JP2004166860A - Golf club head and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To carry a golf ball across a long distance and to efficiently manufacture a golf club head with superior durability. <P>SOLUTION: A work composed of β type titanium alloy is treated by a warm press molding and hot forging to be manufactured into a face member 16. The work or the obtained face member 16 may be aged as necessary. This process provides the face member 16 composed of α+β type titanium alloy. Then, the face member 16 is joined with a head body 14 by welding. In this case, with application of high-temperature heat, the circumferential part 24 of the face member 16 welded to the head body 14 is tuned into the β type titanium alloy. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a golf club head and a method for manufacturing the same, and more particularly to a golf club head having a face member having excellent strength and high flexibility and a method for manufacturing the same.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A general wood-type golf club head is hollow and has a head body having a front surface opened, and a face member joined to the head body so as to close the front surface of the opening. As a material of the face member, stainless steel has been conventionally used, but in recent years, a titanium alloy has attracted attention. This is because the titanium alloy has a specific gravity smaller than that of stainless steel, and therefore a face member having the same volume can be made lighter than that made of stainless steel. Further, if the weight is the same, the face area can be increased as compared with the one made of stainless steel, so that the optimum hitting area suitable for hitting a golf ball can be increased.
[0003]
Moreover, the Young's modulus of the titanium alloy is smaller than that of stainless steel. For this reason, the face member made of a titanium alloy is more flexible than the face member made of stainless steel. Therefore, the face member made of a titanium alloy is greatly bent when the golf ball is hit, and thus the repulsive force is increased. When the repulsive force of the face member is large, it is possible to fly the golf ball over a long distance.
[0004]
There are three types of titanium alloys: α-type titanium alloys composed of α-phase, β-type titanium alloys composed of β-phase, and α + β-type titanium alloys mixed with α-phase and β-phase. In view of the fact that the strength can be remarkably improved by applying an aging treatment, β-type titanium alloys are frequently used as the material of the face member as described in Patent Document 1.
[0005]
The β-type titanium alloy also has the characteristic that it is more flexible than the α-type titanium alloy.
[0006]
The face member made of β-type titanium alloy is produced by, for example, obtaining a plate material made of β-type titanium alloy by cold rolling and then press-forming the plate material. Next, the face member is welded to a head body separately prepared in advance, whereby a golf club head is manufactured. Thereafter, an aging treatment is performed on the golf club head.
[0007]
Work hardening has occurred in the β-type titanium alloy that has been cold-rolled. For this reason, the aging treatment may be performed for a short time. That is, in this case, since it is not necessary to perform the aging treatment for a long time, there is an advantage that the golf club head can be manufactured efficiently.
[0008]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-71219
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, when the aging treatment is applied to the β-type titanium alloy, the α phase is precipitated from the β phase. That is, an α + β type titanium alloy is obtained. On the other hand, the β-type titanium alloy has the greatest flexibility among the three types of titanium alloys as described above. In other words, when the aging treatment is performed, the flexibility of the face member decreases as the α phase precipitates, and as a result, the face member has a small repulsive force. That is, the flight distance of the golf ball is reduced.
[0010]
In order to avoid such a problem, the aging process should not be performed. However, in this case, it is difficult to say that the strength of the face member is sufficient.
[0011]
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and the face member exhibits sufficient strength, and the flexibility (repulsive force) of the face member is high, and can be manufactured efficiently. It is an object of the present invention to provide a golf club head and a manufacturing method thereof.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a golf club head having a head main body and a face member joined to the head main body.
The face member is made of a titanium alloy,
And the Young's modulus of the peripheral part joined to the head main body of the face member is smaller than that of the part other than the peripheral part.
[0013]
The peripheral portion having a small Young's modulus is more flexible than other portions. For this reason, when a golf ball is hit with the golf club head according to the present invention, the peripheral edge is greatly bent. Therefore, when the face member is restored to its original shape by an elastic action, a large repulsive force acts on the golf ball. For these reasons, it is possible to fly a golf ball over a long distance.
[0014]
Moreover, parts other than the peripheral part show high strength because of low flexibility. For this reason, it can be set as the face member which has both resilience and durability.
[0015]
In order to reduce the Young's modulus of the peripheral part compared to other parts, for example, the peripheral part is made of a β-type titanium alloy made of β phase, and the other part is made of a mixed phase of α phase and β phase. An α + β type titanium alloy may be used. The β-type titanium alloy has a smaller Young's modulus than the α + β-type titanium alloy and the α-type titanium alloy, and therefore the flexibility is increased.
[0016]
The α + β type titanium alloy is excellent in strength. That is, in this case, the portions other than the peripheral portion of the face member are made of α + β type titanium alloy exhibiting high strength. For this reason, the strength of the face member can be ensured.
[0017]
Further, the present invention provides a golf club head manufacturing method comprising a head body and a face member joined to the head body.
A first step of providing a face member by subjecting a workpiece made of a titanium alloy to warm press forming or hot forging;
A second step of joining the face member to the head body by welding;
Have
In the second step, the Young's modulus of the peripheral portion is reduced by heat-treating the peripheral portion joined to the head body of the face member with heat of welding.
[0018]
That is, according to the present invention, the Young's modulus of the peripheral portion is lowered by the heat treatment. Thereby, a face member having a highly flexible peripheral portion and a portion having excellent strength can be produced.
[0019]
In order to reduce the Young's modulus of the peripheral portion as compared with other parts, for example, a β-type titanium alloy composed of a β phase is used as a workpiece, and the workpiece is divided into an α phase and a β phase before starting the second step. What is necessary is just to change beforehand to the (alpha) + (beta) type titanium alloy which consists of these mixed phases, and to change a peripheral part into (beta) type titanium alloy by heat processing in a 2nd process.
[0020]
As an example of such a manufacturing method, a hot-rolled sheet material is used as a workpiece, and in the first step, a warm press forming process is performed in a temperature range of 500 to 600 ° C., and the first process is performed. The manufacturing method which performs an aging treatment with respect to a workpiece | work before or after performing a process can be mentioned.
[0021]
As another preferred example, manufacturing is performed in which a face member is manufactured by using a cold-rolled plate material as a workpiece and performing a warm press forming process in a temperature range of 400 to 700 ° C. in the first step. A method can be mentioned.
[0022]
As yet another preferred example, a workpiece that has been subjected to hot forging as a workpiece is used to produce a face member by performing hot forging in a temperature range of 700 to 1100 ° C. in the first step. The manufacturing method which performs an aging process with respect to a face member after performing this 1st process can be mentioned.
[0023]
In this case, an oxide film and an oxygen-enriched layer may be formed by hot forging. These oxide film and oxygen-enriched layer contribute to reducing the strength of the face member. Therefore, it is preferable to perform the removal process which removes an oxide film and an oxygen concentration layer after performing a 1st process.
[0024]
In any of the manufacturing methods, after the face member and the head main body are joined to form a golf club head, it is not necessary to subject the golf club head to various heat treatments such as solution treatment and aging treatment. For this reason, since the time required to manufacture the golf club head can be shortened, the golf club head can be manufactured efficiently.
[0025]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a golf club head and a manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0026]
An overall schematic perspective view of the golf club head according to the present embodiment is shown in FIG. This golf club head 10 is a wood-type golf club head having a head main body 14 having an opening 12 at a front portion and a face member 16 welded to the head main body 14 to close the opening 12.
[0027]
In this case, the head main body 14 includes a sole member 18 serving as a bottom portion of the head main body 14, an upper member 20 having a crown portion and a side wall portion, and a lower end portion of the opening closed by the sole member 18, and a shaft (not shown). The hosel member 22 for fitting is configured by joining together. Here, each of the sole member 18, the upper member 20, and the hosel member 22 is manufactured by performing, for example, casting, forging, or press molding.
[0028]
Moreover, as a suitable example of the material for producing each of the sole member 18, the upper member 20 and the hosel member 22, Ti-6Al-4V alloy which is an α + β type titanium alloy and Ti— which is a β type titanium alloy are used. 15V-3Cr-3Al-3Sn alloy etc. are mentioned.
[0029]
In the face member 16, the peripheral edge 24 welded to the head body 14 is made of a β-type titanium alloy, and the other parts are made of an α + β-type titanium alloy. That is, the face member 16 has a portion having a different crystal structure although it is the same member.
[0030]
The peripheral portion 24 made of a β-type titanium alloy has a small Young's modulus. For this reason, the peripheral edge portion 24 is greatly bent when the golf ball is hit, and as a result, the repulsive force against the golf ball is increased. Thereby, a golf ball can be made to fly over a long distance.
[0031]
In this case, the volume of the head main body 14 is 300 cm ^3, which is larger than a general head main body. Therefore, in order to reduce the weight of the golf club head 10, the thickness of the face member 16 at a location where the score line groove 26 is not provided is set to about 2.6 mm, which is smaller than that of a general face member. ing. However, the portions other than the peripheral portion 24 in the face member 16 according to the present embodiment are made of an α + β type titanium alloy in which an α phase having excellent strength is mixed. For this reason, the face member 16 is unlikely to be damaged even when the golf ball is repeatedly hit.
[0032]
That is, the golf club head 10 according to the present embodiment has the face member 16 having both durability and repulsive force even when the thickness is small. Such a face member 16 is suitable for producing a relatively large golf club head having a head body volume of 250 cm ³ or more.
[0033]
This golf club head 10 can be manufactured by first to third manufacturing methods described below.
[0034]
First, the first manufacturing method will be described with reference to FIG. In this case, a plate material subjected to hot rolling is used as the workpiece. Of course, this plate material is made of a β-type titanium alloy.
[0035]
Then, in the first step SA1, warm press molding is performed on the workpiece preheated to 500 to 600 ° C., preferably about 550 ° C., thereby producing the face member 16.
[0036]
As the warm press forming process is performed in this temperature range, transformation occurs in the β-type titanium alloy that is the workpiece, and as a result, the workpiece becomes an α + β-type titanium alloy. In addition, when performing warm press molding in this temperature range, it is possible to avoid occurrence of large residual stress in the face member 16. Therefore, the face member 16 having excellent strength can be obtained.
[0037]
Next, an aging treatment is performed on the face member 16. The aging treatment in this case may be performed by holding 400 to 700 ° C. for 4 to 8 hours.
[0038]
In this manner, the head member 14 is manufactured while the face member 16 is manufactured. That is, the sole member 18 and the upper member 20 are obtained by subjecting a workpiece made of a titanium alloy such as a Ti-6Al-4V alloy or a Ti-15V-3Cr-3Al-3Sn alloy to casting, forging or press forming. And the hosel member 22 is produced. Then, after the sole member 18 and the upper member 20 are welded to each other, the hosel member 22 is welded to the upper member 20.
[0039]
Next, in the second step SA2, the head body 14 and the face member 16 are welded together. At this time, the portion welded to the head main body 14 in the face member 16, that is, the peripheral edge portion 24 is heat-treated by the high-temperature heat applied at the time of welding. Thereby, the α + β-type titanium alloy constituting the peripheral edge portion 24 undergoes transformation and returns to the β-type titanium alloy.
[0040]
On the other hand, heat is not applied to the portions other than the peripheral portion 24 during welding. Therefore, except for the peripheral portion 24, the state of the α + β type titanium alloy is maintained. For this reason, the crystal structure of the face member 16 welded to the head body 14 differs depending on the portion. That is, the peripheral portion 24 is made of a β-type titanium alloy, and the portion other than the peripheral portion 24 is made of an α + β-type titanium alloy.
[0041]
Finally, the golf club head 10 is polished to finish the golf club head 10 into a predetermined shape and size.
[0042]
As can be understood from this, when manufacturing a golf club head, it is usual to perform an aging treatment after welding the head body and the face member, whereas in the first manufacturing method, the golf club head 10 is polished without being subjected to an aging treatment. By not performing the aging treatment, it can be avoided that an α phase is generated in the peripheral portion 24 which is a β-type titanium alloy and the peripheral portion 24 becomes an α + β-type titanium alloy.
[0043]
As described above, the β-type titanium alloy has a smaller Young's modulus than the α + β-type titanium alloy. In other words, flexibility is great. For this reason, the peripheral edge 24 of the face member 16 is greatly bent when the golf ball is hit. Accordingly, since a large repulsive force is generated in the face member 16, it is possible to fly the hit golf ball over a long distance.
[0044]
Further, since the solution treatment and the aging treatment are not performed after the head main body 14 and the face member 16 are welded, the time required for manufacturing the golf club head 10 is shortened. That is, the golf club head 10 can be manufactured efficiently.
[0045]
In the first manufacturing method, as shown in FIG. 3, an aging treatment may be performed in advance before performing the first step SA1.
[0046]
Next, the second manufacturing method will be described with reference to FIG. As the workpiece in this case, a plate material made of a β-type titanium alloy and subjected to cold rolling is used.
[0047]
In this case, in the first step SB1, the face member 16 is produced by subjecting the workpiece preheated to 400 to 700 ° C. to a warm press forming process. As a result, as in the first manufacturing method, the face member 16 is obtained which is made of an α + β type titanium alloy and has a remarkably small residual stress.
[0048]
Next, in the second step SB2, the face member 16 and the head main body 14 manufactured according to the first manufacturing method are welded together. Also at this time, the peripheral portion 24 is heat-treated by high-temperature heat, and the titanium alloy constituting the peripheral portion 24 becomes a β-type titanium alloy. On the other hand, a portion other than the peripheral portion 24 maintains the state of the α + β type titanium alloy, and eventually the peripheral portion 24 is made of β type titanium alloy and the portion other than the peripheral portion 24 is made of α + β type titanium alloy. 16 is provided.
[0049]
Finally, the golf club head 10 is polished to finish the golf club head 10 into a predetermined shape and size.
[0050]
In the second manufacturing method, a work that has undergone work hardening at the time of cold rolling is used. For this reason, the face member 16 having excellent strength can be produced without subjecting the workpiece before the first step SB1 or the face member 16 obtained by performing the first step SB1 to aging treatment. In addition, after the face member 16 is welded to the head body 14 and the golf club head 10 is configured, the golf club head 10 is not subjected to an aging treatment.
[0051]
In other words, according to the second manufacturing method, since the time required to manufacture the golf club head 10 is further shortened, the golf club head 10 can be manufactured more efficiently.
[0052]
In addition, since no aging treatment is performed, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of an α phase in the peripheral portion 24 that is a β-type titanium alloy and the peripheral portion 24 becoming an α + β-type titanium alloy. Therefore, it is possible to obtain the golf club head 10 having the face member 16 that is greatly bent when the golf ball is hit and thereby makes the hit golf ball fly over a long distance.
[0053]
Next, the third manufacturing method will be described with reference to FIG.
[0054]
In this case, the workpiece is made of a β-type titanium alloy and subjected to hot forging. Here, hot forging refers to performing plastic working such as forging at a temperature higher than the β transformation temperature of the workpiece. Note that the workpiece may be a bar or a plate.
[0055]
After heating such a workpiece in advance to 700 to 1100 ° C., the face member 16 is manufactured by performing hot forging in the first step SC1.
[0056]
Next, an aging treatment is performed on the obtained face member 16. Along with this aging treatment, transformation occurs in the β-type titanium alloy constituting the face member 16, and α-phase is precipitated. As a result, the face member 16 made of an α + β type titanium alloy is obtained.
[0057]
In the third manufacturing method, since hot forging is performed in the first step SC1, an oxide film is formed on the surface of the face member 16, or an oxygen-enriched layer containing a large amount of oxygen is formed near the surface. Sometimes. In order to avoid a decrease in strength of the face member 16 due to the oxide film and the oxygen-enriched layer, it is preferable to perform a removal step for removing them in the third manufacturing method.
[0058]
Specifically, the oxide film and the oxygen-enriched layer may be removed by performing mechanical polishing such as sandblasting or grinding, or chemical polishing such as chemical etching or electrolytic polishing.
[0059]
As described above, the face member 16 having excellent strength can be obtained.
[0060]
Next, in the second step SC2, the face member 16 and the head body 14 manufactured according to the first manufacturing method are welded together. Also at this time, the peripheral portion 24 is heat-treated by high-temperature heat, and the titanium alloy constituting the peripheral portion 24 becomes a β-type titanium alloy. On the other hand, since the portions other than the peripheral portion 24 maintain the state of the α + β-type titanium alloy, the peripheral portion 24 is eventually made of a β-type titanium alloy and the portions other than the peripheral portion 24 are made of an α + β-type titanium alloy. The member 16 is obtained.
[0061]
Finally, the golf club head 10 is polished to finish the golf club head 10 into a predetermined shape and size.
[0062]
Thus, even in the third manufacturing method, no aging treatment is performed on the golf club head 10. Therefore, it can be avoided that an α phase is generated in the peripheral portion 24 which is a β-type titanium alloy and the peripheral portion 24 becomes an α + β-type titanium alloy. For this reason, when the golf ball is hit, the golf club head 10 having the face member 16 which is greatly bent and flies the hit golf ball over a long distance is obtained.
[0063]
In the above-described embodiment, the peripheral portion 24 of the face member 16 is made of a β-type titanium alloy so that the Young's modulus of the peripheral portion 24 is reduced. In the present invention, the peripheral portion 24 is used. It is sufficient that the Young's modulus is smaller than that of other parts. That is, the means for reducing the Young's modulus of the peripheral portion 24 as compared with other portions is not limited to the β-type titanium alloy for the peripheral portion 24.
[0064]
Needless to say, the volume of the head body may be less than 250 cm ³ .
[0065]
Furthermore, the head main body 14 may be formed as a single member integrally having a sole portion, a crown portion, and a hosel portion.
[0066]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the golf club head according to the present invention, the peripheral portion joined to the head main body has a large flexibility, and other portions have a face member exhibiting high strength. For this reason, when a golf ball is hit with the golf club head according to the present invention, the peripheral edge is greatly bent. Therefore, when the face member is restored to its original shape by the elastic action, a large repulsive force acts on the golf ball, so that the effect of allowing the golf ball to fly over a long distance is achieved.
[0067]
In addition, since this face member exhibits high strength, it is difficult to break. That is, the durability of the face member can be ensured.
[0068]
In addition, according to the golf club head manufacturing method of the present invention, a golf club having a face member in which the peripheral portion is highly flexible and the other portion exhibits high strength by heat-treating the peripheral portion. The head can be manufactured easily and simply.
[0069]
In this manufacturing method, after the face member and the head body are joined to form a golf club head, it is not necessary to subject the golf club head to various heat treatments such as solution treatment and aging treatment. For this reason, the time required to manufacture the golf club head can be shortened, and as a result, the effect that the golf club head can be manufactured efficiently is achieved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an overall schematic perspective view of a golf club head according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining a first manufacturing method.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a modification of the first manufacturing method.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a second manufacturing method.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a third manufacturing method.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Golf club head 14 ... Head main body 16 ... Face member 24 ... Peripheral part

Claims (8)

In a golf club head having a head body and a face member joined to the head body,
The face member is made of a titanium alloy,
A golf club head characterized in that a Young's modulus of a peripheral portion joined to the head body of the face member is smaller than that of a portion other than the peripheral portion. 2. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral portion is a β-type titanium alloy having a β phase, and a portion having a larger Young's modulus than the peripheral portion is a mixed phase of an α phase and a β phase. A golf club head, which is an α + β type titanium alloy. In a method of manufacturing a golf club head having a head body and a face member joined to the head body,
A first step of providing a face member by subjecting a workpiece made of a titanium alloy to warm press forming or hot forging;
A second step of joining the face member to the head body by welding;
Have
A method of manufacturing a golf club head, wherein the Young's modulus of the peripheral portion is reduced by heat-treating the peripheral portion of the face member joined to the head body with the heat of welding in the second step. . 4. The manufacturing method according to claim 3, wherein a β-type titanium alloy composed of a β phase is used as the work, and the work is composed of an α + β-type titanium alloy composed of a mixed phase of an α phase and a β phase before the second step is started. In advance,
A method of manufacturing a golf club head, wherein the peripheral portion is changed to a β-type titanium alloy by the heat treatment in the second step. In the manufacturing method according to claim 3 or 4, while performing a hot press forming process in a temperature range of 500 to 600 ° C in the first step, using a plate subjected to hot rolling as the workpiece. A method of manufacturing a golf club head, comprising subjecting the workpiece to an aging treatment before or after performing the first step. The manufacturing method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein a plate material that has been cold-rolled is used as the workpiece, and a warm press forming process is performed in a temperature range of 400 to 700 ° C in the first step. A method for producing a golf club head, comprising producing a member. 5. The manufacturing method according to claim 3, wherein the workpiece is subjected to hot forging in the first step, and hot forging is performed in a temperature range of 700 to 1100 ° C. in the first step. A method for manufacturing a golf club head, comprising: producing and performing an aging treatment on the face member after performing the first step. 8. The method of manufacturing a golf club head according to claim 7, wherein a removing step of removing the oxide film and the oxygen-concentrated layer is performed after the first step.

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