JP2004097276A - Golf club head and method of manufacturing the same, and golf club - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a golf club head excellent in the adhesion strength and outer appearance with high flexibility of the design in which deficiencies in the laser welding are improved, a method of the same, and a golf club. <P>SOLUTION: The golf club head comprises a face part 20 and a head body 10 jointed with the face part 20. The face part 20 and the head body 10 are jointed via a welded part formed by the laser welding on a collapsed part formed by collapsing a projecting part 14 of the head body 10 located around the face part 20 on the face 20 side. The golf club comprises the golf head, a shaft, and a grip. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a metal golf club head in which a head main body and a face portion are joined, a manufacturing method thereof, and a golf club including the head.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a method for joining a face part to a head body in a metal golf club head composed of a plurality of parts including a face part, there is a method for joining the head body by caulking by applying pressure to the face part. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-182006 discloses a golf club head in which a face body is press-fitted into a head body, and the face body and / or the head body are plastically deformed to join the face body.
[0003]
There is also a method of joining the face portion to the head body by arc welding using a metal welding rod. However, in the joining by welding, the appearance of the weld line is increased and the appearance is deteriorated, and the weight change is large, and the influence of the heat around the weld line is large, resulting in a change in the metal structure, There was a problem that the strength of the portion was lowered.
[0004]
In order to improve these problems, a method of joining the face portion to the head body by laser welding has been proposed. This method is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-246030.
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-182006 [Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-246030
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the method of applying pressure to the face portion and joining the head main body by caulking processing generally requires a large pressure of 1500 MPa or more because it is necessary to plastically deform the metal. For this reason, the face portion and the head body are required to have rigidity capable of withstanding high pressure, and there is a problem that the degree of freedom in design is limited.
[0007]
In laser welding disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-246030, a convex portion is formed on the peripheral portion of the head main body, and the molten metal of the convex portion is poured into the weld portion generated during laser welding so as to prevent the occurrence of a dent. I have to. However, there is a variation in the gap between the head body and the outer periphery of the face portion, and not only is it difficult to supply the molten metal in the convex portion to the welded portion, but also the convex portion in the welded portion. Even if the molten metal can be supplied, the generation of the dent may not be prevented. As a result, there is a problem that the thickness variation of the welded portion increases and the strength of the welded portion is not constant.
[0008]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a golf club head, a method of manufacturing the same, and a golf club that improve the above-mentioned problems of laser welding, have excellent adhesion strength and appearance, and have a high degree of design freedom. .
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In one aspect, the golf club head according to the present invention includes a face portion and a head main body joined to the face portion, and a part of the head main body positioned around the face portion is crushed toward the face portion ( It is characterized in that the face portion and the head main body are joined via a welded portion formed by laser welding from a crushing portion (plastically deformed portion) formed by plastic deformation. The crushing portion may be provided so as to surround the entire periphery of the face portion, but may be selectively provided along the outer periphery of the face portion.
[0010]
As described above, a gap between the head main body and the outer periphery of the face portion can be adjusted by plastically deforming a part of the head main body toward the face portion to provide a crushing portion. For example, it is possible to plastically deform a part of the head main body so as to overlap the face portion, so that the gap is substantially zero. A part of the head main body is crushed toward the face portion to reduce the gap. It is also possible. By performing laser welding from above the collapsed portion, an appropriate amount of molten metal can be reliably supplied to the welded portion, and the occurrence of dents in the welded portion can be effectively suppressed. Further, when forming the crushing portion, it is only necessary to plastically deform a part of the head main body to the face portion side to adjust the gap between the head main body and the outer periphery of the face portion, so that a large pressure is not required.
[0011]
In another aspect, the golf club head according to the present invention includes a face portion and a head body joined to the face portion, and a part of the head body located around the face portion is crushed to the face portion side. The face portion and the head main body are joined via the crush portion formed in this way and the weld portion formed by laser welding. The welded part of this aspect can be formed, for example, by partially melting the crushing part. The crushing portion may be formed along the entire circumference of the face portion, or may be selectively formed along the outer periphery of the face portion.
[0012]
By providing the crushing portion and the welded portion as described above, the face portion and the head main body can be joined at both the crushing portion and the welded portion, and the face portion and the head main body can be joined firmly. . Further, by forming the welded portion by partially melting the crushing portion, it is possible to effectively suppress the occurrence of dents in the welded portion, as in the case of the above-described aspect. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to join the face part and the head body with only the crushing part, a large pressure is not required when forming the crushing part.
[0013]
The present invention can be applied to both an iron golf club head and a wood golf club head, but is useful for a golf club head having a hollow portion between a face portion and a head body.
[0014]
The golf club of the present invention includes the above-described golf club head. Therefore, the reliability of the head is high and the appearance is excellent.
[0015]
The golf club head manufacturing method according to the present invention includes the following steps. The face part is press-fitted so as to close the opening of the head body. A portion located around the opening in the head main body is crushed (plastically deformed) to the face side to form a crushed portion. Laser welding is performed on the crushing portion to weld the face portion and the head main body.
[0016]
By performing laser welding after forming the crushing portion in this way, laser welding can be performed after adjusting the gap between the head body and the outer periphery of the face portion. Therefore, variation in the gap can be reduced, and a desired amount of molten metal can be reliably supplied to the laser welded portion. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of the dent in a welding part can be suppressed effectively. In addition, since it is not necessary to join the face portion and the head main body only by the crushing portion, a large pressure is not required when forming the crushing portion.
[0017]
It is preferable that the head body has a convex portion around the opening, and the convex portion is formed by crushing the convex portion. In this case, the cross-sectional shape of the convex portion is a trapezoidal shape. Thereby, the convex portion can be crushed so as to cover the abutting portion between the face portion and the head body with a relatively low pressure. Therefore, the load on the face part and the head main body is reduced, and the face part and the head main body can be made thin. As a result, the surplus of the face part and the head body can be arranged in a desired part, and the degree of freedom in designing the optimum center of gravity position is improved.
[0018]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The golf club of the present invention has a head described later, a shaft connected to the head, and a grip. Since well-known shafts and grips can be adopted, descriptions on the shaft and grips are omitted.
[0019]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an iron golf club head according to an embodiment of the present invention before welding of a face portion 20, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a region A in FIG.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 1, the iron golf club head includes a face portion 20 having a face surface (ball striking face) 21 on the front surface, and a head body 10. The head body 10 includes a neck portion 13 that connects a shaft to one side, a back portion 11 that is positioned on the back side of the face portion 20, a sole portion 12, and a hollow portion 32 between the face portion 20 and the head body 10. And have.
[0021]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the head main body 10 further includes an opening for receiving the face portion 20, and a convex portion on the main body peripheral portion 30 located in the vicinity of the butting portion 31 between the face portion 20 and the head main body 10. (Projecting portion) 14 and a face receiving portion (supporting portion) 15 that receives the face portion 20 and supports the peripheral portion of the face portion 20.
[0022]
In the example shown in FIG. 2, the cross-sectional shape of the convex portion 14 is a trapezoidal shape having a height of 1 mm, a lower base of 1 mm, and an upper base of 0.5 mm. One side surface (inner peripheral surface) of the convex portion 14 is configured by a surface continuously extending from the inner peripheral surface of the head main body 10 in the abutting portion 31 between the face portion 20 and the head main body 10.
[0023]
The cross-sectional shape of the convex portion 14 can be arbitrarily selected, and the cross-sectional shape of the convex portion 14 can be a quadrangle, but in the case of a quadrangular shape, it has a trapezoidal cross section to crush the convex portion 14 Higher pressure is required. For this reason, it is necessary to increase the thickness of the head body 10 and increase the thickness and width of the face receiving portion 15, which limits the degree of freedom in design. Therefore, the cross-sectional shape of the convex portion 14 is preferably a trapezoidal shape. Further, by making the trapezoidal shape, the abutting portion 31 between the face portion 20 and the head main body 10 can be easily covered uniformly with the crushing portion of the head main body 10.
[0024]
As shown in FIG. 3A, the convex portion 14 extends along the entire circumference of the abutting portion 31 between the face portion 20 and the head body 10, that is, around the entire circumference of the opening of the head body 10 that receives the face portion 20. It is preferable to form along. Thereby, the clearance between the outer periphery of the face portion 20 and the head body 10 can be adjusted over the entire circumference of the butting portion 31.
[0025]
However, you may selectively form the convex part 14 along the butt | matching part 31 or the said opening part. In this case, the gap can be adjusted only at a location where the gap between the outer periphery of the face portion 20 and the head body 10 needs to be adjusted. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 (B), the convex portion 14 may be formed so as to follow only the portions located on the top edge portion 16 side and the leading edge portion 17 side in the butting portion 31.
[0026]
As shown in FIG. 2, the face receiving portion 15 is formed on the inner periphery of the peripheral portion of the main body located on the rear side (back portion 11 side) of the butting portion 31 between the face portion 20 and the head main body 10. The face receiving portion 15 is configured to prevent the face surface 21 from being displaced rearward from the front end surface of the peripheral portion of the main body excluding the convex portion 14 when the face is pressed into the head main body 10. And is formed so as to protrude to the inner side of the face press-fit opening at a position on the rear side by the thickness of the face portion 20. In the example of FIG. 2, the face receiving portion 15 is formed so as to protrude 1 mm inward of the opening of the head body 10 at the rear of 2 mm which is the same as the thickness of the face portion 20.
[0027]
In the present embodiment, the face receiving portion 15 only needs to be supported so as to prevent the face portion 20 from being displaced rearward when the convex portion 14 is crushed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. The thickness t of the portion 15 can be reduced (for example, about 1 to 2 mm). Thereby, the head can be reduced in weight. In addition, since the mass of the head main body 10 portion located on the rear side of the face receiving portion 15 can be arranged at another location, the mass distribution of the head can also be adjusted. Therefore, the position of the center of gravity and the moment of inertia can be adjusted.
[0028]
Next, a method for manufacturing a golf club head according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0029]
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the flat face portion 20 is first press-fitted into the opening of the head body 10. More specifically, a face holder is used by using a face part press-fitting upper die (first upper die or first die) 22 which is a die having an outer dimension that is smaller by several mm (for example, 3 mm) than the outer dimension of the face portion 20. The face portion 20 is pressed until it hits the portion 15 and is press-fitted into the opening of the head body 10.
[0030]
Next, as shown in FIG. 7, a convex crushing upper mold (second upper mold or second mold) that is a mold having a size that covers the convex section 14, that is, a larger outer dimension than the face press-fitting upper mold 22. The convex part 14 is pressed with a mold 23 and is crushed (plastically deformed). For example, the convex portion 14 is pressed and crushed at a pressure of about 500 MPa. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 8, the convex portion 14 is plastically deformed so as to fall to the face portion 20 side, and the crushing portion 18 that covers the peripheral portion of the face portion 20 together with the butted portion 31 of the face portion 20 and the head body 10 is formed. Can be formed.
[0031]
The crushing portion 18 does not necessarily cover the peripheral portion of the face portion 20, and the convex portion 14 is plastically deformed toward the face portion 20, so that the gap between the outer periphery of the face portion 20 and the head body 10 is substantially reduced. It only needs to be smaller. By forming such a crushing portion 18, it is possible to reduce the gap itself between the outer periphery of the face portion 20 and the head body 10 and to reduce the variation in the gap.
[0032]
Next, as shown in FIG. 9, laser welding is performed using a laser processing machine 40 from above the crushing portion 18 crushed so as to cover the butted portion 31 between the face portion 20 and the head body 10. For example, laser welding is performed using a laser processing machine 40 with an output of 1500 W. Thereby, at least a part of the crushing portion 18 and the face portion 20 can be melted, and a welded portion 19 is formed as shown in FIG.
[0033]
By the way, laser welding has advantages such as less heat influence on the vicinity to be welded and less weight change and thermal deformation, etc., but welding with sufficient strength when the gap between the butt parts of the metal materials to be joined is large. There is a problem that can not be. Specifically, if there is a gap of 1 mm or more, laser welding with sufficient strength is difficult, and the gap is generally 0 to 0.5 mm, preferably 0 to 0.3 mm.
[0034]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the crushing portion 18 is formed as described above, and the gap between the outer periphery of the face portion 20 and the head body 10 (gap in the butting portion 31) is set to a value of about 0 to 0.1 mm. Accordingly, an appropriate amount of molten metal can be supplied to the joint between the face portion 20 and the head body 10 during laser welding, and the occurrence of a dent in the welded portion 19 after final finishing is effectively suppressed. Can do. As a result, the welded portion 19 having sufficient strength can be formed.
[0035]
Moreover, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 9, since the laser can be irradiated to the crushing portion 18 from a substantially vertical direction (above), it is possible to reduce energy loss during laser welding.
[0036]
In the example of FIG. 10, the face portion 20 and the head main body 10 are mainly fixed by the above-described welded portion 19, but when the crushing portion 18 remains, both the welded portion 19 and the crushing portion 18 The face portion 20 and the head body 10 are fixed. Further, when the crushing portion 18 is selectively formed around the face portion 20, the welded portion 19 formed by melting the crushing portion 18 and the face portion 20, and the head body 10 other than the crushing portion 18, The face portion 20 and the head main body 10 are mainly fixed together with a welded portion 19 formed by selectively melting the face portion 20.
[0037]
After forming the welded portion 19 as described above, the surface of the welded portion 19 is polished and finished. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 11, a golf club head having a welded portion 19 having a substantially uniform thickness on the butt portion 31 can be produced. Thereafter, the shaft and grip are connected to the head to complete the golf club.
[0038]
In the iron golf club head of the present embodiment, for example, the head main body 10 can be constituted by a cast product made of SUS630 (stainless steel), and the face portion 20 can be constituted by a flat plate made of high-strength stainless steel. Thus, not only the same kind of metals but also different kinds of metals such as stainless steel and titanium alloy can be joined by laser welding. Therefore, the head body 10 and the face portion 20 may be made of different metals.
[0039]
In the above-described embodiment, the embodiment in which the present invention is applied to the hollow iron golf club head has been described. However, the present invention is an iron golf club head in which the back portion of the head main body 10 is opened, or wood golf. It can also be applied to club heads.
[0040]
As described above, the embodiment of the present invention has been described. However, it should be considered that the embodiment and the example disclosed herein are illustrative and non-restrictive in every respect. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, and includes meanings equivalent to the terms of the claims and all modifications within the scope.
[0041]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, it is possible to effectively suppress the occurrence of dents in the welded portion between the face portion and the head main body, so that the variation in the thickness of the welded portion can be reduced, and the variation in the strength of the welded portion. Can be reduced. Thereby, the adhesion strength between the face portion and the head body can be improved, and a highly reliable golf club head can be obtained. Further, the appearance of the golf club head can be improved only by finishing the head body. Further, since a large pressure is not required for forming the crushing portion, the face portion and the head body do not need to be rigid enough to withstand high pressure, and the degree of design freedom can be increased.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an iron golf club head before face welding according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a region A in FIG.
FIG. 3A is a front view of an iron golf club head according to an embodiment of the present invention before face welding, and FIG. 3B is a face of the iron golf club head according to a modification of FIG. It is a front view before welding.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state where laser welding is performed from above the crushing part.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a first step of a manufacturing process of an iron golf club head according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a second step of the manufacturing process of the iron golf club head in one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a third step of the manufacturing process of the iron golf club head in one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a fourth step of the manufacturing process of the iron golf club head in one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a fifth step of manufacturing the iron golf club head according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a sixth step of the manufacturing process of the iron golf club head in one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing a seventh step of manufacturing the iron golf club head in one embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Head body, 11 Back part, 12 Sole part, 13 Neck part, 14 Convex part (projection part), 15 Face receiving part, 16 Top edge part, 17 Leading edge part, 18 Crushing part, 19 Welded part, 20 Face part , 21 Face surface, 22 Upper part for face part press-fit, 23 Upper part for convex part crush, 30 Body peripheral part, 31 Butt part, 32 Hollow part, 40 Laser processing machine.
90

Claims (6)

A face portion (20);
A head body (10) joined to the face part (20),
It was formed by performing laser welding on a crushing part (18) formed by crushing a part of the head main body (10) located around the face part (20) to the face part (20) side. A golf club head characterized in that the face portion (20) and the head body (10) are joined via a welded portion (19). A face portion (20);
A head body (10) joined to the face part (20),
A crushing part (18) formed by crushing a part of the head main body (10) positioned around the face part (20) to the face part (20) side, and a welding part (19) formed by laser welding. ), The face portion (20) and the head body (10) are joined together. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein a hollow portion (32) is provided between the face portion (20) and the head body (10). A golf club comprising the golf club head according to any one of claims 1 to 3. Press-fitting the face portion (20) so as to close the opening of the head body (10);
Crushing a portion of the head body (10) located around the opening toward the face portion (20) to form a crushing portion (18);
Welding the face part (20) and the head body (10) by laser welding from above the crushing part (18);
A method of manufacturing a golf club head comprising: The head body (10) has a convex portion (14) around the opening, and the convex portion (14) is crushed to form the crushed portion (18).
6. The method of manufacturing a golf club head according to claim 5, wherein a cross-sectional shape of the convex portion (14) is a trapezoidal shape.

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