JP2000342724A - Method of manufacturing golf club head that has rigid insert, gold club head and golf club - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To firmly combine a rigid insert with a golf club head body without damaging itself by combining the rigid insert by means of squeezing a ring- shaped lip formed around the periphery of a concave part after housing the rigid insert in the concave part of the main body of the golf club head. SOLUTION: A rigid insert 10 is formed as it consists of a ball hitting face 12 that has a prescribed curvature, a back face 14 of which the size is little larger than that of the ball hitting face 12, and a peripheral face 16 that forms at least one angle of skew to the vertical axis of the bask face 14. This rigid insert 10 is set inside a concave part 24 curved on the face of a golf club head body 20 as they are combined in one body. At that time, the concave part 24 is formed in the size that substantially corresponds to the back face 14 and the head body 20 is formed as it has a ring-shaped lip 26 around the concave part 24. When the rigid insert 10 is combined, the side wall 22 of the head body 20 is deformed by pressing the ring-shaped lip 26 so as to connect the rigid insert 10.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a golf club head having a rigid insert, a golf club head, and a golf club.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Golf is a sport suitable for all ages and men and women. The rise in national income and living standards has contributed to the increase in annual sales of golf equipment. Golf equipment has thus become a potentially high-growth industry among commercial sports equipment.

When reviewing the development of golf club heads,
The materials from which golf club heads are made are changing from wood, aluminum alloys, zinc alloys, iron, stainless steel, titanium, and ceramic to other composite materials. First, the change in these materials is to increase the insert hardness of the golf club head because the flight distance can be extended by the high hardness of the insert of the golf club head.
And secondly, generally harder materials are intended to increase costs. The use of conventional materials and the adoption of mass production of golf club heads are measures to reduce such high production costs. The high tip golf club heads marketed today are primarily combinations of stainless steel bodies and titanium (alloy) inserts. Golf club heads with such a combination will be commercially available for a period of time, but will eventually be replaced by golf club heads made of other materials that are more rigid and lower cost.

[0004] The hardness of ceramic materials is close to diamond hardness but at a much lower price, and is expected to hold the key to the materials used in the next generation golf industry. One currently utilized method for manufacturing a golf club head with a metal golf club head body and a metal insert, such as that disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,221,087, is shown in FIG. ing. In such a method, the metal club head (104) has a dovetail groove (10) on one side for receiving the metal insert (101).
5) and locating studs (106) are formed. The metal insert (101) is formed in a dovetail (102) shape,
And dovetail groove (105) and positioning tack (106)
Has a positioning recess (103). Therefore,
The metal insert (101) is installed in the metal club head body (104) along the dovetail groove (105),
The metal club head body (1) is formed by the adhesive and the cooperation between the positioning tack (106) and the positioning recess (103).
04). However, such a method requires a certain amount of space between the metal insert (101) and the metal club head body (104) so that any processed metal insert (101) can be reliably installed on the compatible metal club head body (104). A tolerance is required, which creates a gap in any corresponding set of metal insert (101) and metal club head body (104).

[0005] To overcome the above disadvantages, US Patent Nos. 5,720,673 and 5,807,189 disclose a method as shown in Figures 2A-2C, which comprises the following: Process. That is, the peripheral surface having the flange (112) and the concave portion (112a) is made of titanium insert (11).
0), forming a stainless steel club head body (120) having an opening (122) for inserting a titanium insert (110), and a raised structure (124) around the opening (122). Formed titanium insert (110) and stainless steel club head body (120)
To fill the recess (122a) formed therebetween, the raised structure (124) is biased to flatten the raised structure (124) in the direction of the insert (110) (see FIG. 2B). ). At this time, a very large stress generated on the flange (112) and the recess (112a) does not damage the titanium insert (110) due to the malleability of the titanium insert (110) itself. The stainless steel club head body (120) and titanium insert (110) are then ground until a smooth surface (126) is formed.

As a rule of thumb, such methods are generally known for producing golf club heads having a high quality transition between the insert and the club head body. Many golf club head manufacturers have thus attempted to implement a similar method for embedding a ceramic insert into a metal club head body. All of these attempts have failed due to the poor malleability of ceramic materials. Conventional methods, including pressing, which couple the insert to the club head body, easily crush and crack the rigid insert due to excessive stress.

[0007] Most manufacturers use US Patent No. 5,198,
No. 62 is not performed. This method uses a fiber bulk molding compound between the ceramic insert and the metal club head body before curing. But,
To ensure that any ceramic insert is placed in the corresponding recess formed on the metal club head body, and due to the tolerance between the ceramic insert and the metal club head body itself, the recess formed on the club head body is The dimensions must be greater than the dimensions of the ceramic insert, so that a relatively large gap is typically formed between the insert and the club head body after the rigid insert has adhered to the club head body. Also, the gap formed at the junction between the insert and the club head body varies between one club head and the other club head, resulting in poor makeup and a mismatch between the center of gravity and the equilibrium point.

Another method disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,417,419 involves a rigid insert having dimensions slightly larger than the dimensions of the recess formed on the club head body, the thickness of which is reduced by the depth of the recess. Slightly larger than After applying the adhesive to the recess, the insert is urged into the recess.
Thereafter, the rigid insert and the club head body are ground to a smooth surface. However, such a method requires that the rigid insert and recess be precisely dimensioned to match one another, otherwise gaps or improper bonding may occur. In addition, grinding of rigid materials is difficult with this method, and as a result this grinding method changes the depth of the grooves and the curvature of the striking face.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To overcome the above disadvantages, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a method for connecting a rigid insert to a golf club head body. It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for joining a rigid insert to a golf club head without crushing or cracking the rigid insert during pressing.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of joining a rigid insert to a golf club head that can be used for rigid inserts formed of various materials including ceramics. It is another object of the present invention to provide a golf club head having a rigid insert with a matched center of gravity and equilibrium point as a result of matching relative positioning between the golf club head and the rigid insert.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, a method of manufacturing a golf club head having a rigid insert according to the present invention comprises the following steps: Forming a rigid insert having a back surface that is slightly larger than the ball striking surface, and a peripheral surface that at least partially forms an oblique angle with respect to a vertical axis of the back surface;
The rigid insert has a predetermined thickness, and the striking surface has a predetermined curvature, (b) forming a golf club head body having a recess defined by a bottom and an annular side wall and capable of receiving the rigid insert; The recess is formed to substantially correspond to the rear surface, the golf club head body further includes an annular lip around the recess, (c) installing the rigid insert in the recess, and B) urging the annular lip to deform and incline the side wall to join the rigid insert to the golf club head body.

A second oblique angle to the vertical axis of the bottom is formed by the deformation of the side wall. Since the rigid insert is installed in the recess, the peripheral surface of the rigid insert prevents the sidewall from tilting more than necessary to join the rigid insert to the golf club head body. The second oblique angle due to the deformation of the side wall approximates the first oblique angle of the peripheral surface of the rigid insert, and enables the golf club head body to apply a uniform and relatively small force to the rigid insert, Thus, the rigid insert can be joined to the golf club head body without crushing or damaging the rigid insert.

A golf club head according to the present invention is characterized by including the following components: (a) a hitting surface, a back surface having a size slightly larger than the hitting surface, and a slant with respect to a vertical axis of the back surface. A rigid insert having a peripheral surface forming an angle, the rigid insert having a predetermined thickness, and the striking surface having a predetermined curvature, and (b) being defined by a bottom and an annular side wall and receiving the rigid insert. A golf club head body having a recess formed therein, wherein the golf club head body further includes an annular lip around the recess, the annular lip being biased to join the rigid insert to the golf club head body. Sufficient deformation occurs on the sidewall.

A golf club according to the present invention comprises a golf club body having a grip end and a tip end,
And a golf club head fixed to a tip end of the golf club body, wherein the golf club head has (a) a striking surface, a back surface slightly larger than the striking surface, and a vertical axis of the back surface. A rigid insert having a peripheral surface forming an oblique angle with respect to said rigid insert, said rigid insert having a predetermined thickness, and said striking surface having a predetermined curvature, and (b) being defined by a bottom portion and an annular side wall and having said rigidity. A golf club head body having a recess capable of receiving the insert, the golf club head body further including an annular lip around the recess;
The annular lip may be biased to deform the side wall to allow the rigid insert to be joined to the golf club head body.

[0015]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other advantages and features of the invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings, which show an embodiment. FIG.
Referring to FIG. 1, a rigid insert 10 of the present invention and a metal club head body 2 of a golf club head before press working are provided.
A cross-sectional view of the junction between zeros is shown.

The rigid insert 10 is preferably formed by powder metallurgy or casting, and has a striking surface 12, a rear surface 1 slightly larger than the striking surface 12.
4 and a peripheral surface 16 that forms at least partly a first oblique angle a with respect to a vertical axis of the back surface 14. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the oblique angle of the peripheral surface 16 is from the back surface 14 toward the striking surface 12. However, the oblique angle of the peripheral surface 16 may start from a level offset from the rear surface 14. In other words, the peripheral surface 1
Only a part of 6 forms a first oblique angle a with respect to the vertical axis of the back surface 14. Suitable offset range is 0.5mm to 1mm
It is. Insert 10 has a thickness of approximately 1-4 mm. Generally, inserts used in wood golf club heads include a curved ball striking surface. Inserts used in iron golf club heads include a planar striking surface. Rigid insert 10 may be formed of ceramic, maraging steel, titanium alloy, or other metal.

The golf club head body 20 is preferably formed by casting or forging, and is formed with a recess 24 defined by a bottom 21 and an annular side wall 22, the bottom 21 having dimensions substantially comparable to the back surface 14. And a configuration for receiving the rigid insert 10. The club head body 20 further includes an annular lip 26 around the recess 24, which is suitably spaced from the side wall 22 and preferably 1.2 mm to 2.0 m.
It has a predetermined height in the range of m. The metal club head body 20 may be formed of steel, stainless steel, titanium, a titanium alloy, a zinc alloy, or an aluminum alloy.

After placing the rigid insert 10 in the recess 24, a force 2 is applied to the lip 26, preferably in a direction perpendicular to the bottom 21.
5 to deform the side wall 22 and the rigid insert 10
To form a second oblique angle a ′ with respect to the vertical line of the bottom 21. The second bevel a ′ may be slightly larger than the first bevel a of the peripheral surface 16 of the rigid insert 10. However, the peripheral surface 16 of the rigid insert 10
The annular side wall 22 of the golf club head body 20 is prevented from further tilting after the annular side wall 22 once comes into contact with the peripheral surface 16 having the first oblique angle a for receiving the golf club head body 20, and the inside of the recess 24 is prevented. To the rigid insert 10.

The second due to the deformation of the annular side wall 22 of the concave portion 24
The bevel a ′ is the first bevel a on the peripheral surface 16 of the rigid insert 10.
And allows the golf club head body 20 to apply a uniform and relatively small force to the rigid insert 10 to crush or damage the rigid insert 10 to join the rigid insert 10 to the club head body 20. do not do.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the annular lip 26 has a front pouch 28 formed on the side near the side wall 22. Preferably, it has a width in the range of 0.3 mm to 0.5 mm and a rear pouch 29 is formed on the side remote from the side wall 2. The front pouch 28 further improves the linearity of the deformation of the side wall 22 that deforms under the force 25 and imparts a force that is evenly distributed toward the peripheral surface 16 of the rigid insert 10 after the deformation.

In another form, an adhesive (eg, an epoxy-based (Epox) is used to further strengthen the structure of the club head.
A precise amount of y)) may be uniformly applied to the recess 24 to fill the gap between the back surface 14 and the bottom 21. According to the present invention, a method of joining a rigid insert to a golf club head body includes the following steps.

(A) A rigid insert 10 having a hitting surface 12, a back surface 14 slightly larger than the hitting surface 12, and a peripheral surface 16 forming a first oblique angle a with respect to a vertical axis of the back surface 14 is prepared. In this case, the rigid insert 10 has a predetermined thickness, and the hitting surface 12 has a predetermined curvature.
(B) preparing a golf club head body 20 having a concave portion 24 defined by a bottom portion 21 and an annular side wall 22;
The bottom 21 is dimensioned to substantially correspond to the back surface 14 and is configured to receive the rigid insert 10;
The golf club head body 20 further has an annular lip 26 around the recess 24, and the annular lip 26
(C) placing the rigid insert 10 in the recess 24 and (d) biasing the annular lip 26, preferably perpendicular to the bottom 21, The golf club head main body 20 is joined to the rigid insert 10 by deforming and inclining the side wall 22, and (e) a part of the club head main body 20 is ground to the reference surface 23 to move the club head main body 20 to the rigid insert 10. Is formed.

The above method further provides a uniform amount of adhesive in the recess 24 prior to step (c) to fill the gap between the back surface 14 and the bottom 21 to further strengthen the structure of the club head. A step of applying may be included. As a result of precisely applying the force, the deformation of the annular lip 26 and the front pouch 28 is caused by the peripheral surface 16 of the rigid insert 10 and the side wall 2 of the club head body 20.
2 is filled, so that the second angle a ′ resulting from the deformation of the side wall 22 is slightly larger than the first angle a of the peripheral surface 16 of the rigid insert 10. However, since a uniform distribution of stress is applied to the peripheral surface 16 of the rigid insert 10 instead of a local stress applied to the hitting surface 12 or the peripheral surface 16, the rigid insert 16 can withstand larger stress without cracking.

In the step of applying the force 25, the peripheral surface 16 of the rigid insert 10 is brought into contact with the annular side wall 2 after the annular side wall 22 of the golf club head body 20 has once contacted the peripheral surface 16.
2 prevents further tilting. Subsequent deformation of the metal club head body 20 as a result of applying force 25 to the annular lip 26 can be absorbed by the open spaces 38, 39 above the front pouch 28 and the rear pouch 29, respectively.

The front pouch 28 and the rear pouch 29 need not be at the same level. At the prototype stage, the rear porch 2
It has been found that a front pouch 28 at a level higher than or equal to 9 facilitates the grinding process following the process of applying force 25 to lip 26. Further, at the stage of trial production, it was found that the first oblique angle a was preferably in the range of 5 ° to 8 °.

The front pouch 28 can further absorb excessive deformation caused by the application of the force 25, and
2 improves the linear deformation of the side wall 22 caused by the force exerted thereon and applies a uniform distribution of force to the peripheral surface 16 of the rigid insert 10 after the deformation. 5 and 6, respectively, show a wood and iron golf club head 30 formed by the method of the present invention, wherein a portion of each club head 30 has a rigid insert after the steps of applying a force 25 and grinding. It has been removed to illustrate the relationship between 10 and metal club head body 20. A golf club shaft 40 having a grip end (not shown) and a tip end formed according to the prior art is shown in FIG. Golf club head 30 may be assembled to the tip end of golf club shaft 40 as a golf club by conventional techniques.

From the above description of the invention, it will be apparent that the invention can be varied in various ways. Such modifications should not be deemed to depart from the spirit and scope of the invention, and any modifications obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be within the scope of the appended claims.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a prior art technique for joining a metal insert to a club head body.

FIG. 2 illustrates another prior art technique for coupling a metal insert to a club head body.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a joining point between a metal club head body and a rigid insert of the golf club head of the present invention before pressing.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a joint between the metal club head body and the rigid insert of the golf club head of the present invention after pressing.

FIG. 5 illustrates a wood golf club head formed according to the method of the present invention, with a portion of the club head removed to show the relationship between the rigid insert and the metal club head body.

FIG. 6 illustrates an iron golf club head formed according to the method of the present invention, wherein a portion of the club head has been removed to show the relationship between the rigid insert and the metal club head body.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Rigid insert 12a ... Hitting surface 14 ... Back surface 16 ... Peripheral surface 20 ... Golf club head main body 21 ... Bottom part 22 ... Side wall 24 ... Depression 25 ... Force 26 ... Lip 28 ... Front porch 29 ... Rear porch

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A method of manufacturing a golf club head having a rigid insert comprising the steps of: (a) a ball striking surface, a back surface slightly larger than the ball striking surface, and an oblique angle with respect to a vertical axis of the back surface. Forming a rigid insert having a peripheral surface forming an angle, the rigid insert having a predetermined thickness, and the striking surface having a predetermined curvature; (b) being defined by a bottom and an annular side wall and receiving the rigid insert. A golf club head body having a recess capable of forming the rigid insert, wherein the golf club head body further includes an annular lip around the recess; (c) installing the rigid insert in the recess; An annular lip is urged to deform and tilt the side wall to join the rigid insert to the golf club head body. 2. A golf club head comprising the following components: (a) a ball striking surface, a back surface slightly larger than the ball striking surface, and a peripheral surface forming an oblique angle with respect to a vertical axis of the back surface. A golf club head having a rigid insert, the rigid insert having a predetermined thickness, and the striking face having a predetermined curvature, and (b) a recess defined by a bottom and an annular side wall and capable of receiving the rigid insert. The body, the golf club head body further includes an annular lip around the recess, the annular lip being biased to deform the sidewall sufficiently to join the rigid insert to the golf club head body. It is a configuration that causes this. 3. A golf club body having a grip end and a tip end, and a golf club head fixed to the tip end of the golf club body, wherein the golf club head comprises: A rigid insert having a back surface of slightly larger dimension, and a peripheral surface forming an oblique angle with respect to the vertical axis of the back surface, the rigid insert having a predetermined thickness, and the striking surface having a predetermined curvature. A golf club head body having a bottom and a recess defined by an annular side wall and capable of receiving the rigid insert, wherein the golf club head body further comprises an annular lip around the recess; The annular lip allows the side wall to be deformed by being urged, so that To enable bonding the serial rigid insert, a golf club, characterized in that.