JP2001162985A - Rubber composition material for grip - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rubber composition material for the grip of sports equipment such as a racket, a golf club or the like capable of being satisfactorily fitted with each of individual persons' gripping ways and manufactured at a low cost and a rubber composition material for the grip of a writing instrument such as a ballpoint pen, a felt-tip pen, a mechanical pencil or the like. SOLUTION: The grip mounted at the gripping site of a pen barrel, a racket or the like is formed with an amorphous carbon film 6 on the surface of a grip member made of a soft silicone rubber 5.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rubber composition for gripping a grip of a racket such as tennis or badminton, a golf club or the like, or a pen shaft of a writing implement such as a ball-point pen, a felt-tip pen or a mechanical pen.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as grips for writing instruments such as ballpoint pens, felt-tip pens, and mechanical pens, grip members that are made of rubber or an elastomer are attached to a gripping portion of a pen shaft so that fingers are hard to slide. There has been proposed a grip member formed in the shape of a finger to be grasped in advance. Various rubber materials and the like are used for these grip members, but silicone rubber is often used because of problems of stain resistance, coloring, and feeling. Also,
The gripping member is deformed and conforms to each finger by the finger pressure of the finger that abuts when gripping, so that the gripping feeling (grip feeling) is improved. A grip member reduced in hardness by using a foam has been proposed. (See, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-272294) In order to reduce the hardness of the grip member, a hollow portion is provided between the surface of the grip member and the pen shaft to form a bag. And a substance in which a gel-like substance is enclosed. (For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-164
No. 692)

As a racket grip, a fluid such as silicone oil is sealed in a bag made of a thermoplastic resin or the like, and the grip member is reduced in hardness as a sheet-like cushioning material. It has been proposed to wind around and cover. (See, for example, JP-A-9-322950)

[0004]

However, in the case of a tubular grip member, the hardness of the rubber or elastomer is not so soft as to sufficiently fit into the hand, so that it is difficult to fit into the hand and has been used for a long time. In some cases, it became slippery due to hand oil and the like. With a grip member formed in the shape of a finger to be gripped in advance, it is impossible to make the shape conform to the shape of a different hand for each person, so that it is not easy to use for all people.

[0005] In the case of elastomers, it is common to increase oil filling or lower the crystal density in order to lower the hardness, but due to the deterioration of moldability and the stickiness of the surface state, the hardness is 60 degrees (JIS-JIS). K6253 type A durometer) is very difficult to get below,
In the case of rubber that can be relatively low in hardness, it is common to increase the oil filling or reduce the crosslink density, but if the hardness is lowered to a level that can be easily adjusted to the hand, the surface condition may become sticky. Therefore, it was difficult to use the rubber composition for a grip.

[0006] In addition, when the hardness of rubber or elastomer, or those obtained by foaming them, is reduced to a level that can be easily adjusted to the hand, the surface hardness becomes low, and the surface is easily scratched. And was easily destroyed. On the other hand, in the case where the grip member is filled with a liquid or the like as a bag-like body and the grip member is made low in hardness, it is necessary to consider the leakage, so it is necessary to thicken the bag-like body to some extent, and the surface becomes rather hard. As a result, they did not follow the shape of the finger or hand and were difficult to adapt to the hand. In addition, since fluid exists between the base-side bag-like body surface and the grip-side bag-like body surface, slippage occurs between the base-side bag-like body surface and the grip-side bag-like body surface, and even if the user grips strongly. Since the above-mentioned slip did not disappear, the retention was poor. In addition, a base part points out the site | part of the pen shaft main body which fixes a grip member.

[0007] Further, when used for gripping a racket or a golf club, the above-mentioned slippage occurs, and the grip feeling is poor, especially when gripping strongly at the moment of impact. Furthermore, since it is necessary to seal, the production becomes complicated and the cost becomes high. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a rubber composition for a grip for exercise equipment such as a racket and a golf club, which is well-adapted to each person's gripping method and which can be manufactured at low cost, and for a writing instrument grip such as a ballpoint pen, a felt-tip pen and a mechanical pen. A rubber composition is provided.

[0008]

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a grip mounted on a grip portion such as a pen shaft or a racket, wherein the grip member is made of a soft silicone rubber. Characterized in that an amorphous carbon film was formed on the surface of the substrate. According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the first aspect, the soft silicone rubber of the grip member has a rubber hardness of 30 degrees (JIS-K6).
253 type A durometer, type E durometer)
It is characterized by the following. The invention of claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the soft silicone rubber of the grip member is dimethyl silicone oil or methylphenyl silicone oil with respect to 100 parts by weight of silicone rubber. 0 to 50
It is characterized by being a soft silicone rubber compounded by weight. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the third aspect of the invention, a dimethyl-based silicone oil compounded in the soft silicone rubber of the grip member, or
Methylphenyl silicone oil has a viscosity of 20-50.
000 cSt.

The amorphous carbon film applied to the rubber composition for a grip according to the present invention is a flexible amorphous carbon film which does not hinder the flexibility of the elastic body as the base material. . This amorphous carbon film is formed by a so-called plasma CVD method. Specifically, a silicon grip member before film formation is installed in a vacuum chamber having a capacitive or inductive electrode provided therein. By performing glow discharge in a hydrocarbon gas pressure atmosphere of 0.01 to 10 torr, an amorphous carbon thin film containing a slight amount of hydrogen atoms is formed. This amorphous carbon film is clean because it is difficult for human dirt and dirt due to sweat to adhere thereto, and has an appropriate slip, so that it has a smooth feeling and a good touch. Since the silicone rubber as the base material is soft, the silicone rubber is deformed into the shape of each person's hand, so that the fingers are not easily displaced while having the above-mentioned smooth feeling, so that it is easy to hold and the grip feeling is improved. Even if the base material is a soft silicone rubber, its surface is covered with an amorphous carbon film having a higher surface hardness than that of the base material, so that it is not easily damaged.

This amorphous carbon film has a hardness of 30 degrees (hereinafter referred to as JIS-K unless otherwise specified).
Even when it is in a very soft state (measured value by 6253 type A durometer and type E durometer) or less, it can be deformed following the deformation of the silicone rubber well, and it can be adapted to the hand very well. In general, silicone rubber has a low reactivity, so a fluorine coating,
In the case of nylon coating, etc., peeling is likely to occur, but in the case of amorphous carbon film, sufficient bonding can be obtained, and it is sufficiently soft compared to fluorine coating, nylon coating, etc.
Peeling is less likely to occur between the amorphous carbon film and the silicone rubber. Further, since the rubber composition for grip of the present invention is soft but integral, unlike the fluid-filled type, there is no displacement between the surface of the base-side bag and the surface of the grip-side bag, and the grip is firmly gripped. It is hard to cause discomfort even if it occurs.

To reduce the hardness of the silicone rubber, dimethyl silicone oil or methylphenyl silicone oil is added to 100 parts by weight of the silicone rubber.
Even if it is put up to about 50 parts by weight, since the amorphous carbon film is formed on the grip portion, bleeding of the silicone oil can be suppressed, so there is no stickiness and very low hardness. It can be silicone rubber.

Further, the present invention relates to 20 to 50,000 cSt.
By using dimethyl silicone oil or methylphenyl silicone oil, the amount and hardness of the silicone oil can be adjusted, and a rubber composition for grip having more appropriate hardness can be obtained.

Here, the pen shaft indicates a base portion for fixing the rubber composition for grip. The rubber composition for a grip can be molded in advance in the shape of a grip portion and then assembled, or formed into a sheet or belt shape, and then fixed after being wound around the grip portion. In addition, the present invention is applicable to grips of writing instruments such as ballpoint pens, felt-tip pens, mechanical pencils, and pencils, and is applicable to grips of grips such as tennis, badminton rackets, and grips of golf clubs.

[0014]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment in which a rubber composition for a grip according to the present invention is applied to a writing instrument, and shows a state in which a ballpoint pen equipped with the rubber composition for a grip is used. Is shown. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing only the rubber composition for a grip in FIG. 1, and FIG.
2 is an AA cross section of the rubber composition for grip shown in FIG. 2, the left side from the center line shows an AA cross section in FIG. 2, and the right side is a non-grip cross section at the same position as the AA cross section in FIG. 2. Show. Note that the two-dot chain line shows a cross section at the time of non-holding.

1 is a ballpoint pen and 2 is a rubber composition for grip. The ball-point pen 1 has a grip rubber composition 2 mounted at a grip position, and the grip rubber composition 2 is deformed by user's finger pressure into a shape corresponding to the shape of the user's gripping finger. Reference numeral 3 denotes a deformed portion deformed by finger pressure of the rubber composition for grip, and the concave deformed portion 3 easily deforms along the shape of a finger depending on how the user holds the rubber composition. Reference numeral 4 denotes a deformed portion which, when not deformed, bulges in a convex shape by moving the volume of the soft silicone rubber present in the concave deformed portion 3 due to the deformation due to the finger pressure at the time of gripping. The step 3 improves the grip on the hand and improves the grip. 5 is a soft silicone rubber, and 6 is an amorphous carbon film. Since this soft silicone rubber 5 has a very low hardness, it is easily deformed, and when it is released, it quickly returns to its original shape, so that it can easily conform to the shape of each person's hand, Less fatigue after long use. In addition, since the amorphous carbon film 6 on the surface has stain resistance and moderate slip, it is hard to be stained, can be kept clean even after long-term use, and has a slippery feeling due to moderate slip. , Feel good. Therefore, the surface has an appropriate slip due to the amorphous carbon film, and the grip feeling is good due to the step due to the deformation of the soft silicone rubber.

FIG. 4 is a half sectional view showing one embodiment in which the rubber composition for a grip according to the present invention is applied to a tennis racket. 7 is the grip base of the tennis racket,
Reference numerals 8 and 9 respectively denote a grip portion of a tennis racket and a rubber composition for grip of the present invention formed in a tape shape, 10 denotes an amorphous carbon film, and 11 denotes a soft silicone rubber. This rubber composition 9 for a tape-like grip is made of a soft silicone rubber 11 whose surface is coated with an amorphous carbon film 10.
Is formed in a tape shape, and is wound around and fixed to the grip portion 8. Since the rubber composition 9 for a tape-shaped grip is easily deformed by a person's grip force, it moves to a portion where the soft silicone at the grip position is not gripped according to the grip pressure, and the soft silicone at the grip portion becomes thin. As a result, the force is easily transmitted, and a convex deformed portion is formed around the grip portion, so that the contact area of the hand is increased, and it is possible to transmit a stronger force. In the above-described embodiment, the rubber composition for a tape-shaped grip is used. However, the rubber composition may be formed in the form of a grip in advance, and then fitted and fixed.

Next, a method of manufacturing a sample used in the comparative test described below will be described. First, silicone rubber 1
0.7 parts by weight of peroxide (C-8
A: 0, 20, 30, and 50 parts by weight of a dimethyl silicone oil (KF-96; a product name of Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) were blended at room temperature at room temperature, respectively. The kneaded dough was prepared, and four types of rubber sheets having different blending amounts of silicone oil, which were vulcanized and formed into a 100 mm × 100 mm × 2 mm sheet by hot pressing, were prepared. Next, the amorphous carbon film forming rubber sheet 1 × 10 of the rubber sheet ^- placed in a vacuum chamber pressure was reduced to ¹ torr, the main film-forming surface of the rubber sheet is exposed to methane gas plasma, the rubber sheet An amorphous carbon film was formed on the film forming surface of No. 1. Of the rubber sheets prepared by the above method, those having an amorphous carbon film formed on the surface and having a silicone oil compounding amount of 0, 20, 30, and 50 parts by weight were obtained in Examples A, B, and C, respectively. , D, and Comparative Examples A, B, C, and D in which an amorphous carbon film was not formed on the surface and the amount of the silicone oil was 0, 20, 30, and 50 parts by weight, respectively.

Next, a sticking test apparatus and method will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 12 denotes a test sample, 100 mm × 100 mm × 2 prepared by the above method.
mm was cut out from a sheet of 18 mm into a disk having a diameter of 18 mm. The adhesion test surface side of this test sample 12 is made of stainless steel (S) having a surface roughness of 3S (JIS-B0601) or less.
(US304) A test jig 14 and a weight 15 are placed on the plate 13 so as to be in contact with the plate 13, and a 1 kg load is applied to the test sample 12. This test sample 12 was left at room temperature × 12 hours,
After heating at 0 ° C. × 12 hr, the mixture was allowed to cool at room temperature for 3 hr, and the presence or absence of fixation was confirmed. Normally, grip compositions such as writing implements and rackets are not used at a high temperature of 120 ° C., but as an acceleration test, an adhesion test was also performed on a grip composition left in a high-temperature atmosphere where oil swells easily.

Next, an apparatus and a method for a friction coefficient measurement test will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 16 denotes a test sample. The test sample 16 is fixed on a flat flat table, and the test sample 16 is arranged thereon such that the friction coefficient test surface of the test sample comes into contact with the lens-shaped glass 17 of R60. ,
A weight 18 is placed on the lenticular glass 17 and a load of 250 g is applied to the test sample 16 at a speed of 20 mm / m.
The coefficient of kinetic friction when pulled in the horizontal direction at "in" was measured. It should be noted that the test samples 12 and 16 include Example A described above.
To D and Comparative Examples A to D are applied.

In the above test, the adhesion test shows the degree of adhesion of the grip, and the friction test can be seen as a guide to show the smoothness of the grip. The rubber hardness was measured using an A type durometer and an E type durometer.
It was measured according to JIS-K6253. Tables 1 and 2 show the results of this comparative test.

[0021]

[Table 1]

[0022]

[Table 2]

From the results of the above test, Comparative Examples A and B, which were not treated with the amorphous carbon film, were all fixed and had a high dynamic friction coefficient. This is thought to be because bleeding occurred due to the addition of a large amount of silicone oil. Therefore, Comparative Examples AB without the amorphous carbon film treatment were:
It turns out that a sticky feeling is generated and the grip feeling is poor. In contrast, Examples A and B in which the amorphous carbon film treatment was performed
Has a very low hardness, but has no sticking and has a low dynamic friction coefficient, so that it has a smooth feeling and is suitable as a grip composition. Therefore, in Examples of the present invention, 0 to 50 parts by weight of silicone oil is blended with respect to 100 parts by weight of silicone rubber to provide a low-hardness grip composition without bleeding and having a good grip feeling. A rubber composition for grip with hardness can be obtained. Although the present invention has been described with reference to the above embodiments, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

[0024]

As described above in detail, according to the rubber composition for a grip according to the present invention, the surface of the soft silicone rubber is covered with the amorphous carbon film, so that the stain resistance is improved. It can be kept clean because it is hard to adhere to human hand stains and dirt due to perspiration, and it has a moderate slip and feels smooth and comfortable. Furthermore, since the silicone rubber, which is the base material, is soft, it deforms according to the shape of the hand of the person holding the grip. The grip is good because it is easy to get on and it is hard to slip. Even if the base material is a soft silicone rubber, its surface is covered with an amorphous carbon film, so that it is hardly damaged. Even if a large amount of silicone oil is blended for low hardness, an amorphous carbon film is formed on the surface of the soft silicone rubber, so bleeding of silicone oil can be suppressed, and An extremely low hardness silicone rubber can be obtained without any special compounding, and it can be manufactured at low cost without stickiness. In addition, as the silicone oil, 20 to 500
By using 00 cSt silicone oil, the amount and hardness of the silicone oil can be adjusted,
There are effects such as that a rubber composition for grip having more appropriate hardness can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment in which a rubber composition for a grip according to the present invention is applied to a writing instrument.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing only a rubber composition for a grip in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a rubber composition A for grips shown in FIG. 2;
-It is an A section.

FIG. 4 is a half sectional view showing an embodiment in which the rubber composition for a grip according to the present invention is applied to a tennis racket.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an adhesion test device in a comparative test with the example according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a friction test device in a comparative test with the example according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ball-point pen 2, 9 Rubber composition for grip 3 Concave deformation part 4 Convex deformation part 5, 11 Soft silicone rubber 6, 10 Amorphous carbon film 7 Grip base 8 Grip part 12, 16 Test sample 13 Stainless steel plate 14 Test cure Ingredients 15, 18 Weight 17 Lenticular glass

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A grip mounted on a grip portion such as a pen shaft or a racket, wherein a non-crystalline carbon film is formed on a surface of a grip member made of a soft silicone rubber. . 2. The grip rubber composition according to claim 1, wherein the soft silicone rubber of the grip member has a rubber hardness of 30 degrees or less (JIS-K6253 type A durometer, type E durometer). 3. The soft silicone rubber of the grip member is a soft silicone rubber obtained by mixing 0 to 50 parts by weight of dimethyl silicone oil or methylphenyl silicone oil with respect to 100 parts by weight of silicone rubber. The rubber composition for a grip according to claim 1 or 2, wherein 4. A dimethyl-based silicone oil or a methylphenyl-based silicone oil blended in the soft silicone rubber of the grip member has a viscosity of 20 to 500.
The rubber composition for a grip according to claim 3, wherein the rubber composition is 00cSt.