JP2010155075A - Titanium alloy for golf-club head, and clubhead comprising the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a driver, fairway wood, utility clubhead or iron by allowing the preparation of clubhead striking face or striking face insert or metallic cap of a striking face insert or a clubhead body, and thus having a relatively low cost. <P>SOLUTION: The golf club head includes a club body and a striking face, wherein the striking face comprises a titanium alloy consisting essentially of: (A) from about 5.5 to about 6.5 wt.% aluminum; (B) from about 1.5 to about 2.2 wt.% iron; (C) from about 0.01 to about 0.1 wt.% silicon; and (D) the balance titanium. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention particularly relates to golf clubs and golf club heads (“club heads”). More particularly, the present invention relates to a striking surface of a club head made at least in part from an alloy of titanium (Ti), aluminum (Al), iron (Fe) and Si (Si).

  The set of golf clubs includes various clubs for use in various conditions or situations where the ball must be hit during a golf round. In general, for a given set of golf clubs, a “driver” to hit the ball at the longest distance of the course (from the tee), hit the ball at a shorter distance than the driver (from the tee or not from the tee) It includes a number of fairway “woods”, a set of irons that hit the ball at a distance that is generally shorter than when hitting with wood, and at least one putter. The set also includes “utility” or “hybrid” clubs that combine the characteristics of fairway wood and long irons. While drivers and putters have their very specific purposes, in fairway woods, utility clubs and irons, the choice of golfer's club to use in individual situations is personal. The shape of the club, the ease of use of the club, and the personal choice are the usual factors that a golfer decides on the choice of club.

  A golf club includes a head (also referred to as a “club head”), a handle secured to the club head, and a grip secured to the handle. An exemplary club head 10 for a driver is shown in FIG. The golf club head 10 has a metal body 12 and a striking face insert 14. It will be appreciated that other club heads, such as fairway woods or utility clubs, have similar characteristics (although shape and / or form may vary depending on the type of club).

  With regard to drivers and fairway wood, the term “wood” is based on tradition since such clubs were originally made of wood, but this type of modern club is usually made of composite materials and / or metal alloys, They are now collectively referred to as “Metalwood”. Metal alloys have certain advantages over wood, such as higher strength to weight ratio and greater durability. Alloys conventionally used for this purpose include various stainless steels (eg, 304SS, 255SS, 431SS), Al—Li alloys, Be—Cu alloys, pure (Ti), and certain Ti alloys.

  An “alloy” is a mixture of a pure metal and one or more other metals and / or other elements formulated to meet one or more special purposes that cannot be met with a pure metal . Whenever a metal becomes an alloy, one or more properties of the metal change, such as melting temperature, strength, durability, electrical resistance, thermal conductivity, heat treatability, corrosion resistance, and magnetism. Alloys are generally formulated to obtain certain desirable combinations of these properties.

  In recent years, there has been considerable research and development aimed at improving golf clubs, particularly where many people can enjoy playing golf without much actual gameplay skills. Examples of improvements include: (1) Increasing the size of the club head to increase the “sweet spot” (see below), thereby improving the chances of successfully hitting the ball with the club (2) Lowering the center of gravity of the club head to obtain a stable ball hit, a desired loft, and a desired trajectory distance; (3) Air resistance when swinging the club head aerodynamically is reduced. And (4) the shape of the sole of the club head so that the friction of the swinged club head when moving along the ground just before hitting the ball is reduced.

Larger club heads are easier with lighter weight, but strong metals have replaced wood and irons. For example, pure titanium (Ti) and Ti alloys are increasingly used in club heads. As an example, as compared with the steel having a density of 7.6~7.9g / cm ^3, density of Ti is 4.5 g / cm ^3. The relatively high strength of metal allowed hollow metal drivers, wood, and utility clubs to be hollow. In contrast, many of these types of conventional clubs have a solid structure. Recent trends include making the club head walls as thin as possible to the maximum discretionary mass. The metal used to manufacture the hollow club head must have high strength and other mechanical properties that are particularly suitable for golf clubs.

  The most widely used Ti alloy for golf clubs is “6-4Ti”, which is nominally 6% (w / w) aluminum (Al), nominal 4% (w / w) vanadium (V), and the balance of Ti. Containing. (6-4 alloys also generally contain very small amounts of other elements according to their specifications: up to 0.08% (w / w) carbon (C), up to 0.0125 hydrogen (H), 0 .25% (w / w) iron (Fe), and 0.13% (w / w) oxygen (O)). “% (W / w)” units are weight percent. The nomenclature “6-4” indicates a nominal concentration of 6% (w / w) Al and 4% (w / w) V; therefore, this alloy is also referred to as “6Al-4VTi”. The actual specification for 6-4Ti alloy allows a nominal variation of ± 0.5% in Al and V concentrations.

  Other alloys conventionally used in golf clubs are “SP700-Ti”, “15-3-3-3Ti” and “2041Ti”. SP700 alloy contains nominal 4.5% (w / w) Al, 3% (w / w) V, 2% (w / w) Fe, 2% (w / w) Mo, and the balance Ti. . 15-3-3-3 alloys are nominal 15% (w / w) V, 3% (w / w) chromium (Cr), 3% (w / w) Al, 3% (w / w) zirconium ( Zr) and the balance Ti. The 2041 alloy contains nominal 20% (w / w) V, 4% (w / w) Al, 1% (w / w) tin (Sn), and the balance Ti.

  Ti and Ti alloys provide a combination of low density and high strength, and have been used in iron club heads, putter heads, and driver heads and fairway woods. As described above, the low density of Ti and Ti alloys allows the club head to be enlarged while maintaining the club head mass within acceptable limits compared to conventional club heads. Larger club heads can be shaped to provide various advantages, including larger sweet spots. The high strength of certain Ti alloys allows the club head walls to be very thin (eg, 1 mm or less).

  In essence, all metal club heads are assembled (or have parts to be assembled) by one of two widely used manufacturing methods (forging and casting). Forging was often used for earlier, simpler and more general club head designs. However, forging cannot create complex club head shapes and structures, such as a cavity-back in an iron. In addition, the recent emergence of more highly “engineered” club heads, including irons, woods and drivers, has created cost-effective downstream machining processes that are formed tougher than possible using a forging process It is desirable to reduce as much as possible. As a result, club manufacturers have used a variety of casting methods, particularly investment casting methods that are widely used for assembling metal wood, drivers, irons, putters, and the like.

  With the recent use of more exotic materials in their assembly, club heads are also generally “engineered” to be more sophisticated forms both internally and externally. For example, as noted above, most types of drivers and wood made at least partially of metal are hollow, with thin walls having internal and external configurations that are molded according to strict standards. For example, the walls can have various ribs, pockets, orifices and / or other features to enhance performance. In addition, some manufacturers incorporate cartridges, plugs, etc. into or into one or more walls to alter the mass distribution of the club head, and thus, for example, lofts, draws and / or fades produced using clubs. To control. In any case, adding these features to the cast club head increases the complexity of the cast portion of the club head.

  In addition, the club head may have another striking surface or striking surface insert manufactured from a metal cover sheet that conforms to the golf club face plate and is subsequently trimmed to provide a striking surface for the golf club. . The striking surface insert may also include a composite portion and a metal cap or cover. The striking surface, striking surface insert or metal cap or cover can be manufactured from a metal cover sheet that matches the required shape of the golf club face plate and is subsequently trimmed to provide the striking surface of the golf club. .

  The field of promising Ti alloys that can be used in golf clubs is very limited. This is because many Ti alloys exhibit high rigidity despite their low mass, but are too easily damaged by repeated impacts while using the club for hitting a golf ball. Recently, as noted above, the most widely used Ti alloy for cast club heads and parts thereof (including another striking surface or striking surface insert) is Ti-6Al-4V.

  Some factors that make the cost of titanium-based alloys higher, such as the cost of the base metal, currently cannot be substantially changed. An element that advantageously changes from a cost standpoint is the cost of the alloying elements. In particular, with conventional Ti-6Al-4V, vanadium adds significantly to the overall cost of the alloy.

Accordingly, there is a need for a lower cost Ti alloy that has physical properties suitable for use in golf clubs but does not require expensive alloy materials such as vanadium. We now have a titanium-based alloy with a good combination of strength and ductility that does not require expensive alloy materials such as vanadium, and therefore, at a relatively low cost, a club head striking surface or striking surface. It has been found that it is possible to produce a metal cap or club head body for a surface insert or striking surface insert. This low cost alloy composition (“LCAC”) has the following composition:
A) about 5.5 to about 6.5 wt% aluminum, preferably about 5.9 to 6.5 wt% aluminum;
B) about 1.5 to about 2.2% by weight of iron, preferably about 1.4 to about 2.0% by weight;
C) about 0.01 to about 0.1 wt.%, Preferably about 0.01 to about 0.8 wt.%, Most preferably about 0.01 to about 0.05 wt.% Silicon;
D) Remaining titanium.

  The alloy is limited to oxygen limited to less than 0.2 wt%, carbon limited to less than 0.05 wt%, nitrogen limited to less than 0.04 wt%, and less than 0.02 wt% You may have hydrogen.

The alloy can be forged at 860-1160 ° C., hot rolled at 920-980 ° C., and tempered at 840 ° C.
The resulting low cost alloy is manufactured in the form of hot rolled or cold rolled sheets and i) a yield strength of about 400 to about 1500, preferably about 600 to about 1200, more preferably about 800 to about 1000 MPa; ii) about 400 to about 1500, preferably about 600 to about 1400, more preferably about 800 to about 1200 MPa tensile strength,> 10% ductility, about 25 to 55, preferably about 27 to about 50, most preferred May have mechanical properties including a Rockwell hardness of about 30 to about 40 HRC and a modulus of about 115 to about 135, preferably about 120 to about 130 GPa. When used as a separate striking surface or striking surface insert and subjected to a durability test in which impacts are repeatedly applied to those parts at a ball speed of about 40-50 m / s, the striking surface insert has a deflection of <0.1 mm. In addition to being able to show durability of> 7000 shots, the average inherent ball contact time (CT) with the striking plate measured during the durability test is much higher than that of a conventional Ti-6Al-4V alloy It was similar to the cost one.

FIG. 1 shows a golf club head 10 having a metal body 12 and a surface insert 14 that is durable and lightweight. In a preferred embodiment, the body 12 is formed by investment casting a titanium alloy. With the face insert 14 in place, the club head 10 preferably has a volume of at least 200 cc, more preferably at least 300 cc. FIG. 2 shows a surface insert that includes a composite portion 16 and a metal cap 18.

  In one aspect, the present invention provides a club body; and from about 5.5 to about 6.5 weight percent aluminum; from about 1.5 to about 2.2 weight percent iron; from about 0.01 to about 0.1. The present invention relates to a golf club head having a striking surface comprising a titanium alloy consisting essentially of weight percent silicon and the balance titanium.

  In another aspect, the present invention provides a club body; and from about 5.5 to about 6.5 weight percent aluminum; from about 1.5 to about 2.2 weight percent iron; from about 0.01 to about 0.1. It relates to a golf club head having a striking surface insert comprising a titanium alloy consisting essentially of weight percent silicon and the balance titanium.

  In another aspect, the present invention provides a club body; and from about 5.5 to about 6.5 weight percent aluminum; from about 1.5 to about 2.2 weight percent iron; from about 0.01 to about 0.1. It relates to a golf club head having a striking surface insert comprising a metal cap comprising a titanium alloy consisting essentially of weight percent silicon and the balance titanium.

  In another aspect, the present invention provides about 5.5 to about 6.5 wt% aluminum; about 1.5 to about 2.2 wt% iron; about 0.01 to about 0.1 wt% silicon And a golf club head having a club body comprising a titanium alloy consisting essentially of the remainder of titanium.

Representative non-limiting embodiments are shown here.
The concentration is expressed in “wt% or% (w / w)”. For example, for alloy elements, 4% (w / w) is 4% based on the weight of the alloy element with respect to the unit mass of the alloy.
Titanium alloy Titanium metallurgy is dominated by an allotropic crystallographic transformation occurring in pure metals at a “transus” temperature of about 882 ° C. (transus temperature is about 1670 ° C.) Much lower than the melting temperature of titanium). Below the transus temperature, pure Ti has a hexagonal close-packed structure (“HCP”) called the “alpha phase” (α-phase). Above the transus temperature, pure Ti has a body-centered cubic (“BCC”) structure called the “beta phase” (β-phase). Therefore, at room temperature, pure Ti has an α-phase structure and is stable up to the transus temperature. The β-phase structure is stable from the transus temperature to the melting temperature.

  One fundamental effect of adding alloying elements to Ti is a change in transus temperature that can control the α- and β-phases. Titanium alloys are classified as “α-alloys”, “β-alloys” or “α + β-alloys”.

Elements that have high solubility in the α-phase but not in the β-phase tend to increase the transus temperature and are therefore referred to as “α-stabilizers”. An important α-stabilizer is aluminum (Al), which is very effective at lower concentrations. (Al is also advantageous because of its light mass.) However, at higher concentrations (generally> 8% (w / w)), Al forms brittle Ti aluminide (mainly Ti ₃ Al) compounds. Due to the tendency, the amount of Al that can be added to Ti is limited. Other α-stabilizers are the so-called “interstitial” elements oxygen (O), nitrogen (N) and carbon (C).

  Elements that lower the transus temperature, readily dissolve in the β-phase and strengthen the β-phase, and have a low solubility in the α-phase are called “β-stabilizers”. Typical β-stabilizers are chromium (Cr), niobium (Nb), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), tantalum (Ta), and vanadium (V). is there. Mo and V are the most important α-stabilizers and are called “β-isomorphous” elements because they are completely intersoluble in β-phase Ti.

  Ti that contains substantially only one or more α-stabilizers (eg, Al) is referred to as an “α-alloy” or “near-α-alloy”. α-alloys and nearly α-alloys generally have good strength. A small amount of β-stabilizer enhances the formability of these alloys.

  Adding a regulated specific amount of one or more β-stabilizers to Ti results in the presence of at least some β-phase along with the α-phase in the alloy below the transus temperature. The alloy obtained at room temperature is a two-phase alloy (so-called “α + β-alloy”). Of the various Ti alloys available, the best known and most common α + β-alloys (including those for assembling golf club heads) are Ti-6Al-4V alloys (also called 6-4Ti alloys); Contains nominal 6% (w / w) aluminum (Al) and nominal 4% (w / w) vanadium (V), Al stabilizes and strengthens the α-phase, V is a significant amount of β-phase Provide). Since the nominal concentration of Al is 4.5% (w / w) and the nominal concentrations of V and Mo are 3% (w / w) and 2% (w / w) respectively, SP700Ti alloy is also an α + β-alloy. . α + β-alloys generally have good high strength.

  Ti alloys containing at least one β-stabilizer and little or no α-stabilizer are called “β-alloys” (Mo and V tend to have the greatest effect on β-stability) ). 15-3-3-3Ti alloy and 2041Ti alloy are β-alloys because their nominal concentrations of V are 15% (w / w) and 20% (w / w), respectively. β-alloys have lower deformation resistance (greater ductility) than α-alloys and promote rollability and formability (eg, cold rolled sheet forming) for assembling golf club striking plates.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,219,521 and 5,342,458 (which are all hereby incorporated by reference) describe vanadium-free alpha-beta titanium-based alloys and processes for their preparation. It is disclosed. We now have the use of such titanium-based alloys without the need for expensive alloy materials such as vanadium, and therefore have sufficient mechanical properties with relatively low cost compositions. We have found that it is possible to produce a metal cap or club head body of a club head striking surface or striking surface insert or striking surface insert. This low cost alloy composition (“LCAC”) consists essentially of the following composition:
A) about 5.5 to about 6.5 wt% aluminum, preferably about 5.9 to 6.5 wt% aluminum;
B) about 1.5 to about 2.2% by weight of iron, preferably about 1.4 to about 2.0% by weight;
C) about 0.01 to about 0.1 wt.%, Preferably about 0.01 to about 0.8 wt.%, Most preferably about 0.01 to about 0.05 wt.% Silicon;
D) Remaining titanium.

  “More essentially” means that LCAC contains the elements listed above (at each of the above concentrations), but the alloy also contains ancillary elements in small amounts (“impurity” levels) much less than 0.5%. It means that it may be contained. These accompanying elements need not be limited, but oxygen limited to less than 0.2% by weight, carbon limited to less than 0.05% by weight, nitrogen limited to less than 0.04% by weight And may have hydrogen limited to less than 0.02% by weight.

  LCACs are manufactured in the form of hot rolled or cold rolled sheets and i) a yield strength of about 400 to about 1500, preferably about 600 to about 1200, more preferably about 800 to about 1000 MPa; ii) about 400 To about 1500, preferably about 600 to about 1400, more preferably about 800 to about 1200 MPa tensile strength,> 10% ductility, about 25 to 55, preferably about 27 to about 50, most preferably about 30 to It may have mechanical properties including a Rockwell hardness of about 40 HRC and a modulus of about 115 to about 135, preferably about 120 to about 130 GPa.

  The figure, and particularly FIG. 1, shows a golf club head 10 having a body 12 and a surface insert 14, which is durable and lightweight. In one aspect of the invention, the body 12 is formed by investment casting a titanium alloy, and the surface insert 14 comprises an LCAC alloy and can be attached to the metal body 12, for example, by welding or brazing.

  It will be appreciated that other club heads, such as fairway woods or utility clubs, have similar characteristics (although shape and / or form may vary depending on the type of club). With the face insert 14 in place, the club head 10 preferably has a volume of at least 200 cc, more preferably at least 300 cc. Club head 10 preferably has excellent durability and club performance, including a coefficient of restitution (COR) of at least 0.79.

  The club head body 12 can be integrally formed using techniques such as molding, cold forming, casting and / or forging, and the surface insert 14 can be attached to the body by means known in the art. . For example, the striking surface 14 can be attached to the body 10 as described in US Patent Application Publication Nos. 2005/0239575 and 2004/0235584. The body 10 can be made from a metal alloy (eg, titanium, steel, aluminum and / or magnesium), a composite material, a ceramic material, or combinations thereof. The body 10 can also have a thin-walled structure as described in US application Ser. No. 11 / 067,475, which was filed on Feb. 25, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

  In addition to being made of LCAC, the surface insert 14 is described in US Pat. Nos. 6,997,820 and 6,904,663 (which are hereby incorporated by reference). It can have various thicknesses.

  When used as a separate striking surface or striking surface insert and subjected to a durability test in which impacts are repeatedly applied to those parts at a ball speed of about 40-50 m / s, the striking surface insert has a deflection of <0.1 mm. In addition to being able to show durability of> 7000 shots, the average inherent ball contact time (CT) with the striking plate measured during the durability test is much higher than that of a conventional Ti-6Al-4V alloy It is similar to that of a cost alloy, while savings in material costs of over 20%.

  The LCAC striking surface insert is weldable and can be welded to a body made of other titanium alloys. For example, the LCAC striking surface insert can be welded to various β-alloy body construction castings of Ti that are commonly used in the assembly of club head bodies. Since Ti alloys oxidize when heated in air, welding must be performed in a lean or inert atmosphere. Vacuum welding can be performed using an electron beam or laser beam in a vacuum chamber or by the conventional “tungsten inert gas” (TIG) method. More desirably, TIG welding can be performed using a welding rod made of the same alloy as the part to be welded, for example, to avoid or minimize any reduction in aluminum welding. Adjusting the alloy concentration of the weld results in a stronger and less shadowless weld.

  Another method of assembling the casting body and the LCAC striking surface insert is adhesive bonding, which requires the use of an adhesive. The selection of a particular adhesive depends on the individual materials that bond the LCAC components and the individual stresses that the cured adhesive bond must withstand. Examples of adhesives include, but are not limited to, two-part epoxy adhesives such as DP420 and DP460 manufactured by 3M (Minneapolis, MN), acrylic adhesives such as DP810 manufactured by 3M, various urethane adhesives, and film adhesives. Agent, for example AF-42 manufactured by 3M Company.

  Yet another method of attaching the LCAC striking surface insert to another component is by, for example, a machine by performing a press to form a press fit or lip encapsulation as is commonly done by those skilled in the club head manufacturing field. It is a junction. In this regard, see US Pat. No. 5,697,855 and US Pat. No. 6,743,114, where these techniques are discussed.

  Yet another way of attaching the LCAC striking surface insert to another component is to use mechanical fasteners, such as rivets, screws, or similar fasteners as commonly done by those skilled in the field of club head manufacturing. It is mechanical joining by.

  In another aspect of the invention and as shown in FIG. 2, the striking face insert may include a metal cap 18 that includes a lightweight region 16 and an LCAC. Suitable materials for lightweight region 16 include U.S. Pat. No. 7,267,620 and pending U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 825,138 (July 2, 2007), 11 / 960,609, 12 / 004,386 and 12 / 004,387 (both dated December 19, 2007), 12 / 332,210 (December 10, 2008) and 12 / 156,947 ( (As of June 3, 2008), each of which is hereby incorporated by reference). Alternatively, the lightweight region 16 may include a non-metallic material that is less dense than the metallic material of the body 12 with a metal cap 18 that includes the LCAC that covers the front surface of the surface insert 14 and has a rim 36. In addition to composite materials such as, for example, fiber reinforced plastics or chopped fiber formulations (bulk molding formulations or sheet molding formulations), the surface insert 14 of the present invention includes injection molding polymers alone or composites. It may be included in combination with the prepreg ply. The thickness of the surface insert 14 is substantially constant or at least two thickness changes, one measured at the geometric center and the other measured at the periphery of the surface insert 14 It may be better. The overall thickness of the surface insert 14 is about 1 to about 8 mm, preferably about 2 to about 7 mm, more preferably about 2.5 to about 4 mm, and most preferably about 3 to about 4 mm.

  In one aspect of the present invention and with reference to FIG. 4, the striking surface insert 14 including the composite material lightweight region 16 and the metal cap 18 including the LCAC is excessively extended along the interface between the body 12 and the surface insert 14. It has sufficient structural strength that does not require reinforcement and further enhances the advantageous weight distribution effect. In this embodiment, the body 12 is formed of a titanium alloy, Ti-6Al-4V, but other suitable materials can be used. The surface insert 14 is supported by an annular ledge 32 and is preferably secured with an adhesive. The annular ledge 32 has a thickness of about 1.5 mm and extends about 3 to about 6 mm inward. The annular ledge 32 is fully fitted so that the surface insert 14 is generally flush with the transition end 34 of the body. In this embodiment, the annular ledge 32 extends around the front opening, but in other embodiments, multiple spaced annular ledges, eg, multiple tabs, may be used to support the surface insert 14. Is recognized.

  With continued reference to FIG. 4, the metal cap 18 of the surface insert 14 includes a rim 36 around the periphery of the composite region 16. In a preferred embodiment, the metal cap 18 is attached to the front surface of the surface insert 14 and the combined thickness of the composite region 16 and the metal cap 18 of the surface insert 14 is such that the depth of the annular ledge 32 at the front opening of the body 12. Is less than or equal to D. The rim 36 covers the side edges 38 of the composite material region 16 to further protect against composite material delamination and delamination. Preferably, the rim 36 has a height substantially the same as the thickness of the surface insert 14. In another aspect, the rim 36 may include a series of segments rather than a continuous cover on the side edges 38 of the composite material region 16. Metal cap 18 and rim 36 may be formed, for example, by stamping or other methods known to those skilled in the art. The preferred thickness of the metal cap 18 is less than about 0.5 mm, more preferably less than about 0.3 mm.

  Preferably, the composite material region 16 has a thickness of about 4.5 mm or less and the metal cap 18 has a thickness of about 0.5 mm or less. More preferably, the composite material region 16 has a thickness of about 3.5 mm or less and the metal cap 18 has a thickness of about 0.3 mm or less. The metal cap includes LCAC.

  The metal cap 18 becomes a striking surface 40 having a plurality of grooves 42. The metal cap 18 further assists in resisting wear from repeated impacts on the golf ball, even when covered with sand. A coupling gap 44 of preferably about 0.05 to 0.2 mm, more preferably about 0.1 mm is provided for adhesive attachment to the composite region 16 of the metal cap 18. In another aspect, the coupling gap 44 can be 0.2 mm or less. One or more weight members formed from one or more high density materials (eg, tungsten, lead, etc.) strategically positioned to place the club head CG in the desired location. May be included. The club head body or portions thereof may also or alternatively include one or more inserts or application objects such as those used for vibration adjustment or attenuation, acoustic adjustment or attenuation, COR operation, and the like.

  In another aspect of the invention, the club head is a striking surface and return portion that includes an LCAC, and generally includes a toe side that engages the upper side, the lower side, the heel side, and the tail portion of the club head body. It may include a striking surface and return portion extending laterally inward from the periphery of the plate portion. Accordingly, the return preferably surrounds the striking plate portion by 360 °. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the return portion may surround only a portion of the striking plate portion, eg, 270 ° or 180 °, and may be discontinuous. Such club head striking surfaces and return portions are described in further detail in US Pat. No. 7,128,661, which is hereby incorporated by reference. The tail portion of the club head body that engages or engages the return portion may include a titanium alloy. In addition to LCAC, it may also include composite materials such as non-metallic materials, preferably continuous fiber prepreg materials (in the case of resins, including thermosetting or thermoplastic materials). Other materials for the tail body include other thermoset materials or other thermoplastic materials such as injectable plastic. The tail body is preferably manufactured by brader molding, resin transfer molding, resin injection molding, injection molding, compression molding or similar methods. In a preferred method, the surface component having adhesive on the inner surface of the return portion is placed in a mold having a tailor preform for braider molding. The brader is placed inside the hollow of the preform and the surface component, pressurizes the mold, and heats it. The co-molding process secures the tail body to the surface component. Alternatively, the tail body is bonded to the surface component using an adhesive, or is mechanically fixed to the return portion.

  In another aspect of the invention, the club head may include a club head body casting from a titanium alloy including, but not limited to, LCAC, in addition to having the striking face configuration described above. The club head body 10 can be cast by various methods, such as, but not necessarily limited to, investment casting, levitation casting, centrifugal casting, and sand casting.

  At high temperatures, titanium is very reactive with oxygen and nitrogen, especially from the atmosphere, and hydrogen. Thus, melting of titanium is usually done in a dilute (“vacuum”) environment and casting of the titanium alloy is done in a dilute or inert (eg, argon) atmosphere to avoid undesirable changes in the alloy.

  Sand casting is performed in a conventional manner used for casting other metals, except that it must be cast in an inert atmosphere. Sand casting is rarely used for casting golf club members because it cannot form the details and rigorous resistance currently desired. Also, members formed by sand casting usually require a lot of finishing machining.

  Investment casting can provide the tight tolerances and form details currently desired for club head formation, thus minimizing downstream machining and finishing steps. Any investment casting method commonly used in golf club manufacture can be used. Levitation casting may be performed according to the method described in US Pat. No. 5,193,607 to Demukai et al., US Pat. No. 5,042,561 to Chandley, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference. It can be done by other suitable methods. While molten metal is conventionally poured from a crucible into a mold, in levitation casting, the molten metal is suspended in space, melted, and rushed into the mold (usually made of a ceramic material) by suction. Melting is usually performed in a water-cooled copper crucible. In this way, a titanium melt substantially free of contaminants, cleaner castings, and good yields of cast products are obtained. The heat loss from the melt is kept low by reducing the area where the molten metal contacts the crucible.

  The casting method also uses any component of the club head body for one or more cartridges, bulking members, and / or CG placement, vibration adjustment or attenuation, acoustic adjustment or attenuation, COR (coefficient of restitution) operations, etc. It can be adapted to include inserts or application objects such as

  Finishing machining (cutting, milling, drilling, boring, grinding, smoothing, polishing) required and if necessary or desirable before and / or after joining the body component to another component A surface treatment (plating, painting, coating) process is performed. Various finish machining processes are well known to those skilled in the relevant fields and are not described here.

  After the required finish machining is complete, it may be desirable to perform a suitable surface treatment of the club head, such as by plating, painting, powder coating, carburizing, passivating, or other processing. These various processes are well known to those skilled in the relevant field.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Club head 12 Main body 14 Striking surface insert 16 Light area 18 Metal cap

Claims (8)

A golf club head including a club body; and a striking surface,
The striking surface
A) about 5.5 to about 6.5 weight percent aluminum;
B) about 1.5 to about 2.2 weight percent iron;
A golf club head comprising a titanium alloy consisting essentially of from about 0.01 to about 0.1 weight percent silicon and D) the balance of titanium. A golf club head including a club body; and a striking face insert,
The strike surface insert
A) about 5.5 to about 6.5 weight percent aluminum;
B) about 1.5 to about 2.2 weight percent iron;
A golf club head comprising a titanium alloy consisting essentially of from about 0.01 to about 0.1 weight percent silicon and D) the balance of titanium. A golf club head including a club body; and a striking face insert,
The strike surface insert
A) about 5.5 to about 6.5 weight percent aluminum;
B) about 1.5 to about 2.2 weight percent iron;
A golf club head comprising a metal cap containing a titanium alloy consisting essentially of C) about 0.01 to about 0.1 weight percent silicon and D) the balance titanium. A golf club head comprising: a club body; and a striking surface component comprising a titanium alloy material, the surface component including a striking plate portion and a return portion,
Titanium alloy
A) about 5.5 to about 6.5 weight percent aluminum;
B) about 1.5 to about 2.2 weight percent iron;
A golf club head consisting essentially of about 0.01 to about 0.1 weight percent silicon and D) the balance titanium.   The golf club head of claim 4, wherein the club body comprises a composite material.   The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the club body comprises a titanium alloy. Titanium alloy
A) about 5.5 to about 6.5 weight percent aluminum;
B) about 1.5 to about 2.2 weight percent iron;
The golf club head of claim 6, consisting essentially of C) about 0.01 to about 0.1 weight percent silicon and D) the balance titanium.   The golf club head according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein the golf club is formed as a driver, fairway wood, utility club head or iron.

Images