown in FIG. 5, an average interval of about 4 to 12 mm, particularly about 7 to 9 mm is provided between the front side 31 of the sole plate 30 and the metal sole portion 13. An FRP body 20 exists between the two. The FRP body 20 between the metal sole portion 13 and the front side 31 of the sole plate 30 is recessed above the bottom surfaces of the metal sole portion 13 and the sole plate 30. The average depth of the recess is preferably about 0.7 to 1.5 mm. Since the FRP body 20 is recessed as described above, it is possible to prevent the FRP body 20 in the recessed portion from being strongly hit against the ground and damaged at the time of duffing. In addition, the bottom surface of the FRP body 20 in the recessed portion is curved in an arch shape in the front-rear direction of the golf club head as shown in FIG. 5 (c).

  The rear side 34 of the sole plate 30 is located near the rearmost part of the golf club head 1, but is located slightly ahead of the rearmost end of the golf club head 1.

  The sole plate 30 is disposed around the central portion of the sole portion 13 in the toe-heel direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the sole plate 30 has a front side 31 facing the metal sole portion 13, side sides 32 and 33 extending rearward from both ends of the front side 31, and a rear side 34. It is a substantially rectangular one. The front side 31 is longer than the rear side 34, and the side sides 32 and 33 are closer to the rear side. Therefore, the sole plate 30 has a substantially trapezoidal shape in plan view. The sole plate 30 is curved following the sole surface of the golf club head 1.

  The length of the front side 31 of the sole plate 30 is preferably about 50 to 75%, particularly about 60 to 75% of the length of the central portion 13a of the metal sole portion 13 in the toe-heel direction, and the length of the rear side 34 is 50 to 80% of the length of the front side 31 is preferable, especially about 55 to 75%.

  The length of the sole plate 30 in the front-rear direction is preferably about 65 to 90%, particularly about 75 to 85% of the maximum length of the golf club head 1 in the front-rear direction.

  The sole plate 30 is made of a metal material such as stainless steel, aluminum, a copper alloy, or a titanium metal material.

  A cylindrical portion 35 is erected on the rear portion of the sole plate 30 toward the golf club head 1, and a weight member 40 is fixed to the inner hole of the cylindrical portion 35 by screwing.

  A flange portion 41 is provided at the lower end of the weight member 40, and a step portion 35 a for receiving the flange portion 41 is provided at the lower edge of the inner hole of the cylindrical portion 35.

  Around the cylindrical portion 35, the sole plate 30 is slightly recessed.

  The weight member 40 is made of a metal having a higher specific gravity than the sole plate 30, such as tungsten or a tungsten alloy. The specific gravity of the weight member 40 is preferably 10 or more and particularly about 10 to 13. The center position of the weight member 40 is located on the rear side of the center of the golf club head 1 in the front-rear direction.

  A method for manufacturing this golf club head will now be described.

  In order to manufacture the golf club head 1, the metal front body 10 and the sole plate 30 and a plurality of prepreg sheets are used. It is desirable that the bonding surface of the front body 10 with the FRP body 20 is subjected to a blasting process, a thermal spraying process, or the like to enhance the bonding property with the FRP.

  FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a prepreg sheet employed in this embodiment. The prepreg sheet 51 in FIG. 7 (a) is obtained by impregnating a carbon fiber cloth with a thermosetting synthetic resin, and the prepreg sheets in FIGS. 7 (b), (c), (d), and (e). Nos. 52, 53, 54, and 60 are carbon fibers that are aligned in one direction and impregnated with a thermosetting synthetic resin. The prepreg sheets 51 to 55 constitute the lower half side of the FRP body 20 and are provided with circular openings 50 through which the cylindrical portion 35 of the sole plate 30 passes.

  The prepreg sheet 51 is directly overlaid on the sole plate 30 and has a substantially trapezoidal shape that is slightly larger than the sole plate 30.

  The prepreg sheets 52, 53, and 54 are superimposed on the prepreg sheet 51 in this order. These prepreg sheets 52 to 54 have a size in which the lower half of the FRP body 20 is developed in order to form the lower half of the FRP body 20. A plurality of cuts 55 are cut at predetermined intervals on both sides and rear edges of these prepreg sheets 52 to 54, and both sides and rear edges of the prepreg sheets 52 to 54 are the inner surfaces of the molding die. It is configured so as to be easily curved along.

  The prepreg sheet 52 has carbon fibers arranged in the toe-heel direction. The prepreg sheet 53 is oriented so that the carbon fibers obliquely cross by 60 ° in the clockwise direction with respect to the toe-heel direction. The prepreg sheet 54 is oriented so that the carbon fibers obliquely cross by 60 ° counterclockwise with respect to the toe-heel direction.

  The prepreg sheet 60 is for constituting the upper surface side of the FRP body 20, and is provided with a substantially semicircular cutout portion 61 with which the hosel portion 6 is engaged.

  In manufacturing the golf club head 1, first, the sole plate 30 is mounted on a mold having the sole of the golf club head 1 and a side-shaped cavity surface, and the prepreg sheets 51 to 54 are overlapped in this order. Then, by heating for a short time, first, these prepreg sheets 51 to 54 are semi-cured, shaped into the shape of the sole portion 22 of the FRP body 20 as shown in FIG.

  The prepreg sheet 60 is also mounted on a mold having a cavity surface in the shape of a crown, heated for a short time and semi-cured, and shaped into the shape of the crown 21 of the FRP body 20 as shown in FIG. .

  Thereafter, these prepreg sheets 60, prepreg sheets with sole plates 51 to 54, and the metal front body 10 are mounted on a molding die (not shown) of the golf club head 1.

  At this time, the front edge of the crown portion 21 made of the prepreg sheet 60 is overlapped with the lower surface (the inner surface of the head) of the metal crown portion 15. Further, the front edge of the sole portion 22 made of the prepreg sheets 51 to 54 is overlapped with the upper surface (the inner surface of the head) of the metal sole portion 13. As shown in FIG. 6, the front edge of the sole portion 22 extends forward from the front side 31 of the sole plate 30, and the rear edge of the sole portion 22 is behind the rear side 34 of the sole plate 30. It extends to. The rear edge of the crown portion 21 is overlapped with the outer surface of the rear edge of the sole portion 22.

  Next, the mold is heated, and a gas pressure such as air is introduced into the mold through the cylindrical portion 35, and the crown portion 21 and the sole portion 22 made of a semi-cured prepreg sheet are pressed against the inner surface of the mold so that the prepreg sheet is sufficiently The crown portion 21 and the sole portion 22 are fixed to the front body 10, and the crown portion 21 and the sole portion 22 are joined.

  During this molding, a part of the synthetic resin in the prepreg sheet enters between the metal sole portion 13 and the sole plate 30, and as shown in FIG. 5 (c), there is a recessed portion in which the FRP body 20 is curved in an arch shape. It is formed.

  Thereafter, the product is removed from the mold, and the weight member 40 is screwed onto the cylindrical portion 35, and finish processing such as deburring and painting is performed to obtain the product golf club head 1.

  In the golf club head configured as described above, since the portion following the front body 10 including the portion between the front plate 10 and the sole plate 30 is all FRP, the head is easily bent at the time of a ball hit, and high resilience is achieved. And the center of gravity can be deepened. In particular, in this embodiment, since the crown portion of the FRP body 20 is easily bent, the launch angle can be increased and the flight distance can be increased.

  Further, since the FRP body 20 overlaps and adheres to the inner surfaces of the metal sole portion 13, the metal crown portion 15 and the metal side portion 14 of the front body 10, the bonding strength between the front body 10 and the FRP body 20 is high. The forefront edge of the FRP body 20 is preferably in contact with the face portion 2.

  In the present invention, as the amorphous metal material, as long as it has a supercooled liquid region and can form an amorphous phase (amorphous phase), its composition is not particularly limited, and various materials can be used. For example, it is preferable to have a composition represented by the general formula: MaXb (a and b are atomic% 65 ≦ a ≦ 100, 0 ≦ b ≦ 35).

  Here, M is one or more metals selected from Zr, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Ti, Mo, W, Ca, Li, Mg, Si, Al, Pd, and Be. X is preferably an element composed of one or more metal elements selected from Y, La, Ce, Sm, Md, Hf, Nb, TaAg, Pt, Au, and Pd. In particular, a Zr-based amorphous alloy (an alloy having the largest atomic percentage of Zr in the alloy) is desirable. Zr-based amorphous alloys can obtain an amorphous structure relatively easily even if the cooling rate is reduced. An amorphous alloy is not necessarily composed of a single phase of a pure amorphous alloy. The number of microcrystalline phases, quasicrystals, and the like that can be generated by the production conditions or heat treatment of the amorphous alloy is several. It may contain vol% to several tens vol%.

  Note that the higher the non-crystallinity of an amorphous alloy, the easier it is to crack when the elastic limit is exceeded. Therefore, it is preferable to dispose a fiber reinforced resin layer up to the back surface of the face portion 2 as shown in FIG. As the fiber, glass fiber, organic fiber such as aramid fiber, and the like can be used in addition to carbon fiber.

  8 is the same as that in FIG. 5A, and the same reference numerals denote the same parts.

  The amorphous degree of the amorphous alloy is preferably 75 to 100%, particularly 80 to 98% at least in the face portion. If the crystallinity is lower than 75%, the strength of the face portion may be insufficient. In addition, if a crystalline phase is present in a part of the amorphous metal, plastic deformation is possible, and the workability and strength are excellent.

  A golf club including the golf club head of the present invention, which was prototyped using a zirconia-based amorphous metal, was hit by hitting the center of the face 500 times at a ball speed of 40 m / s using a two-piece golf ball, and evaluated for strength. Went.

  The thickness of the face was 3 mm. In addition, the workability of the amorphous metal was evaluated based on whether polishing was easy.

  As a result, it was confirmed that the amorphous metal strength of the head was sufficiently high when the non-crystallinity was 75% or more, particularly 80%. In addition, it was recognized that the workability is sufficiently excellent when the non-crystallinity is 60% or more, and particularly excellent when it is 98% or less.

1 is a perspective view of a golf club head according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view from the front of the front body and sole plate of the golf club head of FIG. 1. It is a perspective view from the back of the front body of the golf club head of FIG. FIG. 2A is a plan view of a golf club head, and FIG. 2B is a bottom view of the golf club head. 4A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line V-V in FIG. 4A, and FIGS. 4B and 4C are enlarged views of a portion B and a portion C in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the manufacturing method of the golf club head of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the prepreg sheet | seat used for manufacture of the FRP body of the golf club head of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the golf club head which concerns on another embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Golf club head 2 Face part 3 Sole part 4 Side part 5 Crown part 6 Hosel part 10 Front body 13 Metal sole part 14 Metal side part 15 Metal crown peripheral part 17 Metal back part 20 FRP body 30 Sole plate 40 Weight material 51, 52, 53, 54, 55 Prepreg sheet

Claims (14)

A golf club head having a hollow shell structure,
The hosel part, the face part, and the front edge part connected to the face part are composed of a front body made of an amorphous metal material,
The sole part is a separate body from the front body, and a metal sole plate extending in the front-rear direction is disposed,
The other shell part is a golf club head made of fiber reinforced resin,
A golf club head, wherein the weight of the front body is 20 to 70% of the weight of the golf club head. A golf club head having a hollow shell structure,
The face part and the front edge part connected to the face part are composed of a front body made of an amorphous metal material,
The sole part is a separate body from the front body, and a metal sole plate extending in the front-rear direction is disposed,
The other shell part is a golf club head made of fiber reinforced resin,
A golf club head, wherein the front body and the metal sole plate are separated from each other in the front-rear direction of the golf club head, and both are bonded by a fiber reinforced resin.   3. The golf club head according to claim 2, wherein the amorphous metal material is made of a zirconium alloy.   4. The golf club head according to claim 2, wherein the amorphous metal material has a non-crystallinity of 75 to 100% in the face portion.   5. The golf club head according to claim 2, wherein the fiber reinforced resin between the front body and the sole plate is recessed above the sole plate and the bottom surface of the front body.   6. The golf club head according to claim 2, wherein the sole plate is made of a metal material having a higher specific gravity than the amorphous metal material.   7. The golf club head according to claim 6, wherein the high specific gravity metal material is stainless steel.   8. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein a weight member made of a material having a higher specific gravity than the sole plate is fixed to a rear portion of the sole plate.   9. The golf club head according to claim 8, wherein the weight member is attached to a cylindrical portion provided in a penetrating manner in the sole plate.   10. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein a fiber reinforced resin constituting the shell body is fixed to overlap with the front edge portion. 11.   The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein a back surface of the face portion is lined with a fiber reinforced resin.   In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 11, in the crown part and sole part of this front body, the golf club head front-back direction width | variety of a sole side and a toe side is larger than the center part between them. A golf club head characterized by.   The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the golf club head has a volume of 300 to 500 cc and a weight of 180 to 210 g.   14. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the fiber reinforced resin is a carbon fiber reinforced resin.

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