CN211836196U - Golf club head - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to golf club heads. The casting cup may include a front portion of the golf club head including the hosel, the face portion, and a front portion of the crown, a front portion of the sole, a front portion of the heel, and a front portion of the toe. The rear hoop may be formed separately from the casting cup and coupled to the heel portion and the toe portion of the casting cup to form a metal club head body such that the club head body defines a hollow interior region, a crown opening, and a sole opening. The casting cup and the rear ring may be cast from a titanium alloy. Then, the crown and sole inserts of the composite material may be coupled to the crown and sole openings. The face portion of the casting cup may have a desirably complex geometry. The rear surface of the face portion of the casting cup may be modified before the rear ring is attached.

Description

Golf club head

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to golf club heads having cast members and related methods for making such golf club heads.

Background

With the increasing popularity and competitiveness of golf balls, a great deal of effort and resources are currently being expended to improve golf clubs. Many recent improvement activities have involved the use of new and more complex materials in combination with advanced club head engineering fits. For example, modern "wood-type" golf clubs (e.g., "drivers," "fairway woods," "iron woods," and "utility or hybrid clubs") have little resemblance to "wood" clubs, low loft long irons (low-loft long-irons), and higher-numbered fairway woods used many years ago due to their complex shaft and non-wood club heads. These modern wood-like clubs are commonly referred to as "metal woods" or simply "woods".

The current ability to make metal wood club heads from strong, lightweight metals and other materials has allowed club heads to be made hollow. The use of high strength and high fracture toughness materials has also allowed the club head walls to be made thinner, which reduces the overall weight and allows for an increase in club head size without the loss of swing speed (swing speed) due to increased weight as compared to earlier club heads. Larger club heads tend to have larger face areas and may also be manufactured with high club head inertia, thereby making the club head more "forgiving" than smaller club heads. Characteristics such as the size of the optimal impact location (also referred to as the "sweet spot") are determined by a number of variables, including the shape, contour, size, and thickness of the face plate and the location of the Center of Gravity (CG) of the club head.

Exemplary metal wood golf clubs typically include a shaft having a lower end to which a club head is attached. Most modern versions of these club heads are made, at least in part, from lightweight, yet strong metals such as titanium alloys. In some cases, the club head includes a body to which a face plate (used interchangeably herein with the terms "face" or "face insert" or "striking plate") is later attached, while in other cases, the body and face plate are cast together as a unitary structure such that the face plate does not have to be later attached to the body. The face plate defines a front surface or striking face that actually contacts the golf ball.

Considering the overall mass of a metal wood club head as the mass budget (mass budget) of the club head, at least some of the mass budget must be dedicated to providing sufficient strength and structural support for the club head. This is referred to as the "structural" quality. Any mass remaining in the budget is referred to as a "discretionary" mass or "performance" mass, which may be distributed within a metal wood club head to address performance issues, for example. Thus, the ability to reduce the structural mass of a metal wood club head without compromising strength and structural support offers the potential to increase the discretionary mass, thereby improving club performance.

One opportunity to reduce the overall mass of the club head is to reduce the mass of the face plate by reducing the thickness of the face plate; however, the opportunity to do so is somewhat limited given that the face absorbs the initial impact of the ball and thus has rather strict requirements on its physical and mechanical properties. Club manufacturers have used titanium and titanium alloys for face plate manufacturing as well as overall club head manufacturing in view of their light weight and high strength. Typically for club heads, casting processes have been used for their manufacture, taking into account their relatively complex 3D structure. Many such panels are manufactured by an investment casting process in which a suitable metal melt is cast into a preheated ceramic investment mold (investment mold) formed by a lost wax process. Investment casting has also been used to prepare the face plate, either as a unitary structure cast with the rest of the club head body, or as a separately formed face plate that is then attached to the front of the club head body, typically by welding. Although widely used, investment casting of complex shaped parts of such reactive materials can be characterized by relatively high cost and low throughput. Low casting yield may be attributed to several factors, including surface defects or surface-connected void-type defects and/or underfilling of certain mold cavity regions, particularly narrow (thin) mold cavity regions, as well as associated internal voids, shrinkage, and similar defects.

To further reconcile the deficiencies of investment cast panels, club head manufacturers also often introduce curvature into the face of the club to help compensate for directional issues caused by hits (shots hit) at locations other than the center of gravity. Thus, in addition to planar panels, a manufacturer may wish to form a face with both a heel-to-toe convex curvature (referred to as "bulge") and a crown-to-sole convex curvature (referred to as "bump"). In addition, manufacturers may also introduce a variable face thickness profile across the (across) panel. Varying the thickness of the face plate may increase the size of the club head COR region, commonly referred to as the sweet spot of the golf club head, which allows a larger area of the face plate to consistently deliver high golf ball speed and shot tolerance when a golf ball is struck with the golf club head. Moreover, varying the thickness of the face plate may facilitate reducing the weight of the face region for redistribution to additional regions of the club head.

To remedy the deficiencies of investment casting these more complex panel structures, manufacturers have turned to alternative methods of forming the panels, including laser cutting the panel shape from rolled titanium sheet, followed by forging to impart any desired bulging and bulging, followed by machining steps on a lathe to introduce any desired face thickness profile. The disadvantages of these steps include the fact that: three separate forming steps are required and the machining process of forming the variable thickness profile on the lathe is not only wasteful but also limits the profile to a circular shaped area due to the circular motion of the lathe.

It is therefore highly desirable to allow for a reduction in club head panel thickness with sufficient physical properties to create more discretionary weight available in the club head. It is also desirable that the panel can exhibit any desired bulging and bulging curvatures in addition to exhibiting any variable thickness profile having any shape, circular, elliptical, asymmetric, or otherwise. It is also desirable that a simplified process for manufacturing such panels can be employed that will produce panels having the desired thickness and physical strength properties, that will also produce panels having any desired bulge and bump and variable thickness profile while requiring a minimum of processing steps and minimizing any waste generated in the process. It is also desirable that the club head body and face may be cast simultaneously from the same material as a single unitary body rather than two pieces that must be attached later. It is also desirable that the cast panel not require chemical etching to remove or reduce the thickness of the alpha case to provide sufficient durability properties to the panel.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

Some golf club head bodies disclosed herein may be cast from 9-1-1 titanium, with the face plate being cast as an integral part of the body along with the crown, sole, skirt, and hosel. Due to the 9-1-1 titanium material, the panels and other portions of the body take up less oxygen (oxygen) from the mold and may have a reduced alpha shell thickness, resulting in greater ductility and durability. This may eliminate the need to reduce the alpha case thickness after casting using hydrofluoric acid or other hazardous chemical etchants. The casting method may include preheating the casting mold to a temperature below normal and/or coating the interior surfaces of the mold to further reduce the amount of oxygen transferred from the mold to the 9-1-1 titanium during casting.

In some embodiments, a wood-type golf club head body includes a crown, a sole, a skirt, a face plate, and a hosel; the body defines a hollow interior region; the body is cast substantially entirely from 9-1-1 titanium; and the body is cast as a single unitary casting with the face plate integrally formed with the crown, sole, skirt and hosel. The body may contain trace amounts of fluorine atoms as alloying impurities present in the titanium alloy, but since there is no etching of the face with hydrofluoric acid after casting, the content of fluorine present in the body may be very low. In some embodiments, the panel may be substantially free of fluorine atoms, such as less than 1000ppm, less than 500ppm, less than 200ppm, and/or less than 100 ppm. In some embodiments, the body may have an alpha shell thickness of 0.150mm or less, 0.100mm or less, and/or 0.070mm or less.

Some example methods include preparing a mold for casting, and then casting a golf club head body substantially entirely from 9-1-1 titanium using the mold, wherein the cast body comprises a crown, a sole, a skirt, a face plate, and a hosel, wherein the cast body defines a hollow interior region; and wherein the body is cast as a single unitary casting with the face plate integrally formed with the crown, sole, skirt and hosel during casting. Some such methods do not include etching the panel after casting. In some methods, preparing the mold comprises preheating the mold such that the mold is at a temperature of 800 ℃ or less, 700 ℃ or less, 600 ℃ or less, and/or 500 ℃ or less when casting occurs.

Also disclosed herein are golf club head embodiments comprising a metal cast cup (metallic cast cup) forming a front portion of the club head, the metal cast cup comprising a hosel, a face portion, a front portion of a crown, and a front portion of a sole. The metal rear ring may be formed separately from the casting cup and coupled to the heel portion and the toe portion of the casting cup to form a club head body such that the metal club head body defines a hollow interior region, a crown opening, and a sole opening. A composite crown insert may then be coupled to the crown opening. A bottom insert made of composite, metal, or other material may be coupled to the bottom opening. In some embodiments, there is no bottom opening or bottom insert. The casting cup and the rear ring may be cast from a titanium alloy and may be welded together to form the club head body. In some embodiments, the ring and cup comprise different metallic materials, such as two different titanium alloys or a titanium alloy and steel. The casting cup may include a face portion having a complex geometry to provide desirable performance properties. The face portion may have a twisted front surface and/or the back surface of the face may have a geometry that provides an asymmetric variable thickness profile across the face. The rear surface of the face portion of the casting cup may be machined and/or otherwise modified before the rear ring is attached such that space to access the entire rear surface of the face with a tool is increased.

Also disclosed is a method of forming a wax cup from a wax cup frame and a separately formed wax face using a wax welding process. Such wax cups may then be used to create a mold for casting a metal cup that forms the front portion of the golf club head. A two-piece wax welding process may provide manufacturing advantages, prototyping advantages, and testing advantages.

Cast panels, such as cast panels comprising titanium alloys, having novel geometries are also disclosed.

Also disclosed herein is a method of making a golf club head, the method comprising: a casting cup made of a titanium alloy and including an entire face portion of the golf club head, only a front portion of a crown of the golf club head, only a front portion of a sole of the golf club head, only a front portion of a toe of the golf club head, only a front portion of a heel of the golf club head, and a hosel such that an alpha shell is formed on a rear surface of the face portion; and machining the posterior surface of the face portion to remove at least a portion of the alpha shell from the posterior surface of the face portion.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises: forming a ring separately from the step of casting the cup; and attaching the ring to the cup such that the ring defines an outermost perimeter of the rear portion of the golf club head; wherein the step of machining the rear surface of the face portion occurs before the step of attaching the ring to the cup.

In some embodiments, the ring is formed from a metallic material other than the titanium alloy of the cup.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises: attaching a crown insert made of a composite material to the ring and a front portion of a crown of the golf club head defined by the cup; and attaching a sole insert made of a composite material to the collar and a forward portion of the sole of the golf club head defined by the cup.

In some embodiments, the at least a portion of the alpha shell is removed from the posterior surface of the facial portion without chemically etching the posterior surface of the facial portion.

In some embodiments, the step of casting the cup results in the formation of an alpha shell layer on an anterior surface of the face portion opposite the posterior surface; and the method further comprises machining the anterior surface of the face portion to remove at least a portion of the alpha shell from the anterior surface of the face portion.

Also disclosed herein is a golf club head comprising: a cup having a single unitary body, the cup being made of a titanium alloy and including an entire face portion of the golf club head, a front-only portion of a crown of the golf club head, a front-only portion of a sole of the golf club head, a front-only portion of a toe of the golf club head, a front-only portion of a heel of the golf club head, and a hosel, wherein a rear surface of the face portion of the golf club head defined by the cup is a machined surface; a ring attached to the cup and defining an outermost perimeter of the rear portion of the golf club head; and a crown insert made of a composite material and attached to the ring and a forward portion of a crown of the golf club head defined by the cup.

In some embodiments, the ring is made of a metallic material other than the titanium alloy of the cup.

In some embodiments, the cup further comprises a flange formed in a forward portion of a crown of the golf club head defined by the cup; and the crown insert is received over the flange such that the flange is positioned inside the crown insert.

In some embodiments, the golf club head further includes a sole insert made of a composite material and attached to the hoop and a forward portion of the sole of the golf club head defined by the cup.

Also disclosed herein is a wood-type golf club head comprising: a metal casting cup comprising a front portion of the club head, the front portion comprising a hosel, a face portion, a front portion of the crown, and a front portion of the sole; a metallic rear ring formed separately from the casting cup and coupled to the heel portion and the toe portion of the casting cup to form a club head body, the club head body defining a hollow interior region, a crown opening, and a sole opening; and a crown insert coupled to the crown opening.

In some embodiments, the casting cup and the back ring are comprised of a titanium alloy.

In some embodiments, the casting cup comprises a titanium alloy containing 6.75% to 9.75% by weight aluminum and 0.75% to 3.25% by weight molybdenum.

In some embodiments, the casting cup further comprises a slot in a front portion of the bottom.

In some embodiments, the rear ring is welded to the casting cup.

In some embodiments, the rear ring forms a skirt portion of the club head, defining an outermost perimeter around the rear portion of the club head.

In some embodiments, the club head further includes a sole insert coupled to the sole opening.

In some embodiments, the striking surface of the face portion is distorted such that an upper toe portion of the striking surface is more open than a lower toe portion of the striking surface and such that a lower heel portion of the striking surface is more closed than an upper heel portion of the striking surface.

In some embodiments, the club head further includes an adjustable head-shaft connection assembly coupled to the hosel.

In some embodiments, the face portion includes an asymmetric variable face thickness profile.

In some embodiments, the back surface of the face portion includes a surface pattern that is asymmetric about a center point of the face portion.

In some embodiments, the surface pattern includes a variable thickness profile that is offset toward a toe side or a heel side of the facial portion.

Also disclosed herein is a method comprising: casting a cup of a metallic material, the cast cup comprising a front portion of a golf club head, the front portion comprising an entire face portion, a front portion of a crown, a front portion of a sole, a heel portion, a toe portion, and a hosel; coupling a metal rear ring to the heel and toe portions of the casting cup to form a metal club head body, the rear ring forming a rear skirt of the club head body, the club head body defining a hollow interior region, a crown opening, and a sole opening; coupling a crown insert of composite material over the crown opening; and coupling a bottom insert of composite material over the bottom opening.

In some embodiments, the cup and the rear ring are cast from a titanium alloy.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises casting the back ring of metallic material prior to coupling the back ring to the casting cup.

In some embodiments, coupling the rear ring to the casting cup includes welding a front end of the rear ring to a toe portion and a heel portion of the casting cup.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises machining a rear surface of the face portion of the casting cup prior to coupling the rear ring to the casting cup.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises removing part or all of the alpha shell layer from the facial portion after the cup is cast and before coupling the posterior ring to the casting cup.

Also disclosed herein is a method of forming a wax cup, comprising: forming a wax cup frame comprising a front crown portion, a front sole portion, a toe portion, a heel portion, a hosel portion, and a facial opening; forming a wax surface; inserting the wax surface into the face opening of the wax cup frame; and wax welding the wax surface to the wax cup frame about a joint where an outer perimeter of the wax surface is adjacent an inner perimeter of the face opening, thereby forming a wax cup suitable for making a mold for casting a metal cup of a golf club head.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises: forming a mold around the wax cup; and casting a cup of titanium alloy in a mold, the cast cup comprising a front portion of the golf club head, the front portion comprising the entire face portion, a front portion of the crown, a front portion of the sole, a heel portion, a toe portion, and a hosel.

In some embodiments, the face has a thickness of no more than 6mm within a 5mm radius of a geometric center of the face portion, and there is an alpha shell thickness of no more than 0.30mm on an inner surface of the face portion.

The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the disclosed technology will become more apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a side view of a golf club head.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the golf club head of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the golf club head of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the golf club head of FIG. 1 showing the golf club head's original coordinate system.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the golf club head of FIG. 1 showing a coordinate system of the center of gravity.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the golf club head of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a rear view of an exemplary panel having a variable thickness.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the panel of fig. 7 taken along line 8-8 of fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the panel of fig. 7 taken along line 9-9 of fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a front view of a golf club head of the present invention showing a bulge and bump measurement system.

FIG. 11 is an illustration of a golf club head striking a golf ball on a heel side of the golf club head.

Fig. 12 is a top view of an exemplary initial pattern (initial pattern) of a wood-type club head showing a main gate (main gate), an auxiliary gate (auxiliary gate), and a flow channel (flowchannel).

Fig. 13 is a schematic depiction of a casting mold set (casting cluster) comprising a plurality of mold cavities.

FIG. 14 is a schematic depiction of another casting die set including a plurality of die cavities.

FIG. 15 is a work flow diagram indicating a method for casting a golf club head.

FIG. 16 is a table of casting data for titanium alloys obtained for six different casting machines (caster).

Fig. 17 is a continuation of the table of fig. 16.

Fig. 18 is a plot of manufacturing consumption of poured material (molten metal) of titanium alloy versus quality, which dictates the casting furnace size of the various casters.

FIG. 19 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a method for configuring a casting die set.

FIG. 20 is a bottom perspective view of yet another example golf club head disclosed herein.

FIG. 21 is an exploded bottom perspective view of the golf club head of FIG. 20.

Fig. 21A is an exploded side perspective view of the golf club head of fig. 20.

FIG. 22 is a top view of the body of the golf club head of FIG. 20.

Fig. 23 is a cross-sectional view of the body taken along line 23-23 in fig. 22.

FIG. 24 is a bottom view of the golf club head of FIG. 20.

Fig. 25 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 25-25 in fig. 24.

Fig. 26 is a heel side view of the golf club head of fig. 20.

FIG. 26A is a toe side view of the golf club head of FIG. 20.

Fig. 27 is a cross-sectional top view of the lower portion of the body of fig. 22.

Fig. 28 is a cross-sectional side view of the toe portion of the body of fig. 22.

Fig. 29 is a bottom view of the front portion of the bottom of the body of fig. 22.

FIG. 30 is an enlarged detailed cross-sectional view of the side-to-side counterweight track (side-to-side counterweight track) taken generally along line 30-30 of FIG. 29.

FIG. 31 is another enlarged detailed cross-sectional view of the side-to-side counterweight rail taken generally along line 31-31 of FIG. 29.

Fig. 32 is a bottom view of a portion of the bottom of the body of fig. 22 including front to rear weight rails.

FIG. 33 is an enlarged detailed cross-sectional view of the front to rear counterweight rail taken generally along line 33-33 of FIG. 32.

FIG. 34 is another enlarged detailed cross-sectional view of the front to rear counterweight rail taken generally along line 34-34 of FIG. 32.

FIG. 35A is a top view of the golf club head of FIG. 20 with a crown portion removed, showing a sole portion positioned in the body.

Fig. 35B is a top view of a sole portion of the golf club head of fig. 20.

Fig. 35C is a top view of the golf club head of fig. 20 with the crown portion in place.

FIG. 35D is a top view of the golf club head of FIG. 20 with both the crown portion and the sole portion removed.

FIG. 36A is a front side view of a sole portion of the golf club head of FIG. 20.

FIG. 36B is a bottom view of the sole portion of the golf club head of FIG. 20.

Fig. 36C is a side view of a crown portion of the golf club head of fig. 20.

FIG. 36D is a top view of a crown portion of the golf club head of FIG. 20.

FIG. 37 is a perspective view of another example golf club head.

Fig. 38 is a different perspective view of the club head of fig. 37 with a head-shaft connection assembly.

FIG. 39 shows how the body of the club head of FIG. 37 is formed from two pieces attached together.

Fig. 40 shows the body of fig. 39 in an assembled state.

FIG. 41 shows how the crown and sole inserts are assembled with the body of FIG. 40.

Fig. 42 shows the front of the cup face portion of the body.

Fig. 43 shows the rear of the cup face portion of the body.

Fig. 44 is a front view of the main body.

Fig. 45 is a heel side view of the body.

Fig. 46 is a top plan view of the body.

Fig. 47 is a bottom view of the body.

Fig. 48 is a cross-sectional view of a head-shaft connection assembly.

FIG. 49 illustrates a two-piece wax body (two-piece wax body) having a wax face formed separately from the remainder of the wax body.

Fig. 50 shows the wax face with the wax welded to the rest of the wax body.

Fig. 51 shows different thickness profiles on the back side of the face.

Fig. 52 shows another different thickness profile on the back side of the face.

Fig. 53 is a perspective view of the face of fig. 52.

Fig. 54 shows another different thickness profile offset to the heel side.

Fig. 55 illustrates a front side of an exemplary cast panel.

Fig. 56 shows the rear side of the cast panel of fig. 55.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of golf club heads for metal wood type golf clubs, including driver, fairway wood, iron wood, utility clubs, hybrid clubs, and the like, are described below.

The inventive features disclosed herein include all novel and non-obvious features disclosed herein, individually and in any combination with any other features. As used herein, the phrase "and/or" means "and", "or" and both ". As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" refer to one or more than one unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. As used herein, the term "comprises" means "comprising".

Reference is also made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof. The drawings illustrate particular embodiments, but other embodiments may be formed and structural changes may be made without departing from the intended scope of the disclosure. Directions and references (e.g., upper, lower, top, bottom, left, right, rear, front, heel, toe, etc.) may be used to facilitate the discussion of the figures, but are not intended to be limiting. For example, certain terms such as "upper," "lower," "horizontal," "vertical," "left," "right," and the like may be used. These terms are used where applicable to provide some clarity of description when dealing with relative relationships, particularly with respect to the illustrated embodiments. However, such terms are not intended to imply absolute relationships, positions, and/or orientations. For example, with respect to an object, an "upper" surface may be changed to a "lower" surface simply by flipping the object over. However, it is still the same object. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the claimed title is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, conditional phrases such as "capable," "may," or other phrases understood in the context of usage, are generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include but other embodiments do not include certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or steps are in any way required for one or more particular embodiments or that one or more particular embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether or not such features, elements, and/or steps are included or are performed in any particular embodiment.

It should be emphasized that the embodiments described herein are merely possible examples of implementations, merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the disclosure. Any process descriptions or blocks in flow charts should be understood as representing modules, segments, or portions of code which include one or more executable instructions for implementing specific logical functions or steps in the process, and including such alternative implementations in which functions may not be included at all or performed at all, but rather in an order from that shown or discussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved, as would be reasonably understood by those reasonably skilled in the art of the present disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the disclosure. Moreover, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover any and all combinations and subcombinations of all of the elements, features and aspects discussed above. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure, and all possible claims to various aspects or combinations of elements or steps are intended to be supported by this disclosure.

For reference, within this disclosure, reference to a "driver-type golf club head" means any metal wood-type golf club head intended primarily for use with a tee. Typically, driver-type golf club heads have a loft angle of 15 degrees or less, and more typically 12 degrees or less. Reference to a "fairway wood-type golf club head" means any wood-type golf club head intended to be used to drive a ball off the ground, but may also be used to drive a ball off the tee as well. Typically, fairway wood-type golf club heads have a loft angle of 15 degrees or greater, and more typically 16 degrees or greater. Generally, fairway wood-type golf club heads have a length from the leading edge to the trailing edge of 73-97 mm. Various definitions distinguish fairway wood golf club heads from hybrid golf club heads, which tend to resemble fairway wood golf club heads, but have a shorter leading edge to trailing edge length. Typically, the length of the hybrid golf club head from the front edge to the rear edge is 38-73 mm. Hybrid golf club heads may also be distinguished from fairway wood-type golf club heads by weight, by lie angle (lie angle), by volume, and/or by shaft length. The presently disclosed driver-type golf club heads may be 15 degrees or less in various embodiments, or 10.5 degrees or less in various embodiments. In various embodiments, the presently disclosed fairway wood-type golf club heads may be 13-26 degrees.

As illustrated in fig. 1-6, a wood-type (e.g., driver or fairway wood) golf club head, such as golf club head 2, may include a hollow body 10. The body 10 may include a crown 12, a sole 14, a skirt 16, and a face plate 18 (also referred to as a face or face portion) that define a striking surface 22 while defining an internal cavity. The panel 18 may be formed separately from the main body and attached to an opening at the front of the main body, or may be integrally formed as an integral part of the main body 10. The body 10 may include a hosel 20, the hosel 20 defining a hosel bore 24 (see FIG. 6) adapted to receive a golf club shaft. The body 10 further includes a heel portion 26, a toe portion 28, a front portion 30 and a rear portion 32.

Fig. 4-6 illustrate ideal impact locations/ origins 23, 60, original x-axis 70, original y-axis 75, and original z-axis 65, center of gravity 50 of the club head, CG x-axis 90, CG y-axis 95, and CG z-axis 85. These axes are horizontal or vertical when the club head is in the normal address position, as shown. The original axis passes through the origin 60 and the CG axis passes through CG 50.

The body may also include openings in the crown and/or sole that are overlapped or covered by inserts formed of a lightweight material, such as a composite material. For example, the crown of the body may include composite crown inserts covering a majority of the area of the crown and having a lower density than the metal from which the body is made, thereby saving weight on the crown. Similarly, the base may include one or more openings in the body that are covered by the base insert. The bottom insert may be made of a composite material, a metallic material, or other material. In embodiments where the body includes an opening in the crown or sole, such an opening may provide access to the interior cavity of the club head during manufacture, particularly where the face plate is formed as an integral part of the body during casting (and there is no face opening in the body that provides access during manufacture). The club heads disclosed herein with respect to fig. 20-36 provide examples of openings in the crown and sole that are overlapped or covered by an insert formed of a lighter material (e.g., a composite material). More information about openings in bodies and related inserts may be found in U.S. patent publication 2018/0185719 published on 7/5 of 2018 and U.S. provisional application No. 62/515,401 filed on 6/5 of 2017, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

In some embodiments, the club head may include adjustable weights (weights), such as one or more weights movable along a weight track formed in the sole and/or perimeter of the club head. Other exemplary weights may be adjusted by rotating the weight within a threaded weight port. Various ribs, struts (strut), mass pads (mass pad), and other structures may be included within the body to provide reinforcement, adjust mass distribution and MOI properties, adjust acoustic properties, and/or for other reasons.

Wood-type club heads, such as club head 2, have a mass typically measured in cubic centimeters (cm)³) The measured volume, which is equal to the volume displacement of the club head (volumetric displacement), assuming that any hole is sealed by a substantially flat surface. (see "Procedure for Measuring the Club Head Size of a wood Club" of the Club Head for Measuring the Club Head Size of a wood Club "of the United states Golf Association, version 1.0, 11/21/2003). In the case of a driver, the golf club head may have a height of about 250cm³And about 600cm³Between, such as at about 300cm³And about 500cm³And may have a total mass between about 145g and about 260 g. In the case of a fairway wood, the golf club head may have a height of about 120cm³And about 300cm³And may have a total mass of between about 115g and about 260 g. In the case of a utility club or hybrid club, the golf club head may have a height of about 80cm³And about 140cm³And may have a total mass of between about 105g and about 280 g.

The sole 14 is defined as the lower portion of the club head 2 that extends upwardly from the lowest point of the club head when the club head is ideally positioned, i.e. at a proper address position relative to a golf ball on a horizontal surface. In some embodiments, the sole 14 extends from the lowest point of the club head to the crown 12 a distance of about 50% to 60%, in some cases the distance may be about 15mm for a driver, and between about 10mm and 12mm for a fairway wood.

Materials that may be used to construct body 10 including face plate 18 may include composite materials (e.g., carbon fiber reinforced polymer materials), titanium or titanium alloys, steel or steel alloys, magnesium alloys, copper alloys, nickel alloys, and/or any other metal or metal alloy suitable for golf club head construction. Other materials, such as paint (paint), polymeric materials, ceramic materials, etc., may also be included in the body. In some embodiments, the body comprising the faceplate may be made of a metallic material, such as titanium or a titanium alloy (including, but not limited to, 9-1-1 titanium, 6-4 titanium, 3-2.5, 6-4, SP700, 15-3-3, 10-2-3 or other alpha/near alpha titanium alloys, alpha-beta titanium alloys, and beta/near beta titanium alloys); or aluminum and aluminum alloys (including but not limited to 3000 series alloys, 5000 series alloys, 6000 series alloys such as 6061-T6, and 7000 series alloys such as 7075); ti Grade 9(Ti-3Al-2.5V) having a chemical composition of 3.5-2.5% Al, 3.0-2.0% V, 0.02% N, 0.013% H, and 0.12 Fe.

Investment casting (Investment casting)g) Aspect of (1)

Injection molding is used to form a sacrificial "initial" sample of the desired casting (e.g., made of a casting "wax"). Suitable injection molds may be made of aluminum or other suitable metal or metal alloy or other material, for example, by a computer controlled machining process using a casting master. CNC (computer numerical control) machining can be used to create the complexity of the mold cavity in the mold. The cavity dimensions are established so as to compensate for the linear and volumetric shrinkage of the casting wax encountered during casting of the initial sample, and also to compensate for any similar shrinkage phenomena expected to be encountered during actual metal casting, which is later conducted using an investment casting "shell" formed from the initial sample.

Typically, a set of initial sample pieces are assembled together and attached to a central wax sprue (central wax sprue) to form a casting "die set". Each initial sample in the die set forms a respective mold cavity in a casting shell that is later formed around the die set. The central wax runner defines the location and configuration of runner channels and gates for routing molten metal introduced into the runner to the mold cavity in the casting shell. The runner channel may include one or more filters (e.g. made of ceramic) for enhancing smooth laminar flow of the molten metal into and within the casting shell, and for preventing any dross that may be trapped in the mould from entering the shell cavity.

The foundry shell is constructed by: the casting module is immersed into a liquid ceramic slurry and subsequently immersed into a bed of refractory particles. This sequence of submerging is repeated as necessary to establish a sufficient wall thickness of ceramic material around the casting die set to form the investment casting shell. An exemplary sequence of submergings includes six impregnations of the casting pattern assembly in a liquid ceramic slurry and five impregnations in a bed of refractory particles, producing an investment casting shell comprising alternating layers of ceramic slurry and refractory material. The first two layers of refractory material desirably comprise fine (300 mesh) zirconia particles, and the third through fifth layers of refractory material may comprise coarser (200 mesh to 35 mesh) alumina particles. Each layer was dried at controlled temperature (25 ± 5 ℃) and relative humidity (50 ± 5%) before the next layer was applied.

The investment casting shell is placed therein and the pressure is rapidly increased to 7-10kg/cm²In a sealed steam autoclave. Under such conditions, the wax in the shell is melted using injected steam. The shell was then baked in an oven where the temperature was ramped up to 1000 ℃ 1300 ℃ to remove residual wax and increase the strength of the shell. The shell is now ready for investment casting.

After the club head is designed and the initial sample is made, the manufacturing work is transferred to a metal caster. To make an investment casting shell, a metal caster is first configured with a die set containing multiple initial samples for individual club heads. The configuration module also relates to configuring the metal delivery system (gates and runners for later delivery of molten metal). After these tasks are completed, the casting machine proceeds with the tooling to make the casting shell.

An important aspect of configuring the die set is determining where to place the gate. The mold cavity for an individual club head typically has a main gate through which molten metal flows into the mold cavity. Additional secondary ("secondary") gates may be connected to the primary gate by flow channels. During investment casting using such a shell, molten metal flows into each mold cavity through the respective primary gate, through the flow channel, and through the secondary gate. This flow pattern requires that the mold used to form the initial sample of the club head also define the primary gate and any secondary gates. After molding the wax initial sample of the club head, the initial sample is removed from the mold and the location of the flow channels is defined by "gluing" the wax piece between the gates (using the same wax). Referring to fig. 12, fig. 12 depicts an initial sample 150 of a metal wood club head. Shown are a primary gate 152 and three secondary gates 154. Flow channels 156 interconnect the secondary and primary gates 154, 152 to one another.

Multiple initial samples of the respective club heads are then assembled into a mold set, which includes attaching a separate main gate to a "ligament". The ligament includes the runners and channels of the module. A "receiver", typically made of graphite or the like, is placed in the center of the die set where it will later be used to receive molten metal and direct the metal to the runner. The receiving portion desirably has a "funnel" configuration to aid in entry of the flow of molten metal. Additional brackets (made of graphite, for example) may be added to reinforce the modular structure.

Typically, the entire wax die set is large enough (especially if the furnace chamber that will be used to form the shell is large) to allow the wax pieces to be "glued" to the individual branches of the die set first, followed by individual ceramic coating of the individual branches before they are assembled together into the die set. The mould set is then transferred to the shell casting chamber after the branches have been assembled together.

Two exemplary modules are shown in fig. 13 and 14, respectively. In fig. 13, the depicted die set 160 includes a graphite receiver 162, graphite cross-spokes 164, runners 166, and a die cavity 168. Each mold cavity 168 is for a respective club head. The molten metal in the crucible 170 is poured into the die set 160 using a pour cup 172, the pour cup 172 directing the molten metal into the receptacle 162, into the branch 166 and then into the die cavity 168. In fig. 14, the depicted module 180 includes a receptacle 182 coupled to a mold shell runner 184. The mold cavities are of two types in this configuration, a "straight feed" cavity 186 and a "side feed" cavity 188. The molten metal in the crucible 170 is poured into the die set 180 using the pour cup 172, the pour cup 172 directing the molten metal into the receptacle 182, into the shell runner 184 and then into the die cavities 186, 188.

The reinforced wax pattern assembly is then coated with multiple layers of slurry and ceramic powder, with drying occurring between the coatings. After all layers are formed, the resulting investment casting shell is autoclaved to melt the wax within it (the ceramic and graphite parts do not melt). After removing the wax from the shell, the shell is sintered (fired), which substantially increases its mechanical strength. If the shell is to be used in a relatively small metal casting furnace (e.g. a die set capable of accommodating only one branch), the shell can now be used for investment casting. If the shell is to be used in a relatively large metal casting furnace, the shell may be assembled with other shell branches to form a large, multi-branched module.

Modern investment casting of metal alloys is typically performed while spinning the casting shell centrifugally to harness (harnesss) and harness (explore) ω from shells undergoing such motion²r the force resulting from the acceleration, where ω is the angular velocity of the shell and r is the radius of the angular motion. This rotation is performed at sub-atmospheric pressure using a rotating disc located inside the casting chamber. Omega of mould shell²The force generated by the acceleration drives the molten metal into the mold cavity without leaving voids. The investment casting shell (including its constituent mould sets and runners) is typically assembled outside of the casting chamber and heated to a preset temperature before being placed as an integral unit on a turntable in the chamber. After the shells are mounted to the carousel, the casting chamber is sealed and evacuated to a preset sub-atmospheric pressure ("vacuum") level. As the chamber is evacuated, molten alloy is prepared for casting, and the turntable begins to rotate. When the molten metal is ready for pouring into the shell, the casting chamber is at the appropriate vacuum level, the casting shell is at the appropriate temperature, and the rotating disc is rotated at the desired angular velocity. Thus, molten metal is poured into the receptacle of the casting shell and flows throughout the shell to fill the mold cavity in the shell.

As the molten metal flows into the shell cavity and contacts the cavity surfaces, the high temperature environment (from both the molten metal and the preheated shell) promotes diffusion of elements, such as oxygen, in the shell material. Although titanium casting is always performed at sub-atmospheric pressure (vacuum) and oxygen is not available in the ambient environment, oxygen can still be found in the shell (since the shell consists of multiple layers of "oxides"). The introduction of oxygen into the molten titanium causes the formation of an oxygen-rich layer, alpha shell, on the surface of the titanium object to be cast. Typically, the thickness of the alpha shell is about 1-4% of the thickness of the object.

Since the α shell is rich in oxygen, the α shell is brittle (oxygen is one of the most effective elements to increase the strength of the titanium alloy, but ductility is greatly reduced while the strength is increased), and may be easily cracked when loaded. In order to reduce the tendency to form an α shell, the diffusion rate (diffusion rate) of oxygen needs to be reduced, and in order to reduce the diffusion rate, the temperature needs to be reduced. However, it is not possible to lower the temperature of the molten titanium. Therefore, reducing the temperature of the preheated shell is one way to reduce the diffusion rate of oxygen, thereby reducing the formation of an alpha shell.

Typically, the casting shell will be heated (referred to as preheated) to aid the flow of molten titanium prior to transfer to the casting furnace. The higher the preheating temperature of the mould shell, the easier the flow of titanium. This is essential for thin-walled titanium casting and the preheat temperature can be as high as 1100-. On the other hand, such high temperatures tend to produce thick alpha shells (towards the higher end of the 1-4% wall thickness range). Therefore, if the formation of the alpha shell is a concern, the preheating temperature of the casting shell can be lowered. Typically, for non-flow critical titanium casting (where alpha shell formation is undesirable), the preheating temperature of the casting shell is below 1000 ℃, or preferably below 900 ℃.

Module casting method

As seen with reference to fig. 15, the method of making a golf club head involves preparing a die set as disclosed elsewhere in this disclosure, as shown with reference to step 361. In various embodiments, the step of preparing the module may include a preheating step as disclosed elsewhere herein. One aspect of the present disclosure is that the die set preheating may be lower than that required by conventional investment casting techniques. For example, the preheating may be about 1000 ℃ to 1400 ℃ using conventional investment casting techniques; with the presently disclosed centrifugal casting, the temperature of the preheat may be, in some embodiments, below 1000 ℃; in some embodiments, less than 800 ℃; or in some embodiments about 500c or less. In some embodiments, no preheating is required, and casting can occur at room temperature with a shell. When the module is prepared, it may be subjected to angular acceleration (acceleratedanrully) according to step 362. The metal may be heated to a molten state while the die set is being prepared and/or the die set is being accelerated, or may be an intermediate step. However, the metal may be heated to a molten state according to step 363. Molten metal is introduced into the die set according to step 364. As indicated by the dashed line leading from step 362 to step 364, the die set may be subjected to angular acceleration before, after, or simultaneously with the introduction of the molten metal into the die set. The molten metal is allowed to cool according to step 365. The die set casting is removed from the die set shell in step 366 and post-processing occurs according to step 367 and subsequent steps.

In some embodiments, step 363 comprises heating the metal to a molten state. In various embodiments, the heating temperature may be higher or lower depending on the application. In some embodiments, step 362 includes angularly accelerating the die set to an angular velocity, such as about 360 revolutions per minute. In various embodiments, the angular velocity may range from 250 revolutions per minute to 450 revolutions per minute. In various embodiments, angular velocities as low as 150rpm and as high as 600rpm may be suitable.

The step of allowing the molten metal to cool in the mold die set includes reduced waiting times as compared to conventional investment casting processes due to the lower casting temperatures. The result is improved throughput and better cycle time. In various conventional investment casting methods that rely on gravity, it is possible to cast only 6-8 parts at the maximum. With centrifugal casting, 18-25 parts or more can be cast in one cycle, increasing the throughput of a single casting cycle. In addition, the yield per gram of decant (pour) is also increased. With conventional investment casting methods, a mass of metal is used to cast a number of golf club heads. With the presently disclosed spin casting technique, the same quality of metal can be used to create more golf club heads. Improvements and developments in the technology of the current disclosure (honing) can reduce this metal mass even further per club head. Depending on the particular methodology, there may also be reduced cycle times. Furthermore, the process described herein results in a reduction in tooling and capital expenditures required for the same production requirements. Thus, the methods described herein reduce costs and improve production quality.

Furthermore, casting according to the methods described herein results in savings of material and greater throughput is achieved, as material may flow more easily to a greater number of club heads in view of increased acceleration and thus force applied to the casting. Finally, alloys that are typically manufactured using other methods can be more easily cast into similar geometries.

Gate (gating) arrangement and module arrangement

The arrangement of gates and modules involves consideration of a number of factors. These include (but are not necessarily limited to): (a) size limitations of the casting chamber of a metal casting furnace; (b) especially handling requirements during the slurry impregnation step to form the investment casting shell; (c) achieving an optimal flow pattern of the molten metal in the investment casting shell; (d) setting the die sets of the investment casting shell to have at least the minimum strength they need to withstand rotational movement during metal casting; (e) achieving a balance of minimal resistance to flow of molten metal into the mold cavity (by providing the runner with a sufficiently large cross-section) versus minimal waste of metal (e.g., by providing the runner with a small cross-section); and (f) achieving mechanical balancing of the die set about the central axis of the casting shell. Item (e) may be important because any metal remaining in the runner after casting does not form a product, but may be "contaminated" (some of which are typically recycled). These configuration factors are combined with metal casting parameters such as the temperature and time of shell preheating, the vacuum level in the metal casting chamber, and the angular velocity of the rotating disc to produce the actual casting results. As the club head wall is made thinner and thinner, careful selection and balancing of these parameters is necessary to produce proper investment casting results.

The details of investment casting as performed at a metal caster tend to be proprietary. However, experiments at various titanium casters have revealed some consistency and some general trends in the past. For example, a specific club head (with 460 cm)³Volume of 0.6mm, crown thickness and sole thickness of 0.8 mm) were manufactured at each of six titanium casting machines (with corresponding metal casting furnaces ranging from 10kg capacity to 80kg capacity), resulting in the table shown in fig. 16 anddata in fig. 17. The parameters listed in fig. 16 and 17 include the following:

“R_{maximum value}"is the maximum radius of the module

“R_{Minimum value}"is the minimum radius of the module

"Wet perimeter" is the total perimeter of a flow channel

"R (flow radius)" is the cross-sectional area/wet perimeter of the flow channel

A "sharp turn" is a 90 degree or greater turn in a runner system

"rate of consumption" is the ratio of consumption to poured material

Velocity_{Maximum value}"is the velocity at the maximum radius

Velocity_{Minimum value}"is the velocity at the minimum radius

Acceleration_{Maximum value}"is the acceleration at the maximum radius

Acceleration_{Minimum value}"is the acceleration at the smallest radius

"force_{Maximum value}"is the force at the maximum radius (note that this is an approximation of the magnitude of the force applied to the molten metal at the gate. due to each particular die set design, the true force is almost always lower than calculated, with more complex die sets exhibiting greater force reductions.)

"force_{Minimum value}"is the force at the minimum radius (note that this is an approximation of the magnitude of the force applied to the molten metal at the gate. due to each particular die set design, the true force is almost always lower than the calculated value, with more complex die sets exhibiting greater force reductions.)

Pressure_{Maximum value}"is the pressure (force) of the molten metal in the channel at the maximum radius_{Maximum value}Flow channel cross section area)

Pressure_{Minimum value}"is the pressure (force) of the molten metal in the channel at the smallest radius_{Minimum value}Flow channel cross section area)

"kinetic energy_{Maximum value}"is the kinetic energy of the molten metal at the maximum radius

"Density" is the density of the melting point of the molten metal (titanium alloy) at 1650 ℃

"viscosity" is the viscosity of molten titanium at 1650 deg.C

"Re number_{Maximum value}"Reynolds number of pipe flow at maximum radius

"Re number_{Minimum value}"with Re number_{Maximum value}Consistently defined, but at the smallest radius.

Minimum force requirement

Figures 16 and 17 provide data tables indicating that for each die set, at least a minimum force (and thus at least a minimum pressure) should be applied to the molten metal entering the casting shell to achieve good casting throughput. The force applied to the molten metal is generated in part by the mass of actual molten metal entering the mold cavities in the die set and by the centrifugal force generated by the rotating discs of the casting furnace. Reduced minimum forces are desirable because lower forces generally allow for a reduction in the amount of molten metal per club head necessary for casting. However, other factors tend to indicate increasing this force, including: thinner wall sections in the article being cast, more complex die sets (and therefore more complex flow patterns of the molten metal), reduced shell preheat temperatures (resulting in greater loss of heat energy from the molten metal as it flows into the investment casting shell), and unacceptable shell qualities such as rough mold cavity walls, etc. The data in fig. 16 and 17 indicate that the minimum force required to cast the titanium alloy club head is about 160N, and that at least a portion of the wall of the titanium alloy club head is 0.6mm thick. The casting machine 1 achieves this minimum force.

From the minimum force requirement, a lower threshold value for the amount of molten metal necessary to pour into the mould shell can be derived. The optimum metal dosage (as achieved by the casting machine 1) for club heads each having a mass of about 200g (including sprue and some runner) is 386g (0.386kg), excluding inevitable pouring losses. This is equivalent to a material utilization of 200/386-52%. The accelerations (maxima) applied to the investment casting shells by casters 2-6 are all higher than the acceleration applied by caster 1, but each of casters 2-6 requires more molten metal to produce a corresponding casting yield equivalent to the casting yield achieved by caster 1.

Some wastage (splashing, adhesion of cooled metal to the side walls of the crucible and spillage (coup) of the supplied liquid titanium alloy, loss of recovery cleaning, etc.) is inevitable. The manufacturing consumption imposes an upper limit on the efficiency that can be achieved by a smaller casting furnace, i.e., as illustrated in fig. 18, the percentage of manufacturing consumption increases rapidly as the furnace size decreases.

On the other hand, smaller casting furnaces advantageously have simpler operating and maintenance requirements. Other advantages of smaller furnaces are: (a) they tend to machine smaller and simpler die sets of the die cavity; (b) smaller die sets tend to have separate respective runners feeding each die cavity, which provides a better interface-gating ratio for molten metal entering the die cavity; (c) the furnace is easier and quicker to preheat prior to casting; (d) the furnace provides a potentially higher achievable shell preheat temperature; and (e) smaller modules tend to have shorter flow channels with lower reynolds numbers and thereby a reduced likelihood of damaging turbulence. While larger casting furnaces do not tend to have these advantages, smaller casting furnaces tend to have a more inevitable drain of molten metal per mold cavity than larger furnaces.

In view of the above, cost effective casting systems (furnaces, modules, throughput, net material cost) appear to include systems of medium size, provided that the appropriate module design considerations and gate design considerations are incorporated into the configuration of the investment casting shell used in such furnaces. This can be seen by comparing casters 1, 4, and 5. With these three casters, the total amount of material used (without taking into account the manufacturing cost) is very close (664-667 g/chamber). With casting machine 1, the material amount (considering the manufacturing cost) was 386g, and the material amounts of casting machines 4 and 5 were 510 g. Thus, although casters 4 and 5 may still be improved, it appears that caster 1 has reached its limits in this regard.

Consideration of flow field

At least the minimum threshold force applied to the molten metal entering the investment casting shell may be achieved by changing the mass of molten metal entering the shell or increasing the velocity of the molten metal entering the shell, typically by lowering one and increasing the other. There are practical limits to the extent to which the mass of "poured material" (molten metal) can be reduced. As the mass of poured material is reduced, correspondingly greater acceleration is required to generate sufficient force to effectively move the molten metal into the investment casting shell. However, increasing the acceleration increases the likelihood of turbulence being created by the molten metal entering the mould shell. Turbulent flow is undesirable because it disrupts the flow pattern of the molten metal. The disrupted flow pattern may require even greater force to "push" the metal through the main gate into the mold cavity.

The reynolds number can be easily modified by changing the shape and/or size of the flow channels. For example, changing R (flow radius) will directly affect the Reynolds number. A smaller R (flow radius) will result in a smaller minimum force (the two have almost a mutual relationship). Therefore, an advantageous consideration is to first reduce the reynolds number to maintain a stable flow field of the molten metal, and then to meet the minimum force requirement by adjusting the amount of material poured.

Other factors

An additional factor is to pre-fuse the investment casting shell before introducing molten metal into the investment casting shell. Caster 1 achieves 94% throughput with a minimum reynolds number and a minimum amount of poured material (and thus force), in part because caster 1 has the highest shell preheat temperature. Another factor is the complexity of the module. Evaluating complex die sets is very difficult and the high reynolds number typically exhibited by such die sets is not the only variable to be controlled to reduce destructive turbulence of molten metal in such die sets. For example, the number of "tight turns" (90 degree turns or greater) in the runners and mold cavities of the die set is also a factor. With respect to fig. 16 and 17, the investment casting shell used by caster 1 has one sharp turn (and another, less sharp turn), while the shell used by caster 6 has three sharp turns. It is possible that the casting machine 6 needs to rotate its mould shell at a higher angular speed, as long as the flow resistance caused by these sharp turns is overcome. However, this does not eliminate the disruptive flow pattern caused by sharp turns. Accordingly, there is a need for an investment casting shell that includes simpler die sets (with fewer sharp turns to allow a more "natural" flow path for the molten metal).

Another factor is matching the runners and gates. The interface gate ratio for caster 1 is closest to 100% (indicating the best gate) compared to the substantially lower data from the other casters. "worst" is caster 3, whose investment casting shell has a reynolds number nearly as low as that of caster 1, but caster 3 achieves only 78% throughput due to poor interface gate ratio (about 23%). The low interface gate ratio exhibited by the shell of the casting machine 3 increases the difficulty of determining: the reason for the low throughput of casting machine 3 is the insufficient poured material to fill the sprue or the appearance of "two-phase flow-liquid and vacancy". In any case, the total cross-sectional areas of the runner and the gate can be kept as close to equal to each other as possible (and constant) to achieve a constant flow rate of the liquid metal throughout the housing at any time during pouring. For thin-walled titanium alloy castings, this principle is particularly applicable to the interface between the runner and the main gate, where the interface gate ratio should be no less than one (1.0).

Yet another factor is the cross-sectional shape of the flow channel. Comparing casters 4 and 5 and casters 2 and 5, the triangular cross-section runners appear to produce lower reynolds numbers than either circular or rectangular runners. Although the use of triangular section runners may cause problems with the interface gate ratio (when metal flows from such runners to a straight section gate or a circular section gate), a significant reduction in the reynolds number achieved using triangular section runners is desirable, as indicated by the difference in the poured materials used by casters 2 and 5 (39kg versus 32 kg).

A flow chart for configuring a die set for an investment casting shell is shown in figure 19. In a first step 301, general considerations of the desired module, such as size, handling and balancing, are made. Next, the complexity of the module is reduced by minimizing sharp turns and any unnecessary (of course any frequent) changes in the flow channel cross-section (step 302). The interface gate ratio is kept as close to unity as possible (step 303). Also, the Reynolds number is minimized as much as practicable (step 304). The angular speed (RPM) of the turntable is fine-tuned and the shell preheat temperature is increased to produce the highest possible product throughput (step 305). Iterations (306) of steps 304, 305 are typically required to achieve satisfactory yields. In step 308, after a satisfactory yield is achieved (307), the mass of poured material (molten metal) is gradually reduced to reduce the force required to drive the molten metal throughout the die set, but without reducing product yield, and while maintaining other casting parameters.

More information about investment casting methods and apparatus for casting thin-walled club heads using titanium alloys and other materials may be found in U.S. patent No. 7,513,296 issued on 4-7, 2009 and U.S. publication No. 2016/0175666 issued on 6-23, 2016, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Although these incorporated references disclose methods and systems for casting club head bodies that do not include a face plate (to which the face plate is later attached), the same or similar methods and systems may be used to cast the club head bodies disclosed herein with the same or similar benefits and advantages, where the face in the integrally cast part of the body is not separately formed and is not later attached to the body.

More information on the coating on the mold for casting titanium alloys, as well as methods for producing molds for casting titanium alloys with a calcium oxide facecoat, may be found in U.S. patent No. 5,766,329 issued 6/16 of 1998, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Club head including cast titanium alloy body/face

Cast faces may have the advantages of lower cost and complete freedom of design compared to titanium golf club faces formed for sheet machining processes or forging processes. However, golf club faces cast from conventional titanium alloys, such as 6-4Ti, require chemical etching to remove the alpha case on one or both sides so that the face is durable. This etching requires the use of Hydrofluoric (HF) acid, a chemical etchant that is difficult to handle, extremely harmful to humans and other materials, environmentally polluting, and expensive.

A face cast from a titanium alloy (collectively referred to herein as "9-1-1 Ti") comprising aluminum (e.g., 8.5-9.5% Al), vanadium (e.g., 0.9-1.3% V), and molybdenum (e.g., 0.8-1.1% Mo), optionally with other minor alloying elements and impurities, may have a less pronounced alpha shell, which renders hydrofluoric acid etching unnecessary or at least less necessary than faces made from conventional 6-4Ti and other titanium alloys.

Further, 9-1-1Ti can have minimum mechanical properties of 820MPa yield strength, 958MPa tensile strength, and 10.2% elongation. These minimum properties may be significantly better than typical cast titanium alloys such as 6-4Ti, which may have minimum mechanical properties of 812MPa yield strength, 936MPa tensile strength, and 6% elongation.

A golf club head cast to include a face as an integral part of the body (e.g., simultaneously cast as a single cast object) may provide superior structural properties compared to a club head in which the face is formed separately and later attached (e.g., welded or bolted) to a front opening in the club head body. However, the advantage of having an integrally cast Ti face is reduced by the need to remove the alpha shell on the surface of the cast Ti face.

With the club head disclosed herein including integrally cast 9-1-1Ti face and body elements, the disadvantages of having to remove the alpha case may be eliminated or at least significantly reduced. For cast 9-1-1Ti faces, the thickness of the alpha shell may be about 0.15mm or less, or about 0.20mm or less, or about 0.30mm or less, such as between 0.10mm and 0.30mm in some embodiments, using a conventional mold preheat temperature of 1000 ℃ or greater, while for cast 6-4Ti faces, the thickness of the alpha shell may be greater than 0.15mm, or greater than 0.20mm, or greater than 0.30mm, such as from about 0.25mm to about 0.30mm in some embodiments.

In some cases, the reduced thickness of the alpha shell of a 9-1-1Ti panel (e.g., 0.15mm or less) may not be thin enough to provide sufficient durability required for the panel and to avoid the need to etch away some of the alpha shell with harsh chemical etchants such as HF acid. In this case, the preheating temperature of the mold may be reduced (e.g., to less than 800 ℃, less than 700 ℃, less than 600 ℃, and/or less than or equal to 500 ℃) prior to pouring the molten titanium alloy into the mold. This may further reduce the amount of oxygen transferred from the mold to the cast titanium alloy, resulting in a thinner alpha shell (e.g., less than 0.15mm, less than 0.10mm, and/or less than 0.07 mm). This provides better ductility and durability to the cast body/face unit, which is especially important for panels.

The thinner alpha shell in the cast 9-1-1Ti face helps provide enhanced durability so that the face is durable enough that a portion of the alpha shell need not be removed from the face via chemical etching. Therefore, when 9-1-1Ti is used to integrally cast the body and the face, particularly when a mold having a low preheating temperature is used, hydrofluoric acid etching can be eliminated from the manufacturing process. This can simplify the manufacturing process, reduce cost, reduce safety risks and operational hazards, and eliminate the possibility of environmental contamination due to HF acid. Further, because the HF acid is not introduced to the metal, the body/face or even the entire club head may contain very little or substantially no fluorine atoms, which may be defined as less than 1000ppm, less than 500ppm, less than 200ppm, and/or less than 100ppm, wherein the presence of fluorine atoms is due to impurities in the metal material used to cast the body.

Variable face thickness and bulging properties of the face&Bump properties

In certain embodiments, a variable thickness face contour may be achieved on the panel, for example as described in U.S. patent application No. 12/006,060 and U.S. patent No. 6,997,820; 6,800,038 No; 6,824,475 No; 7,731,603 No; and 8,801,541, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Varying the thickness of the face plate may increase the size of the club head COR region, commonly referred to as the sweet spot of the golf club head, which allows a larger area of the face plate to consistently deliver high golf ball speed and shot tolerance when a golf ball is struck with the golf club head. Moreover, varying the thickness of the face plate may facilitate reducing the weight of the face region for redistribution to additional regions of the club head. For example, as shown in fig. 9, the face plate 18 has a thickness t defined between the outer surface 22 and an inner surface 40 facing the interior cavity of the golf club head. The panel 18 may include a central portion 42 positioned adjacent to the desired impact location 23 on the outer surface 22. The central portion 42 may have a thickness similar to that at the perimeter of the panel, or a slightly greater or lesser thickness. The panel 18 may also include a diverging portion (divergence) 44 extending radially outward from the central portion 42, and the diverging portion 44 may be elliptical. The inner surface 40 may be symmetrical about one or more axes and/or may be asymmetrical about one or more axes. The diverging portion 44 increases in thickness t in a direction radially outward from the central portion 42. The panel 18 includes a converging portion 46 extending from the diverging portion 44 through a transition portion 48. The thickness t of the converging portion 46 generally decreases with distance radially outward from the transition portion 48. In some cases, the transition portion 48 is an apex between the diverging portion 44 and the converging portion 46. In other embodiments, the transition portion 48 extends radially outward from the diverging portion 44 and has a substantially constant thickness t (see fig. 7-9).

In some embodiments, the cross-sectional profile of the panel 18 along any axis extending perpendicular to the panel at the ideal impact location 23 is substantially similar to fig. 7-9. In other embodiments, the cross-sectional profile may vary, for example, be asymmetric. For example, in some embodiments, the cross-sectional profile of the face plate 18 along the z-axis of the club head origin may include a central portion, a transition portion, a diverging portion, and a converging portion as described above (see fig. 7-9). However, the cross-sectional profile of the face plate 18 along the head origin x-axis may include a second diverging portion extending radially from the converging portion 46 and coupled to the converging portion via a transition portion. In alternative embodiments, the cross-sectional profile of face plate 18 along the head origin z-axis may include a second diverging portion extending radially from and coupled to the converging portion, as described above with respect to the variation along the head origin x-axis.

In some embodiments of golf club heads having a lobed face plate, the maximum face plate thickness is greater than about 4.8mm and the minimum face plate thickness is less than about 2.3 mm. In certain embodiments, the maximum panel thickness is between about 5mm and about 5.4mm, and the minimum panel thickness is between about 1.8mm and about 2.2 mm. In still more particular embodiments, the maximum panel thickness is about 5.2mm and the minimum panel thickness is about 2 mm. The face thickness should have a thickness variation of at least 25% across the (over) face (thickest compared to thinnest) in order to save weight and achieve higher ball speed for off-center hits.

In some embodiments of golf club heads having a lobed panel and a thin sole or skirt configuration, the maximum panel thickness is greater than about 3.0mm and the minimum panel thickness is less than about 3.0 mm. In certain embodiments, the maximum panel thickness is between about 3.0mm and about 4.0mm, between about 4.0mm and about 5.0mm, between about 5.0mm and about 6.0mm, or greater than about 6.0mm, and the minimum panel thickness is between about 2.5mm and about 3.0mm, between about 2.0mm and about 2.5mm, between about 1.5mm and about 2.0mm, or less than about 1.5 mm.

Fig. 10 and 11 show a golf club head 4 having a shaft 3. The club head 4 comprises a central face portion 5a, a heel portion 5b, a toe portion 5c, a crown portion 5d and a sole portion 5 e. The club head 4 further comprises a club face 6, the club face 6 comprising a curvature, commonly referred to as a bulge 8, from the heel 5b to the toe 5 c. The club face 6 also includes a curvature, commonly referred to as a crown 9, from the crown 5d to the sole 5 e. In at least one embodiment, the combination of curvatures may provide the club face 6 with a generally toric (toroidal) shape or a shape similar to the cross-section of a toric surface. The club face 6 also comprises an X axis X extending horizontally through the central face 5a from the heel 5b to the toe 5 c; a Z-axis Z extending vertically through the central face portion 5a from the crown portion 5d to the sole portion 5 e; and a Y-axis Y extending horizontally through the central face and into the page in fig. 10. The X axis X, Y and the Z axis Z are mutually orthogonal to each other.

As shown in fig. 11, the club head 4 additionally has a Center of Gravity (CG)5f inside the club head. The club head 4 has a CG X-axis, a CG Y-axis and a CG Z-axis that are mutually orthogonal to each other and pass through the CG 5f to define a CG coordinate system. The CG X-axis and the CG Y-axis lie in a horizontal plane parallel to the flat ground surface. The CG Z-axis lies in a vertical plane orthogonal to the flat ground surface. In one embodiment, the CG Y axis may coincide with the Y axis Y, but in most embodiments, the axes are not coincident.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged depiction of the club head 4 striking a golf ball B on the heel 5B of the club head. This imparts a clockwise spin to the golf ball B, which causes the golf ball to bend to the right during flight. As discussed above, striking a golf ball B on the heel 5B of club head 4 will cause the golf ball to leave club head 4 at an angle θ relative to the CG Y-axis of club head 4. It will be understood that the angle θ merely depicts the general angle at which the ball will exit the club head and is not intended to depict or imply the actual angle relative to the centerline or the point from which the angle will be measured. Angle θ further illustrates that a ball hitting the heel of the club will initially travel to the left of the centerline on the flight path.

The method used to obtain the values in this disclosure is an optical comparator method. Referring back to fig. 10, the club face 6 includes a series of score lines 11, the score lines 11 traversing the width of the club face generally along the X-axis X of the club head 4. In the optical comparator method, the club head 4 is mounted facing downward and substantially horizontally on a V-block mounted on an optical comparator. The club head 4 is oriented such that the score line 11 is substantially parallel to the X-axis of the optical comparator. More precise orientation steps may also be used. Then, the measurement is made at the geometric center point 5a on the club face. Further measurements were then made on both sides of the geometric center point 5a (eigenside) and along the X axis X of the club head 20mm away from the geometric center point 5a of the club face 6, and on both sides of the center point and along the X axis X of the club head 30mm away from the geometric center point of the club face. An arc is fitted through these five measurement points, for example by using a radius function on the machine. The arc corresponds to the circumference of a circle (circle) having a given radius. This measurement of radius is referred to as the measurement of the bulge radius.

To measure loft, the club head 4 is rotated 90 degrees so that the Z axis Z of the club head is substantially parallel to the X axis of the machine. The measurement is made at the geometric center point 5a of the club face. Then, further measurements were taken 15mm away from the geometric center point 5a and along the Z-axis Z of the club face 6 on both sides of the center point 5a, and 20mm away from the geometric center point and along the Z-axis of the club face on both sides of the center point. An arc is fitted through these five measurement points. The arc corresponds to the circumference of a circle having a given radius. This measurement of radius is referred to as a measurement of the bulge radius.

The curvature is defined as 1/R, where R is the radius of the circle corresponding to the measurement arc of the bulge or bump. As an example, having a width of 0.020cm^-1Corresponds to the bulge measured by a bulge measuring arc, which is a portion of a circle having a radius of 50 cm. Having a thickness of 0.050cm^-1Corresponds to a bulge measured by a bulge measuring arc, which is a portion of a circle having a radius of 20 cm.

In some embodiments, the face plate of the disclosed club head may have the following properties:

i) the curvature of the bump is about 0.033cm^-1And about 0.066cm^-1And the bulging curvature is greater than 0cm^-1And less than about 0.027cm^-1(ii) a And

ii) the inverse of the bulging curvature is at least 7.62cm greater than the inverse of the bulging curvature; and/or

iii) a ratio Ro of bulging curvature divided by bulging curvature is greater than about 0.28 and less than about 0.75.

The use of vacuum die casting (vacuum die casting) to produce the club heads described herein results in improved quality and reduced scrap. Furthermore, scrap due to high porosity is virtually eliminated, as is scrap after any secondary processing. The increased product density and strength results in superior surface quality and thus enables larger, thinner and more complex castings. From a machining point of view, less casting pressure is required, and tool life and die life are extended. Waste of metal or alloy due to flash is also reduced or eliminated.

By utilizing a vacuum casting process, it has been surprisingly found that the titanium body and face plate of the disclosed club head exhibit grain sizes that are much smaller than those typically observed for similar titanium objects made by investment casting, with a grain size of about 100 μm (micrometers) relative to the grain size of about 750 μm of investment cast titanium face plates. More specifically, the titanium bodies/panels disclosed herein may have a grain size of less than about 400 μm, preferably less than about 300 μm, more preferably less than about 200 μm and even more preferably less than about 150 μm and most preferably less than about 120 μm.

The titanium bodies/panels disclosed herein may also exhibit a porosity that is much lower than that typically observed for similar separately formed titanium panels made by investment casting. More specifically, the titanium panels disclosed herein may have a porosity of less than 1%, preferably less than 0.5%, more preferably less than 0.1%.

The titanium bodies/panels disclosed herein may also exhibit a yield strength as measured by ASTM E8 that is much higher than that typically observed for similar titanium panels made by investment casting.

The titanium panels disclosed herein may also exhibit a fracture toughness similar to that typically observed for similar titanium panels made by investment casting, and which is higher than that of similar panels made from wrought mill-annealed products.

The titanium panels disclosed herein may also exhibit ductility, as measured by the percent elongation reported in the tensile test, defined as the maximum elongation of the gauge length (gauge length) divided by the original gauge length, which is from about 10% to about 15%.

The titanium panels disclosed herein may also exhibit a Young's modulus of 100GPa +/-10%, preferably 100GPa +/-5%, and more preferably 100GPa +/-2%, as measured by ASTM E-111.

The titanium panels disclosed herein may also exhibit an ultimate tensile strength of 970MPa +/-10%, preferably 970MPa +/-5% and more preferably 970MPa +/-2%, as measured by ASTM E8.

The combination of the various properties described above allows for the manufacture of a metal wood titanium club head with a titanium face plate that may be 10% thinner than a similar face plate manufactured by conventional investment casting, while maintaining good, if not better, strength properties.

In addition to the strength properties of the golf club head of the present invention, in certain embodiments, the golf club head may be shaped and sized to produce an aerodynamic shape as in accordance with U.S. patent publication No. 2013/0123040a1, filed 2012 on 12/18, Willett et al, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The aerodynamics of golf club heads is also described in U.S. patent nos. 8,777,773; 8,088,021 No; 8,540,586 No; 8,858,359 No; 8,597,137 No; 8,771,101 No; 8,083,609 No; 8,550,936 No; 8,602,909 and 8,734,269, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

In addition to the strength properties of the aft body (aft body) and the aerodynamic properties of the club head, another set of properties of the club head that must be controlled are acoustic properties or the sound emitted by the golf club head when it strikes a golf ball. At a club head/golf ball impact, the club striking face deforms such that the vibrational modes of the club head associated with the club head crown, sole, or striking face are excited. Most golf club geometries are complex, consisting of surfaces with a variety of curvatures, thicknesses, and materials, and accurate calculation of club head modes can be difficult. The club head mode may be calculated using computer aided simulation tools. For the club head of the present invention, the acoustic signal generated by the ball/club impact may be evaluated as described in co-pending U.S. application No. 13/842,011 filed on 2013, 3, 15, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

In certain embodiments of the present invention, golf club heads may be attached to shafts via removable head-shaft connection assemblies, as described in detail in U.S. patent No. 8,303,431 issued 11/6/2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Additionally, in certain embodiments, the golf club head may also incorporate features that provide the golf club head and/or golf club with the ability to: not only is the shaft replaceably connected to the head, but the loft and/or lie angle of the club is also adjusted by employing a removable head-shaft connection assembly. Such adjustable sole/face connection assemblies are described in more detail in U.S. patent No. 8,025,587 issued on 9-27 of 2011, U.S. patent No. 8,235,831 issued on 8-7 of 2012, U.S. patent No. 8,337,319 issued on 12-25 of 2012, and co-pending U.S. publication No. 2011/0312437a1 filed on 6-22 of 2011, U.S. publication No. 2012/0258818a1 filed on 6-20 of 2012, U.S. publication No. 2012/0122601a1 filed on 12-29 of 2011, U.S. publication No. 2012/0071264a1 filed on 3-22 of 2011, and co-pending U.S. application No. 13/686,677 filed on 11-27 of 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

In certain embodiments, the golf club head may feature an adjustable mechanism disposed on the bottom portion to decouple the relationship between the face angle and the hosel/shaft tilt angle to allow separate adjustment of the vertical tilt (square loft) and face angle of the golf club. For example, some embodiments of golf club heads may include an adjustable sole portion that is adjustable relative to the club head body to raise and lower the rear end of the club head relative to the ground. Additional details regarding the adjustable bottom portion are provided in U.S. patent No. 8,337,319 issued on 12/25/2012, U.S. patent publication No. US2011/0152000a1 filed on 12/23/2009, U.S. patent publication No. US2011/0312437 filed on 6/22/2011, U.S. patent publication No. US2012/0122601a1 filed on 12/29/2011, and co-pending U.S. application No. 13/686,677 filed on 11/27/2012, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In some embodiments, the movable weights may be adjusted by the manufacturer and/or user to adjust the position of the center of gravity of the club to give the desired performance characteristics that may be used in a golf club head. This feature is described in more detail in the following U.S. patents No. 6,773,360, No. 7,166,040, No. 7,452,285, No. 7,628,707, No. 7,186,190, No. 7,591,738, No. 7,963,861, No. 7,621,823, No. 7,448,963, No. 7,568,985, No. 7,578,753, No. 7,717,804, No. 7,717,805, No. 7,530,904, No. 7,540,811, No. 7,407,447, No. 7,632,194, No. 7,846,041, No. 7,419,441, No. 7,713,142, No. 7,744,484, No. 7,223,180, and No. 7,410,425, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

According to some embodiments of the golf club heads described herein, the golf club head may further include a slidably repositionable weight positioned in the sole portion and/or skirt portion of the club head. Among other advantages, slidably repositionable weights facilitate the ability of the end user of the golf club to adjust the CG of the club head to be positioned over a range of positions (over ranges of locations) that relate to the position of the repositionable weights. Additional details regarding the slidably repositionable weight features are provided in more detail in the following: us patent nos. 7,775,905 and 8,444,505 and us patent application No. 13/898,313 filed on 20/5/2013 and us patent application No. 14/047,880 filed on 7/10/2013, the entire contents of each of these documents are hereby incorporated by reference, along with the contents of paragraphs [430] to [470] and fig. 93-101 of us patent publication No. 2014/0080622 corresponding to us patent application No. 13/956,046 filed on 31/7/2013; and co-pending U.S. patent application No. 62/020,972 filed on 3.7.2014 and co-pending U.S. patent application No. 62/065/552 filed on 17.10.2014, the respective contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

According to some embodiments of the golf club heads described herein, the golf club head may also include a coefficient of restitution feature (coefficient of restitution) that defines a gap in the body of the club, for example, positioned on the sole portion and proximate the face. Such coefficient of restitution features are described more fully below: U.S. patent application No. 12/791,025 filed on day 1, 2010 and U.S. patent application No. 13/338,197 filed on day 12, 2011 and U.S. patent application No. 13/839,727 filed on day 3, 2013 and month 15 (U.S. publication No. 2014/0274457a 1) and U.S. patent application No. 14/457,883 filed on day 12, 2014 and U.S. patent application No. 14/573,701 filed on day 12, 2014, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Additional exemplary club heads

Fig. 20-36D illustrate another example wood-type golf club head 200, which may include any combination of the features disclosed herein. For example, the club head body 202 and face 270 may be cast as a unitary structure from a titanium alloy, as discussed herein. The club head 200 includes a raised sole construction (see the benefits discussed in US 2018/0185719), and also includes two weight rails 214, 216 having slidably adjustable weight assemblies 210, 212. The head 200 also includes both a crown insert 206 and a sole insert 208 (see exploded views in fig. 21 and 22), which may be constructed of various lightweight materials with multiple layers of fiber reinforcement arranged in a desired orientation pattern (see additional details in US 2018/0185719).

The head 200 includes a body 202, an adjustable head-shaft connection assembly 204, a crown insert 206 attached to an upper portion of the body, a sole insert 208 mounted inside the body on top of a lower portion of the body, a front weight element 210 slidably mounted in a front weight track 214, and a rear weight element 212 slidably mounted in a rear weight track 216. The club head 200 includes a front cushion or ground contacting surface 226 between the front rail 214 and the face 270, and a rear cushion or ground contacting surface 224 at the rear of the body to the heel side of the rear rail 216, wherein the remainder of the sole is raised above the ground when in the normal address position.

The club head 200 has a raised sole defined by the combination of the body 202 and the sole insert 208. For example, as shown in fig. 22 and 27, the lower portion of the body 202 includes a toe side opening 240, a heel side opening 242, and a rear rail opening 244, all of which are covered by the bottom insert 208. The rear counterweight track 216 is positioned below the bottom insert 208.

Head 200 also includes toe-side cantilevered flange 232 extending around a perimeter from rear weight rail 216 or rear seat cushion 224 approximately to the toe region adjacent the face, where flange 232 connects with a toe portion 230 of the body that extends from front seat cushion 226 to the toe. One or more optional ribs 236 may connect toe portion 230 to a raised sole adjacent the front end of toe side opening 240 in the body. Three such triangular ribs are illustrated in fig. 20 and 26A.

The club head 200 also includes a heel-side cantilevered flange 234, the heel-side cantilevered flange 234 extending from near the hosel region rearward to the rear seat cushion 224 or to the rear end of the rear weighted rail 216. In some embodiments, the two cantilevered flanges 232 and 234 may meet and/or form a continuous flange extending around the rear of the club head. The rear seat cushion 224 may optionally include a recessed rear portion 222 (as shown in fig. 26).

The lower portion of the body 202 forming a portion of the bottom may include various features, thickness variations, ribs, etc. to provide increased rigidity if desired, and to provide weight savings when rigidity is less desired. The body may include a thicker region 238, for example, near the intersection of the two weight rails 214, 216. The body may also include a thin flange or seat 260 surrounding the openings 240, 242, wherein the flange 260 is configured to receive the bottom insert 208 and mate with the bottom insert 208. The lower surface of the body may also include various internal ribs to enhance rigidity and acoustic effects (acoustics), such as ribs 262, 263, 265, and 267 shown in fig. 27 and 28.

The upper portion of the body may also include various features, thickness variations, ribs, etc. to provide increased rigidity where needed, and to provide weight savings when rigidity is less needed. For example, the body includes a thinner seat region 250 around the upper opening to receive the crown insert 206. As shown in fig. 21A, the seats 250 and 260 for the crown and sole inserts may be close to each other around the outer perimeter of the body, even sharing a common edge.

Fig. 35A-D illustrate top views of the club head 200 in various states with the crown and sole inserts in place and/or removed. Figures 36A-D illustrate the crown insert and the sole insert in greater detail. As shown in fig. 36A and 36B, the bottom insert 208 may have an irregular shape with a concave upper surface and a convex lower surface. The bottom insert 208 may also include notches 209 at the heel-heel end to accommodate fit around the rear seat pad 224 area where increased stiffness is required due to ground contact forces. In various embodiments, the base insert may cover at least about 50% of the surface area of the base, at least about 60% of the surface area of the base, at least about 70% of the surface area of the base, or at least about 80% of the surface area of the base. In another embodiment, the bottom insert covers about 50% to 80% of the surface area of the bottom. The sole insert contributes to a club head structure that is strong and stiff enough to withstand large dynamic loads imposed thereon, while remaining relatively lightweight to release discretionary mass that may be strategically distributed elsewhere within the club head.

The bottom insert 208 has a geometry and dimensions selected to cover at least the openings 240, 242, 244 in the bottom of the body, and may be secured to the frame by gluing or other secure fastening techniques. In some embodiments, the flange 260 may be provided with a notch (indexing) to receive a mating protrusion or mating bump on the underside of the bottom insert to further secure and align the bottom insert on the frame.

As with the sole, the crown also has an opening 246, which opening 246 reduces the mass of the body 202 and more significantly reduces the mass of the crown, which is the area of the head where the mass increase has the greatest effect on the elevation (undesirably) of the CG of the head. Along the perimeter of the opening 246, the frame includes a recessed flange 250 to seat and support the crown insert 206. The crown insert 206 (see fig. 36C and 36D) has a geometry and dimensions compatible with the crown opening 246 and is secured to the body by adhesive or other secure fastening technique so as to cover the opening 246. The flange 260 may be notched along its length to receive a mating protrusion or ridge on the underside of the crown insert to further secure and align the crown insert on the body. The crown insert may also include a front protrusion 207 extending into the front crown portion 252 of the body.

In various embodiments, the flanges (e.g., flanges 250 and 260) of the bodies that receive the crown and sole inserts may be made of the same metallic material (e.g., titanium alloy) as the bodies, and thus may add significant mass to the golf club head. In some embodiments, to control the mass contribution of the flange to the golf club head, the width of the flange may be adjusted to achieve the desired mass contribution. In some embodiments, if the flange adds too much mass to the golf club head, it may detract from the weight reduction benefits of the sole and crown inserts, which may be made from lighter materials (e.g., carbon fiber or graphite composite materials and/or polymeric materials). In some embodiments, the width of the flange may range from about 3mm to about 8mm, preferably from about 4mm to about 7mm, and more preferably from about 4.5mm to about 5.5 mm. In some embodiments, the width of the flange may be at least four times as wide as the thickness of the respective insert. In some embodiments, the thickness of the flange may range from about 0.4mm to about 1mm, preferably from about 0.5mm to about 0.8mm, and more preferably from about 0.6mm to about 0.7 mm. In some embodiments, the thickness of the flange may range from about 0.5mm to about 1.75mm, preferably from about 0.7mm to about 1.2mm, and more preferably from about 0.8mm to about 1.1 mm. Although the flange may extend or run along the entire interface boundary between the respective insert and the body, in alternative embodiments, the flange may extend only partially along the interface boundary.

The perimeter of the crown opening 246 may approximate and closely track the perimeter of the crown on the toe, rear, and heel sides of the club head 200. Conversely, the face side of the crown opening 246 may be spaced further from the face 270 region of the head. In this way, the club head may have additional frame mass and reinforcement in the crown region 252 directly behind the face 270. This area and other areas adjacent the face along the toe, heel and sole support the face and are subject to relatively high impact loads and stresses on the face caused by ball impact. As described elsewhere herein, the frame may be made from a wide range of materials, including high strength titanium, titanium alloys, and/or other metals. The opening 246 may have a notch at the front side that matingly corresponds to the crown insert protrusion 207 to aid in aligning and seating the crown insert on the body.

A front weighted rail 214 and a rear weighted rail 216 are positioned in the sole of the club head and respectively define rails for mounting two-piece slidable weighted members 210, 212, which may be fastened to the weighted rails by fastening means such as screws. The weight assembly may take a form other than that shown in fig. 21A, may be mounted in other ways, and may take the form of a single piece design or a multiple piece design. The weighted track allows the weighted assembly to be loosened for slidable adjustment along the track and then tightened in place to adjust the effective CG and MOI characteristics of the club head. For example, by shifting the CG of the club head forward or rearward via rear weighted member 212, or heel or toe via front weighted member 210, the performance characteristics of the club head may be modified to affect the flight of a golf ball, particularly the spin characteristics of a golf ball. In other embodiments, the front counterweight track 214 may instead be a front channel without movable counterweights.

The bottom of the body 202 is preferably integrally formed with a front weighted rail 214, the front weighted rail 214 extending generally parallel to and near the face of the club head and generally perpendicular to a rear weighted rail 216, the rear weighted rail 216 extending rearward toward the rear of the club head from near the middle of the front rail.

In the illustrated embodiment, the counterweight tracks each include only one counterweight assembly. In other embodiments, two or more weighted members may be mounted in either or both of the weighted rails to provide selectable mass distribution capabilities of the club head.

By adjusting the CG toward the heel or toe via front weighted track 214, the performance characteristics of the club head may be modified to affect the flight of the ball, particularly the tendency of the ball to curve left or right (draw or fade), and/or to oppose the tendency of the ball to slice or hook. By adjusting the CG forward or backward via the rear weighted track 216, the performance characteristics of the club head can be modified to affect the flight of the ball, particularly the upward movement of the ball or the tendency to resist falling caused by backspin during flight. The use of two counterweight assemblies in the counterweight track may allow for alternate adjustment and interaction between the two counterweights. For example, relative to the front rail 214, two independently adjustable weight assemblies may be positioned entirely on the toe side, entirely on the heel side, with one weight entirely on the toe side and another weight entirely on the heel side separated by a maximum distance, positioned together in the middle of a weight rail, or positioned in other weight positioning modes. As illustrated, with a single weight assembly in the track, the weight adjustment option is more limited, but the effective CG of the club head may still be adjusted along the continuum (continuum), such as toward the heel or toe or in a neutral position (neutral position) where the weight is centered in the front weight track.

As shown in fig. 29-34, each of the weight rails 214, 216 preferably has a recess, which may be generally rectangular in shape to provide a recessed rail to seat and guide the weights as they adjustably slide along the rail. Each track includes one or more peripheral rails or flanges to define an elongated channel preferably having a width dimension less than the width of a counterweight placed in the channel. For example, as shown in fig. 29 and 30, the front rail 214 includes opposing perimeter rails 288 and 284, and as shown in fig. 33 and 34, the rear rail 216 includes opposing perimeter rails 290 and 292. In this way, the counterweight may slide in the counterweight track, while the guide rail prevents the counterweight from leaving the track. At the same time, the channel between the flanges allows the screw of the weight assembly to pass through the center of the outer weight element, through the channel, and then into threaded engagement with the inner weight element. The flanges serve to provide a track or rail on which the attached weight assembly slides freely while effectively preventing the weight assembly from inadvertently sliding off the track, even when loose. In the front rail 214, the inner weighted members of the assembly 210 are located in the inner recesses 280 and 286 above the rails 284 and 288, while the outer weighted members are located partially in the recess 282 between the front rail 284 and the overhanging lip 228 of the front seat cushion 226 (fig. 30, 31). In the rear rail 216, the inner weighted members of the assembly 212 are located in the inner recesses 296 and 298 above the rails 290 and 292, while the outer weighted members may be located partially in the recess 294 between the heel side rail 290 and the overhanging lip 225 of the rear seat cushion 224.

The weight assembly may be adjusted by loosening the screw and moving the weight to a desired position along the track, and then the screw may be tightened to secure the weight in place. The weight assemblies may also be exchanged or replaced with other weight assemblies having different masses to provide additional mass adjustment options. If a second weight or a third weight is added to the weight track, many additional weight positions and distribution options may be used to additionally fine tune the effective CG position of the club head in the heel-toe direction and the fore-aft direction, and combinations thereof. This also provides a wide range of adjustment of the MOI properties of the club head.

Either or both weight assemblies 210, 212 may comprise a three-piece assembly including an inner weight member, an outer weight member, and a fastener coupling the two weight members together. The assembly may be clamped to the front, rear or side flanges of the weight track by tightening the fasteners such that the inner member contacts the inside of the flange and the outer weight member contacts the outside of the flange with sufficient clamping force to hold the assembly fixed relative to the body throughout a round of golf. The weight member and assembly may be shaped and/or configured to be inserted into the weight track by: the internal weight member is inserted into the internal channel over the flange at the useable portion of the weight track, as opposed to inserting the internal weights at an enlarged opening at one end of the weight track (in which case the weight assembly is not configured to be fixed in place). This may allow for elimination of such wider non-functional openings at the ends of the rails and for rails that are shorter or have longer functional flange widths (along which the weight assembly may be fixed). To allow the internal weight member to be inserted into the track intermediate the track, for example, beyond the flange, the internal weight member may be inserted at an angle that is not perpendicular to the flange, for example, an angled insertion. The weight member may be inserted at an angle and gradually rotated into the internal channel to allow insertion over the clamping flange. In some embodiments, the internal weight member may have a circular configuration, an elliptical configuration, an oblong configuration, an arcuate configuration, a curved configuration, or otherwise specifically shaped configuration to better allow the weight member to be inserted into the channel over the flange at a usable portion of the track.

In the golf club heads of the present disclosure, the ability to adjust the relative positions and masses of the slidably adjustable weights and/or the threadably adjustable weights, in combination with the weight savings realized by the use of titanium alloy material in combination with the lightweight crown insert and/or sole insert, and also in combination with the discretionary mass provided by the raised sole configuration, may allow for a wide range of variations in many properties of the club head, all of which affect final club head performance, including the location of the CG of the club head, the MOI value of the club head, the acoustic properties of the club head, the aesthetic appearance and subjective feel properties of the club head, and/or other properties.

In certain embodiments, the front counterweight rail and the rear counterweight rail have certain rail widths. The track width may be measured, for example, as the horizontal distance between a first track wall and a second track wall that are substantially parallel to each other on opposite sides of an interior portion of the track that receives the internal weight member of the weight assembly. Referring to fig. 29-31, the width of the front rail 214 may be the horizontal distance between the opposing walls of the inner recesses 280 and 286. Referring to fig. 32-34, the width of the rear rail 216 may be the horizontal distance between the opposing walls of the inner recesses 296 and 298. For both the front rail and the rear rail, the rail width may be between about 5mm and about 20mm, such as between about 10mm and about 18mm, or such as between about 12mm and about 16 mm. According to some embodiments, the depth of the track (i.e. the vertical distance between the uppermost inner wall in the track and an imaginary plane containing the bottom region adjacent the outermost outer edge of the track) may be between about 6mm and about 20mm, such as between about 8mm and about 18mm, or such as between about 10mm and about 16 mm. For the front rail 214, the depth of the rail may be the vertical distance from the inner surface of the overhanging lip 228 to the upper surface of the inner recess 280 (fig. 30). For the rear rail 216, the depth of the rail may be the vertical distance from the inner surface of the overhanging lip 225 to the upper surface of the inner recess 296 (fig. 34).

Furthermore, both the front rail and the rear rail have a certain rail length. The rail length may be measured as the horizontal distance between the opposing longitudinal end walls of the rail. For both the front rail and the rear rail, their rail length may be between about 30mm and about 120mm, such as between about 50mm and about 100mm, or such as between about 60mm and about 90 mm. Additionally, or alternatively, the length of the front rail may be expressed as a percentage of the length of the ball striking face. For example, the front rail may be between about 30% and about 100% of the length of the ball striking face, such as between about 50% and about 90% of the length of the ball striking face, or such as between about 60% and about 80% of the length of the ball striking face.

The track depth properties, track width properties, and track length properties described above may also similarly be applied to front channel 36 of club head 10.

As can be seen in fig. 30 and 34, the lip 228 of the front seat cushion and the lip 225 of the rear seat cushion extend or overhang the respective weight rails, limiting the rail opening and helping to retain the weights within the rails.

Referring to fig. 34, the sole area on the rear cushion 224 on the heel side of the rear track 216 is significantly lower than the sole area on the toe side (the bottom of the flange 292) by a vertical distance when the club head is in the address position relative to ground level. This may be considered a club head having a "dropped sole" configuration or a "raised sole" configuration, wherein one portion of the sole (e.g., on the heel side) is positioned lower relative to another portion of the sole (e.g., on the toe side). In other words, a portion of the base (e.g., a majority of the base other than the rear seat cushion 224) is raised relative to another portion of the base (e.g., the rear seat cushion). The same is true for the front rail 214, where the front seat cushion 226 and its lip 228 are significantly lower than the rear side of the front rail in the normal address position (as shown in fig. 30).

In one embodiment, the level of the ground-contacting surface of the seat cushion and the vertical distance between the adjacent surfaces of the raised base portions may be in the range of about 2-12mm, preferably about 3-9mm, more preferably about 4-7mm, and most preferably about 4.5-6.5 mm. In one example, the vertical distance is about 5.5 mm.

Fig. 37-48 illustrate another example golf club head 400 having a face portion integrally cast as a single unit with a front portion of the club head body, forming a cup-shaped unit (referred to herein as cup 402) including the face portion, hosel, and front portions of the crown, sole, toe, and heel. However, the rear portion of the body (referred to herein as the hoop 404) is formed separately and later attached to the cup 402 to form the club head body. The combination of the cup 402 and the ring 404 is referred to herein as the body of the club head 400. The crown insert 406 and sole insert 408 may then be attached to the body to form the club head 400. In some embodiments, there is no bottom opening or bottom insert and the back ring completely surrounds the bottom. In some embodiments, the bottom insert comprises a metallic material, a composite material, and/or other materials.

Fig. 37 and 38 show an assembled club head 400 including a cup 402, a ring 404, a crown insert 406, and a sole insert 408. The head-shaft connection assembly 410 may be coupled to a hosel 412. Cup 402 and ring 404 may comprise a metallic material such as a titanium alloy or steel, while inserts 406 and 408 may comprise a less dense material such as a carbon fiber reinforced composite. Any of the other materials disclosed herein may also be used in the club head 400. The cup and ring may comprise the same material (e.g., the same titanium alloy), or the ring may comprise a different material than the cup (e.g., a steel ring and a titanium alloy cup, or two different titanium alloys).

Fig. 39 and 40 illustrate how the ring 404 is coupled to the cup 402 at a toe and heel joints (toe and heel joints)420, forming an annular body with an upper crown opening and a lower sole opening. The ring 404 may include forwardly extending toe and heel engaging ends 424, the forwardly extending toe and heel engaging ends 424 cooperating with the rearwardly extending toe and heel engaging ends 422 of the cup 402 to form a joint 420. In the illustrated example, the ring has a male protrusion that mates with a female notch in the cup. However, the tabs may be reversed with the male tabs on the cup and the female notches in the ring. In other embodiments, any other suitable engagement geometry may be used for the joint 420 to couple the ring to the cup. The joint 420 may be formed via any suitable means such as welding, brazing, adhesives, mechanical fasteners, and the like.

In some embodiments, the joint 420 may be positioned a sufficient distance from the striking face to avoid potential failure due to severe impact experienced by the golf club when striking a golf ball. For example, in some embodiments, joint 420 may be spaced rearward of the central face portion of the club head by at least 20mm, at least 30mm, at least 40mm, at least 50mm, at least 60mm, and/or from 20mm to 70mm as measured along the y-axis (front-to-rear direction).

Fig. 41 shows how inserts 406 and 408 may be coupled with the body to cover the crown and sole openings and enclose the interior cavity of the club head. The crown insert 406 may be coupled to a crown bead 426 of the body extending around the crown opening, while the sole insert 408 may be coupled to a sole bead 428 of the body extending around the sole opening. The flanges 426 and 428 may be formed by a combination of both the cup 402 and the ring 404, wherein the cup includes a forward portion of the flange and the ring includes a rearward portion of the flange. The flanges 426 and 428 may be offset inwardly from the surrounding outer surface such that there is room to receive an insert where the outer surface of the insert is flush (even) or flush (flush) with the surrounding outer surface of the cup/ring body. The ring 404 may also include a tab 430 that extends downward and forward from the rear of the ring and forms a portion of the bottom flange 428 to help support the bottom insert 408 and provide increased rigidity.

In some embodiments, the ring 404 may include a mass pad having an increased thickness, such as in the protrusion 430 or elsewhere, to provide a rear weighting (rear weighting) to the golf club and move the center of mass rearward and increase the MOI about the z-axis and the x-axis. Such rear weighting may also be accomplished with an added weight member coupled to the rear ring, such as a removable, replaceable, and/or adjustable weight member coupled to the rear portion of the ring. For example, the protrusion 430 or other portion of the ring 404 may include an opening, such as a threaded opening, a track, or other weight member receiving feature. Fig. 47 shows an example of two weight ports 431 and 433 that may receive such adjustable weight members. Two or more weight members may also be coupled to the rear ring simultaneously. The mass pad or weight member may comprise a relatively denser material such as tungsten or steel.

In some embodiments, the cup 402 may include a mass pad, such as mass pad 432 shown in the figures, at the bottom region of the bottom to lower the center of mass and/or move the center of mass forward. In some embodiments, the cup 402 may include one or more added weight members coupled to a bottom portion of the cup (such as in or near the mass pad 432 and/or the rear of the slot 418), such as one or more removable, replaceable, and/or adjustable weight members coupled to the cup. For example, the mass pad 432 or other portion of the cup 402 may include one or more openings, such as threaded openings, rails, or other weight member receiving features. Two or more weighted members may also be coupled to the cup at the same time. The weight member may comprise a relatively denser material than the material of the casting cup, such as tungsten or steel. In some embodiments, the cup and hoop may have matching weight ports that may allow for exchanging weight members between the rear hoop position and the lower cup position, providing adjustability options to change the mass properties of the club head. In some such examples, a set of interchangeable weights may be provided with the club head, such as including 1-3g weights and 8-15g weights, which may be coupled to weight ports in the rear ring or to weight ports in the bottom portion of the cup, which may allow for higher MOI (heavier weight in the rear) or lower spin (spin) (heavier weight in the lower-forward position) or other combination and mass properties.

Fig. 44-47 show the body formed by the connected cup 402 and ring 404 in more detail from several perspectives, without the inserts 406 and 408. Fig. 44 is a front view showing the integrated face 434. Fig. 45 is a heel side view. Fig. 46 is a top view showing the front crown portion 436, front toe portion 440, and front heel portion 442 as part of the cup 402, as well as the toe and heel joint 420 and crown flange 426 receiving the crown insert 406. Fig. 47 is a bottom view illustrating a forward sole portion 438 and a flange 428 receiving the sole insert 408, the forward sole portion 438 including a sole slot 418 extending into the interior cavity of the club head. Also shown in fig. 47 are an exemplary rear weight port 431 positioned in the annular protrusion 430 and an exemplary bottom weight port positioned in the cup 402 behind the slot 418 in the region of the mass pad 432. In other embodiments, such weight ports may be located in other portions of the cup or ring, such as in the very rear of the ring, and there may be more than two such weight ports. The weight port may be threaded and may receive an adjustable weight member, allowing adjustability of the center of mass and MOI properties of the club head.

The cup 402 is illustrated in more detail in fig. 42 and 43. The rear surface of the face 434 is shown in fig. 43. As described elsewhere herein, the rear of the face 434 may be formed to have a variety of complex shapes and thickness profiles, and may be readily accessible from the rear for machining, etching, material removal, and/or other post-casting machining before the ring 404 is attached to the cup 402. Fig. 43 also shows a mass pad 432 on the bottom portion 438 of the cup. Mass pad 432 may include a thickened portion of the sole with increased mass that significantly affects the overall mass properties of the club head. Mass pad 432 may have a central notch with greater mass on the toe and heel sides of the center for enhanced mass and MOI properties. More information about mass pad 432, alternative mass pad geometries and embodiments, and related properties can be found in us publication 2018/0126228 published on 5/10/2018, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Fig. 48 illustrates a head-shaft connection assembly 410 that allows a hosel 412 of the head 400 to be coupled to a shaft in more than one selectable orientation, allowing adjustment of the loft, lie angle, and/or face angle of the assembled golf club in a normal address position. The assembly 410 may include various components, such as a sleeve 450, a sleeve (ferule) 452, a hosel insert 454, a fastener 456, and a washer 458, as shown in fig. 48. More information regarding adjustable head-shaft connection assemblies may be found in U.S. patent 9,033,821 issued on 5/19 of 2015, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

Fig. 49 and 50 illustrate portions of a method for manufacturing a golf club head, and in particular a method for manufacturing a mold for casting a front cup 402 of a club head 400. Fig. 49 shows a wax cup 500, the wax cup 500 being a combination of a wax cup frame 502 and a wax face 504. Wax cup frame 502 and wax face 504 are formed separately and then the wax face is placed into a slightly oversized facial opening in wax cup frame 502. The two wax pieces may then be wax welded around their annular joint 506 by adding hot liquid wax to the joint and allowing it to cool and fuse the face to the frame. The added hot wax fills joint 506 and joins wax cup frame 502 and wax face 504 into a single unitary wax cup 500. After the wax cools, excess wax may be removed from the front and back of the weld joint 506. In some embodiments, wax face 504 may include a detent (prong)508, where detent 508 extends radially outward and contacts the front surface of wax cup frame 502 to help set the depth of wax face 504 relative to the wax cup frame such that the resulting front surface of wax cup 500 is flat and smooth across joint 506. The wax fingers 508 may be removed after the wax welding process.

Fig. 50 illustrates another example of a wax cup 510, the wax cup 510 being formed by wax welding a wax cup frame and a wax face together via added wax around a joint 516 by optionally using wax prongs 518 on the wax face 514 to help set the depth of the wax face in the opening of the wax cup frame 512. In this example, wax cup 510 includes an additional protrusion 520 that creates an additional gate in the resulting mold to help assist in the uniform flow of molten metal toward the face portion of the mold. Wax cups 500 and 510 may also include sprue generating portions in other locations, such as at the heel side near the hosel as illustrated, in the back side of the face, and/or at other locations.

Forming the wax cup from two separate wax pieces (e.g., as in fig. 49 and 50) may facilitate creating more complex geometries for the wax cup, and may facilitate forming several different geometry embodiments in a simplified and faster and cost-effective manner. Starting from two separate wax pieces results in the tooling and forming process of the wax frame being separate from the tooling and forming process of the wax face. With respect to wax cup 500, the same wax cup frame 502 (and same tooling) can be combined with any of several differently shaped wax faces 504 to produce a corresponding number of different wax cups, meaning that only the tooling of the wax faces needs to be changed to produce different wax cups. For example, a manufacturer may create two identical wax frames 502, and may then combine one wax frame with a first wax face, and may combine a second wax frame with a second wax face having a different thickness profile than the first wax face. These two different wax cups, as well as the resulting mold and the final product metal cup, can then be measured, compared, tested, etc. See fig. 51-54 for various exemplary facial thickness profiles, and the discussion related thereto herein. Thus, the use of a two-part wax cup molding process may provide advantages in rapid prototyping and other manufacturing and development efficiencies.

Starting from two separate wax pieces also allows a large number of wax pieces to be formed efficiently, since each wax piece is smaller and can be produced in larger numbers per batch on the same tree.

Once the wax cup (e.g., 500 or 510) is created, the wax cup can be used to form a mold for casting a metal cup (e.g., cup 402). The mold may comprise a ceramic material and/or any other suitable material for casting a metal cup. Once the mold is formed around the wax cup, the wax may be melted and expelled from the mold. Various subsequent steps may then be applied to prepare the mold for casting, including adding gates and/or surface treatments to the mold. Furthermore, several cup molds can be combined into one mold tree (mold tree) for casting several metal cups simultaneously. After the mold is prepared, molten metal may then be introduced into the mold to cast the metal cup. The mold may then be opened/removed to access the cast metal cup. The cast metal cup may be formed from any suitable metal or metal alloy, including titanium alloys (any suitable metallic material disclosed herein may be used for the cast cup).

After the metal cup is cast, portions of the casting cup may be machined or modified to remove portions of the casting cup as desired. For example, the front surface of the facial portion of the cup may be machined to add horizontal scoring and/or to create more precise texture, curvature and distortion. As another example, the back surface of the face portion of the cup may be machined to modify the thickness profile across the height and width of the face portion to produce a desired variable thickness profile across the face portion. The front and/or rear surfaces of the facial portion of the casting cup may also be machined or chemically etched (e.g., using hydrofluoric acid) to remove part or all of the alpha shell (e.g., for titanium alloys) formed during the casting process, such as to make the facial portion less brittle and to increase the durability of the facial portion.

In anticipation of post-casting removal of material from the face portion of the cup, the face portion of the cup may be cast with additional thickness of material, such that a desired amount of material and a desired thickness profile are left behind after post-casting material removal.

As shown in fig. 39 and 40 and discussed above, the cup 402 and the ring 404 may be formed separately (e.g., cast) and then combined together at the joint 420 (e.g., welded, brazed, adhesive bonded, mechanical fasteners, etc.) to form a metal club head body that serves as a rigid frame that receives other components to form the golf club head 400. One advantage of this method of creating a club head body from separate cups 402 and rings 404 is that the absence of a rear ring portion allows for better access to the rear surface of the face portion of the cup 402 for post-casting machining, chemical etching, and/or other post-casting modifications to the rear surface of the face portion. For example, in the absence of the ring 404, there is more room for a cutting tool, milling machine, CNC machine, drill bit or other tool to access the entire rear surface of the face portion of the cup 402. After this post-casting modification to the cup 402, the ring 404 may be attached to the cup and the remainder of the club head may be assembled.

Another advantage of casting the cup and ring separately is that it allows efficient mass casting of each of the ring and cup pieces, since each cast piece is smaller than the combined body and can be produced in larger numbers per batch on the same tree. In addition, the same ring may be used with a variety of differently shaped cups, thus requiring only the tooling for the cups to be changed to accommodate changes in the club head body, or several different modifications to the club head using different cup/face geometries.

Fig. 51 illustrates an exemplary rear surface of a face portion of a casting cup 600 similar to cup 402 as viewed from the rear with the hosel/heel on the left and the toe on the right. Fig. 52 and 53 illustrate another exemplary face portion 700 having a variable thickness profile, and fig. 54 illustrates yet another exemplary face portion 800 having a variable thickness profile. The face portion of the casting cup may have a variety of novel thickness profiles due to the casting process and optional post-casting modifications to the face portion. By casting the face into the desired geometry, rather than forming the face plate from flat rolled sheet metal in a conventional process, the face can be produced with a wider variety of geometries and can have different material properties, such as different grain directions and chemical impurity content, which can provide advantages for golf ball performance and manufacture.

In conventional processes, the panels are formed from flat metal sheets having a uniform thickness. Such metal sheets are typically rolled along one axis to reduce the thickness to a certain uniform thickness across the sheet. This rolling process can impart grain directions in the sheet that produce different material properties in the rolling axis direction than the direction perpendicular to the rolling direction. Such variations in material properties may be undesirable and may be avoided by alternatively using the disclosed casting method to produce the face portion.

Furthermore, because conventional panels start out as flat sheets of uniform thickness, the thickness of the entire sheet must be at least as great as the maximum thickness of the desired end product panel, which means that much of the starting sheet material must be removed and wasted, increasing material costs. In contrast, in the disclosed casting method, the face portion is initially formed to be closer to the final shape and quality, and much less material must be removed and wasted. This saves time and cost.

Still further, in conventional processes, the initially flat metal sheet must be bent in a specific process to impart the desired bulging and bulging curvature to the panel. Such a bending process is not required when using the disclosed casting method.

The unique thickness profiles illustrated in fig. 51-54 can be made using the disclosed casting method and have not previously been possible to achieve using conventional processes, where sheet metal having a uniform thickness is mounted in a lathe or similar machine and turned (turn) to produce a variable thickness profile across the rear of the panel. In such turning processes, the thickness profile imparted must be symmetric about the central turning axis, which limits the thickness profile to components of concentric torus shapes each having a uniform thickness at any given radius from a central point. In contrast, no such limitations are imposed using the disclosed casting method, and more complex facial geometries may be produced.

By using the casting methods disclosed herein, a large number of the disclosed club heads may be manufactured more quickly and efficiently. For example, 50 or more cups 402 may be cast simultaneously on a single casting tree, while using a lathe with a conventional milling method would take longer and require more resources to create new face thickness profiles for the face plate one at a time.

In FIG. 51, the rear face surface of the casting cup 600 includes an asymmetric variable thickness profile, illustrating only one example of the variety of variable thickness profiles possible using the disclosed casting method. The center 602 of the face may have a center thickness, and the face thickness may gradually increase moving radially outward from the center across an inner transition zone 603 to a maximum thickness ring 604, which may be circular. The face thickness may gradually decrease moving radially outward from the maximum thickness ring 604 across the variable transition region 606 to a second ring 608, which may be non-circular, such as elliptical. The face thickness may gradually decrease from the second ring 608 radially outward across an outer transition zone 609 to a constant thickness (e.g., minimum thickness of the face portion) heel and toe region 610 and/or a radially peripheral region 612 that bounds the extent of the face portion where the face transitions to the rest of the casting cup 600.

The second ring 608 itself may have a variable thickness profile such that the thickness of the second ring 608 varies as a function of circumferential position about the center 602. Similarly, the variable transition region 606 may have a thickness profile that varies as a function of circumferential position about the center 602 and provides a thickness transition of variable thickness and lesser thickness from the maximum thickness ring 604 to the second ring 608. For example, the variable transition region 606 to the second ring 608 may be divided into eight sectors (sectors), labeled a-H in fig. 51, including a top region a, a top-toe region B, a toe region C, a sole-toe region D, a sole region E, a sole-heel region F, a heel region G, and a top-heel region H. The eight zones may have different angular widths as shown, or may each have the same angular width (e.g., one-eighth of 360 degrees). Each of the eight regions may have its own thickness difference, each ranging from a common maximum thickness adjacent to ring 604 to a different minimum thickness at second ring 608. For example, the second ring may be thicker in zones a and E and thinner in zones C and G, with intermediate thicknesses in zones B, D, F, and H. In this example, zones B, D, F, and H may vary in thickness both in the radial direction (moving radially outward to thin) and in the circumferential direction (moving from zones a and E toward zones C and G to thin).

One example of a casting cup 600 may have the following thicknesses: at the center 602, 3.1mm, at the ring 604, the second ring 608 may vary from 2.8mm in zone a to 2.2mm in zone C to 2.4mm in zone E to 2.0mm in zone G, and 1.8mm in the heel and toe regions 610.

Fig. 52 and 53 illustrate a rear face surface of another exemplary cast face portion 700 that includes an asymmetric variable thickness profile. The center 702 of the face may have a center thickness, and the face thickness may gradually increase moving radially outward from the center across an inner transition zone 703 to a maximum thickness ring 704, which maximum thickness ring 704 may be circular. The face thickness may taper from the maximum thickness ring 704 radially outward across the variable transition 705 to an outer zone 706, the outer zone 706 including more than one wedge-shaped sectors a-H of different thicknesses. As best shown in fig. 53, sectors A, C, E and G may be relatively thick, while sectors B, D, F and H may be relatively thin. An outer transition region 708 surrounding the outer region 706 transitions down in thickness from a variable sector to a perimeter ring 710 having a relatively small but constant thickness. The outer zone 706 may also include a transition zone between each of the sectors a-H that gradually transitions in thickness from one sector to an adjacent sector.

One example of the face portion 700 may have the following thickness: 3.9mm at the center 702, 4.05mm at the ring 704, 3.6mm at zone a, 3.2mm at zone B, 3.25mm at zone C, 2.05mm at zone D, 3.35mm at zone E, 2.05mm at zone F, 3.00mm at zone G, 2.65mm at zone H, and 1.9mm at the perimeter ring 710.

Fig. 54 shows a rear face of another exemplary cast face portion 800 that includes an asymmetric variable thickness profile having a target thickness that is offset toward the heel side (left side). The center 802 of the face has a central thickness and for the toe/top/bottom the thickness gradually increases across the interior transition zone 803 to the inner ring 804, the inner ring 804 having a greater thickness at the center. The thickness then decreases moving radially outward across second transition region 805 to second ring 806, second ring 806 having a thickness less than the thickness of inner ring 804. The thickness then decreases moving radially outward across a third transition zone 807 to a third ring 808, the third ring 808 having a thickness less than the thickness of the second ring 806. The thickness then decreases moving radially outward across a fourth transition region 810 to a fourth land 811, the fourth land 811 having a thickness less than the thickness of the third land 808. The toe end region 812 transitions across an outer transition region 813 to an outer perimeter 814 having a relatively smaller thickness.

For the heel side, the thickness is offset by a set amount (e.g., 0.15mm) to be slightly thicker relative to their corresponding regions on the toe side. The thickened region 820 (dashed line) provides a transition where all thickness gradually increases (step up) towards a thicker offset region 822 (dashed line) at the heel side. In the offset zone 822, the ring 823 is thicker than the ring 806 on the heel side by a set amount (e.g., 0.15mm), and the ring 825 is thicker than the ring 808 by the same set amount. Transition regions 824 and 826 taper in thickness moving radially outward and are each thicker than their corresponding transition regions 807 and 810 on the toe side. In the thickened region 820, the inner ring 804 gradually increases in thickness moving toward the heel.

One example of the face portion 800 may have the following thickness: 3.8mm at the center 802, 4.0mm at the inner ring 804 and thickened to 4.15mm across the thickened region 820, 3.5mm at the second ring 806, and 3.65mm at ring 823, 2.4mm at the third ring 808, and 2.55mm at ring 825, 2.0mm at the fourth ring 811, and 1.8mm at the perimeter ring 814.

The target offset thickness profile shown in fig. 54 may help provide a desirable Characteristic Time (CT) profile across the face. For example, thickening the heel side may help avoid having a CT spike at the heel side of the face, which may help avoid having a non-conforming CT profile across the face. Such an offset thickness profile may be similarly applied to the toe side of the face, or to both the toe and heel sides of the face, to avoid CT spikes at both the heel and toe sides of the face. In other embodiments, the offset thickness profile may be applied to the upper side of the face and/or toward the bottom side of the face.

Various other different facial thickness profiles may be produced using the disclosed methods, including those disclosed in U.S. patent application No. 12/006,060 and U.S. patent nos. 6,997,820, 6,800,038, 6,824,475, 7,731,603, 8,801,541, 9,943,743, and 9,975,018, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. For example, U.S. patent No. 9,975,018 discloses an example of a striking face that includes a locally hardened region, such as an inverted cone or "donut" shaped thickness profile, offset from the center of the face that alters the launch conditions of a golf ball struck by the club head in a manner that fully or partially compensates for, overcomes, or prevents the occurrence of right/left deviations. In particular, the locally hardened region is positioned on the striking face such that a golf ball struck under normal conditions will not impart a lateral spin to the golf ball to the left and/or right.

All of the disclosed face thickness profiles can be made by the casting methods disclosed herein. Such a configuration would not be possible using a conventional turning process that removes material from the rear of the original flat panel in a concentric pattern.

In some golf club head embodiments, the face plate may be separately cast and then welded into a front opening in the frame of the club head. When the panel is welded to the front opening of the frame, additional material is typically created around the weld area, and this additional material must be removed after the welding process to smooth the transition between the panel and the frame. This process can be avoided by casting the entire cup, including the face and front frame, as a single casting unit as disclosed herein.

However, casting the panels separately may provide advantages over casting the entire cup as a unit. For example, when the cast panel is part of a cup, post-machining the cast panel is much easier than post-machining the face surface. Fig. 55 and 56 show a front 902 and a rear 904 of an exemplary cast panel 900. In particular, it is easier to access all portions of the rear surface of the casting panel than the rear face surface of the casting cup. Because there is no component backstop for the sole, crown, toe, heel, hosel, etc., there is unlimited space to access the cast panels with tools for any desired post-casting process. Furthermore, the cast panels may be cast to a precise final shape that more closely approximates the panel, so that less material must be removed and less work is required to modify the face after casting. For example, the panels may be cast with less than 0.5mm, less than 0.4mm, less than 0.3mm and/or less than 0.2mm of excess material to be removed on each side of the face after casting. This amounts to removing less wasted material than machining a panel from a flat rolled sheet metal. The front surface of the cast face may be machined to remove some or all of the alpha shell layer, achieve precise bulging, bulging and distortion curvature and/or add score lines. The back of the cast face may be machined to remove part or all of the alpha shell and/or to achieve a precise variable thickness profile across the face. As described elsewhere herein, the casting process allows for a more complex and asymmetric thickness profile, as opposed to the required 360 degree concentric circular symmetry required by conventional face-sheet turning processes.

A golf club head cast to include a face as an integral part of the body (e.g., cast simultaneously as a single cast object) may provide superior structural properties compared to a club head in which the face is formed separately and later attached (e.g., welded or bolted) to a front opening in the club head body. However, the advantage of having an integrally cast Ti face is mitigated by the need to remove the alpha case on the surface of the cast Ti face.

With the club heads disclosed herein that include integrally cast titanium alloy face and body units (e.g., casting cups), the disadvantages of having to remove the alpha case may be eliminated or at least substantially reduced. For cast 9-1-1Ti face, the thickness of the alpha shell may be about 0.10mm or less, 0.15mm or less, or about 0.20mm or less, or about 0.30mm or less, such as between 0.10mm and 0.30mm in some embodiments, using a mold preheat temperature of 1000 ℃ or greater, while for cast 6-4Ti face the thickness of the alpha shell may be greater than 0.10mm, greater than 0.15mm, or greater than 0.20mm, or greater than 0.30mm, such as from about 0.25mm to about 0.30mm in some examples. In some embodiments, the alpha shell thickness can be as low as 0.1mm and as high as 0.15mm while providing a sufficiently durable product with a desirably high CT time across the face. In some embodiments, the alpha shell on the back of the face at the geometric center of the face may have a thickness of less than 0.30mm and/or less than 0.20mm, and this may be achieved without chemically etching the surface after formation.

Other titanium alloys that may be used to form any of the striking faces and/or club heads described herein may include titanium, aluminum, molybdenum, chromium, vanadium, and/or iron. For example, in one representative embodiment, the alloy may be an α - β titanium alloy comprising 6.5% to 10% by weight Al, 0.5% to 3.25% by weight Mo, 1.0% to 3.0% by weight Cr, 0.25% to 1.75% by weight V, and/or 0.25% to 1% by weight Fe, with the balance (balance) comprising Ti (one example is sometimes referred to as a "1300" titanium alloy).

In another representative embodiment, the alloy may include 6.75% to 9.75% Al by weight, 0.75% to 3.25% or 2.75% Mo by weight, 1.0% to 3.0% Cr by weight, 0.25% to 1.75% V by weight, and/or 0.25% to 1% Fe by weight, and the balance Ti.

In another representative embodiment, the alloy may include 7 to 9% Al by weight, 1.75 to 3.25% Mo by weight, 1.25 to 2.75% Cr by weight, 0.5 to 1.5% V by weight, and/or 0.25 to 0.75% Fe by weight, and the balance Ti.

In another representative embodiment, the alloy may include 7.5 to 8.5% Al by weight, 2.0 to 3.0% Mo by weight, 1.5 to 2.5% Cr by weight, 0.75 to 1.25% V by weight, and/or 0.375 to 0.625% Fe by weight, with the balance comprising Ti.

In another representative embodiment, the alloy may include 8% Al by weight, 2.5% Mo by weight, 2% Cr by weight, 1% V by weight, and/or 0.5% Fe by weight, with the balance including Ti. The titanium alloy may have the formula Ti-8Al-2.5Mo-2Cr-1V-0.5 Fe. As used herein, reference to "Ti-8 Al-2.5Mo-2Cr-1V-0.5 Fe" refers to titanium alloys containing the referenced elements in any of the ratios given above. Certain embodiments may also include trace amounts of K, Mn and/or Zr and/or various impurities.

Ti-8Al-2.5Mo-2Cr-1V-0.5Fe can have minimum mechanical properties of 1150MPa yield strength, 1180MPa ultimate tensile strength, and 8% elongation. These minimum properties may be significantly better than other cast titanium alloys including 6-4Ti and 9-1-1Ti, which may have the minimum mechanical properties mentioned above. In some embodiments, Ti-8Al-2.5Mo-2Cr-1V-0.5Fe may have a tensile strength of from about 1180MPa to about 1460MPa, a yield strength of from about 1150MPa to about 1415MPa, an elongation of from about 8% to about 12%, an elastic modulus of about 110GPa, about 4.45g/cm³And a hardness of about 43 on the rockwell C scale (43 HRC). In particular embodiments, the Ti-8Al-2.5Mo-2Cr-1V-0.5Fe alloy may have a tensile strength of about 1320MPa, a yield strength of about 1284MPa, and an elongation of about 10%.

In some embodiments, the striking face and/or cup with the face portion may be cast from Ti-8Al-2.5Mo-2Cr-1V-0.5 Fe. In some embodiments, the striking surface and the club head body may be integrally formed or cast together from Ti-8Al-2.5Mo-2Cr-1V-0.5Fe, depending on the particular characteristics desired.

The mechanical parameters given above for Ti-8Al-2.5Mo-2Cr-1V-0.5Fe provide surprisingly superior performance compared to other prior titanium alloys. For example, due to the relatively high tensile strength of Ti-8Al-2.5Mo-2Cr-1V-0.5Fe, a cast striking face comprising this alloy may exhibit less deflection per unit thickness (deflection) when striking a golf ball than other alloys. This is particularly beneficial for metal wood type clubs configured for use in hitting balls at high speeds, because the higher tensile strength of Ti-8Al-2.5Mo-2Cr-1V-0.5Fe results in less deflection of the ball striking face and reduces the tendency of the ball striking face to flatten with repeated use. This allows the striking face to retain its original loft, crown and "twist" dimensions over extended periods of use, including those experienced by advanced and/or professional golfers who tend to hit balls at particularly high club speeds.

Any of the embodiments disclosed herein may include a face portion having a striking surface that is twisted such that an upper toe portion of the striking surface is more open than a lower toe portion of the striking surface, and such that a lower heel portion of the striking surface is more closed than an upper heel portion of the striking surface. More information about golf club heads having a twisted striking surface may be found in U.S. patent 9,814,944; us provisional patent application No. 62/687,143 filed 2018, 6, 19; found in U.S. patent application No. 16/160,884 filed on 2018, 10, 15, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Any of these twisted face techniques disclosed in these incorporated references may be implemented in the club heads disclosed herein in any combination with the techniques disclosed herein.

The techniques disclosed herein may be implemented for any type of golf club head, not just the disclosed examples, including drivers, fairway woods, irons, hybrid clubs, utility clubs, irons, wedges, and putters.

For the purposes of this specification, certain aspects, advantages and novel features of embodiments of the disclosure are described herein. The disclosed methods, apparatus, and systems should not be construed as limiting in any way. Rather, the present disclosure is directed to all novel and nonobvious features and aspects of the various embodiments disclosed, alone and in various combinations and subcombinations with one another. The methods, apparatus and systems are not limited to any specific aspect or feature or combination thereof, nor do the disclosed embodiments require that any one or more specific advantages be present or problems be solved.

Although the operations of some of the disclosed embodiments are described in a particular, sequential order for convenient presentation, it should be understood that this manner of description encompasses rearrangement, unless a particular order is required by specific language set forth herein. For example, operations described as sequential may in some cases be rearranged or performed concurrently. Moreover, for the sake of simplicity, the attached figures may not show the various ways in which the disclosed methods can be used in conjunction with other methods.

As used in this application and in the claims, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Furthermore, the term "comprising" means "including". Additionally, the terms "coupled" and "associated" generally mean electrically or electronically coupled, electromagnetically coupled or electromagnetically linked, and/or physically (e.g., mechanically or chemically) coupled or physically linked, and do not preclude the presence of intervening elements between the coupled or associated items in the absence of a particular contrary language.

In some instances, a value, program, or device may be referred to as "lowest," "best," "smallest," or the like. It will be understood that this description is intended to indicate that a selection may be made among many alternatives, and that such a selection need not be better, less or otherwise preferred over other selections.

In the description, certain terms such as "upper", "lower", "horizontal", "vertical", "left", "right", and the like may be used. Where applicable, these terms are used to provide some clear description of relative relationships. However, these terms are not intended to imply absolute relationships, positions, and/or orientations. For example, with respect to an object, an "upper" surface may be changed to a "lower" surface simply by flipping the object over. However, it is still the same object.

In view of the many possible embodiments to which the principles of this disclosure may be applied, it should be recognized that the illustrated embodiments are only preferred examples and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the disclosure. It will be evident that various modifications may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative sense rather than a restrictive sense. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is at least as broad as the appended claims. We therefore claim all that comes within the scope of these claims.

Claims (4)

1. A golf club head, comprising:

a cup having a single unitary body, the cup being made of a titanium alloy and comprising an entire face portion of the golf club head, a front-only portion of a crown of the golf club head, a front-only portion of a sole of the golf club head, a front-only portion of a toe of the golf club head, a front-only portion of a heel of the golf club head, and a hosel, wherein a rear surface of the face portion of the golf club head defined by the cup is a machined surface;

a ring attached to the cup and defining an outermost perimeter of a rear portion of the golf club head; and

a crown insert fabricated from a composite material and attached to the ring and the front portion of the crown of the golf club head defined by the cup.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the ring is made of a metallic material different from the titanium alloy of the cup.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein:

the cup further comprising a flange formed in the front portion of the crown of the golf club head defined by the cup; and is

The crown insert is received on the flange such that the flange is positioned inside the crown insert.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the golf club head further includes a sole insert made of a composite material and attached to the hoop and the forward portion of the sole of the golf club head defined by the cup.

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