JP2013009713A - Golf club head and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the weight and enhance the strength by defining a basic structure of a head as a metal and having a frame member bonding structure by a fiber reinforced resin.SOLUTION: All of a body member body 2 having a metal face part 2a, and a hosel part 2b that is integrated with the metal face part 2a and to which a shaft 6 is connected; a metal crown member 3; and a metal sole member 4, are composed of a metal member. A prepreg before incineration formed by cutting a fiber reinforced plastic into a shape of a sheet material 12 is incinerated by disposing it in metal molds 7 and 8, and formed into a nonmetallic frame member 5 with joint parts 5a and 5b that bond the edge parts of the respective metal members. The respective metal members are heated and bonded to the joint parts 5a and 5b of the nonmetallic frame member 5 with adhesive and hardened, thereby manufacturing a head 1. The head 1 is completed by surface finish.

Description

  The present invention relates to a golf club head and a manufacturing technique thereof. More specifically, the present invention relates to a golf club head constituted by bonding a metal member with a fiber reinforced resin and a manufacturing technique thereof.

  Various improvements have been made to golf club heads in order to increase the flight distance and stabilize the direction by hitting. In particular, in order to increase the moment of inertia of the golf club, the size of the golf club head is increased. However, if this golf club head is enlarged as it is, the mass of the golf club head will increase and hindrance will be hindered.

  For this reason, generally, the inside of such a golf club head is made hollow. When the golf club head is made of metal, the thickness of the plate-like member constituting the member is reduced in order to reduce the weight. However, if the thickness is too thin, the material strength is reduced, and the head may be damaged at the time of impact. For this reason, in order to ensure a certain level of strength even if the golf club head is thin without increasing its mass, a golf club head that recently uses a fiber reinforced resin (FRP) having a specific gravity smaller than that of metal as a part of the main body. Many have been proposed.

  The use of this FRP is mainly to reduce the weight of the head, but the bonding between the metal material and the FRP is based on adhesion. As an example of such a golf club, for example, a metal sole plate and a metal face plate are joined to a preform in which a prepreg which is another part of the golf club is pre-shaped and placed in a mold. A golf club head formed by internal pressure molding is known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3).

  In addition, it is also known that a metal front body including a face portion and a sole plate are configured with other portions made of fiber reinforced resin (see, for example, Patent Documents 4, 5, and 6). This golf club head is composed of a front body made of a titanium-based metal material, a fiber reinforced resin body including a crown portion, a stainless steel sole plate, and a weight. The weight of the front body is 20 to 20 times the weight of the golf club head. The other shell portion is made of a fiber reinforced resin body, and the joint portion is formed by overlapping using a prepreg sheet.

  Furthermore, as another example, a prepreg is used, inserted into the head, the metal material head member and the fiber reinforced resin head member are overlaid through the expansion of the pradder, and bonded together at the joint. A known golf club is also known (see, for example, Patent Document 7). Many other golf clubs are known that are configured by combining a divided metal material and a synthetic resin in the head body (see, for example, Patent Documents 8, 9, and 10).

  Furthermore, the present applicant has proposed a technique for forming a head by joining parts formed of metal of a divided golf club head by welding (see, for example, Patent Document 11). In this technique, a metal face shell, upper shell, sole shell, side shell, and rear shell are fixed to a frame frame constructed of a wire material to constitute a head.

JP 2005-168565 A JP 2005-296043 A JP-A-2005-296609 JP 2005-6835 A JP 2005-28106 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-287952 JP 2010-51825 A JP 2003-62130 A JP 2003-250937 A Special table 2008-526111 JP-A-6-114126

  As described above, in golf club heads, various members having a structure in which a metal material and a fiber reinforced resin are joined are known and known. However, these conventional ones mainly use fiber reinforced resin as a part of the divided shell constituting the head body. For this reason, using a fiber reinforced resin for the head is effective in reducing the weight of the head itself. However, there is a difficulty in the configuration that maintains the strength of the head itself. In order to reinforce the head, for example, there is a structure in which, for example, a prepreg is interposed between the joints to strengthen the joint.

  In addition, each metal material has characteristics depending on the type of metal. Therefore, it is preferable to use a metal material in order to facilitate manufacture at a low cost while maintaining the target performance as a golf club head, and to provide strength, and it is more preferable to use metals of different types as appropriate. A head constructed by bonding only divided metal members has been widely used in the past, but most of the joining method is by welding. In this welding, if the member to be welded is thin, there is a risk that thermal deformation will occur and thermal distortion or weld cracking will occur. In addition, welding equipment is required for this welding, and the cost tends to increase.

  For this reason, the present applicant creates a frame frame made of a wire for welding as described above, and a face shell, a sole shell, an upper surface shell, a side surface, which is a divided member of each head, along the frame frame. An integrated head manufacturing technology without distortion was proposed by welding the rear shell. However, even in this method, since the frame frame itself is a wire rod and is welded with a metal, an increase in cost associated with welding cannot be avoided.

  The present invention was devised to solve such conventional problems and achieves the following object. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a golf club head and a method for manufacturing the same that are light in weight and strength-enhanced as an adhesive structure in which the basic structure of the head is made of metal and a fiber reinforced resin is used for a joint portion. Another object of the present invention is to provide a golf club head and a method for manufacturing the same, which can manufacture a metal hollow golf club head at a low cost.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is achieved by the following means.
The golf club head of the present invention includes a metal face member having a striking surface for striking a golf ball, a hosel portion to which a shaft is connected, a metal crown member constituting an upper surface, and a metal constituting a lower surface. A metal hollow golf club head comprising a sole member made of non-metal, wherein the metal face member, the metal crown member, and the metal sole member have non-metal edges whose edges are joined along the outer shape of the metal sole member The frame member is formed on the non-metallic frame member, and the metal face member, the metal crown member, and the metal sole member are joined together by an adhesive so as to be integrated with each other. It consists of a joint.

The golf club head of the present invention 2 is characterized in that, in the present invention 1, the non-metallic frame member is glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) or carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP).
A golf club head according to a third aspect of the present invention is the golf club head according to the first or second aspect, wherein the metal face member, the metal crown member, and the metal sole member are made of different metals, respectively. The specific gravity increases in the order of the face member and the metal sole member.

  The golf club head according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the golf club head according to the first to third aspects, wherein the metallic face member, the metallic crown member, and the metallic sole member are joined to the joining portion of the non-metallic frame member. A step portion is provided.

  A golf club head manufacturing method according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is a golf club head manufacturing method for manufacturing a head in which a metal and a non-metallic frame member made of fiber reinforced plastic are joined, forging or press molding a metal material. A step of processing a metal face member having a striking surface for hitting a golf ball, a step of processing a hosel portion to which a shaft is connected, and a metal crown member shape by blanking and press forming a first metal plate A step of blanking the second metal plate to form a metal sole member, a step of cutting a prepreg before firing constituting the fiber reinforced plastic to form a sheet material, and the sheet material The edges of the metal face member, the metal crown member, and the metal sole member are joined along the outer shape. , A step of thermoforming the sheet material and firing the non-metallic frame member, the joint portion of the non-metallic frame member, the metallic face member, and the metallic crown member A step of roughening the joint edge of the metal sole member and applying an adhesive; and the metal face member, the metal crown member, and the step along the joint of the non-metal frame member; It comprises a step of attaching and bonding a metal sole member to form a head shape, and a step of finishing the surface of the head.

  In the golf club head of the present invention, each metal member of the divided head is bonded through a frame member using fiber reinforced resin as a joining member. It is possible to use the same metal with different specifications or different metals, and it is possible to configure the head portion that meets the use conditions with a metal material with good characteristics.

  The golf club head of the present invention has a structure in which a metal material can be bonded with an adhesive via a frame member. As a result, the head main body is all made of metal and becomes a lightweight head having high strength and excellent impact resistance. In addition, the golf club head of the present invention has a metal adhesive structure through a frame member, so that the head can be manufactured easily and at a low cost.

FIG. 1 is an external view of a golf club head. FIG. 2 is an external view of the body member main body. FIG. 3 is an external view of the frame member. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a frame member forming mold. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the mold showing a state in which the material sheet affixed to the mold is pressed into contact with the insertion of the core to form a frame member. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a head manufactured by attaching each metal member to a frame member. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration in which a crown member and a sole member are attached to a frame member and bonded by a second mold in another embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a golf club head 1 (hereinafter referred to as “head 1”) manufactured according to an embodiment of the present invention. A body member body 2 having a face portion is provided with a metal crown member 3 (hereinafter referred to as “head member”). "Crown member 3") and metal sole member 4 (hereinafter referred to as "sole member 4") are joined via a joint portion of non-metallic frame member 5 (hereinafter referred to as "frame member 5"). This is an external view. In the figure, the solid members are displayed between the metal members, but this portion is a line temporarily shown at the joint. In the embodiment, painting is performed after finishing, so that there is no line and a smooth curved surface is obtained. Further, as shown in the figure, a frame member 5 (indicated by a dotted line) for joining the respective members forming the appearance of the head 1 is disposed inside the head 1.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the body member main body 2 is a main part of the head 1, and is generally connected to a metal face member 2a (hereinafter referred to as “face member 2a”) that constitutes a striking surface. This is a metal member having a configuration in which the hosel portion 2b of the part is fixed. In the present embodiment, the body member body 2 is formed by integrating the face portion 2a and the hosel portion 2b. The body member main body 2 is made of a titanium alloy, and is formed of a round bar material, a forged product, a press-formed product from a rolled plate, or the like, and is formed into a head shape. The structure has excellent resilience and durability. The body member main body 2 may be manufactured by forging when the hosel part 2b is manufactured as a separate part independently.

  Although not shown, the crown member 3 and the sole member 4 are formed by blanking a rolled plate and press-molding, and have a thin metal plate structure. In the present embodiment, the crown member 3 is made of a magnesium alloy or an aluminum alloy, and the sole member 4 is made of a stainless alloy. Magnesium alloys and aluminum alloys are light specific gravity and are effective in reducing weight.

  In addition, since the stainless alloy has a high specific gravity, it has a low center of gravity and does not require coating, and is excellent in wear resistance and corrosion resistance. Therefore, when used, it is effective when applied to a sole portion that contacts the ground. The body member main body 2, the crown member 3, and the sole member 4 constituting the head 1 are all made of different metal materials. This means that it can be applied as an optimum member to each part in accordance with the function and use form of the golf club by utilizing the characteristics of each metal material.

  As described above, the metal member to be used is made of a magnesium alloy or an aluminum alloy for the crown member 3, a titanium alloy for the face member 2a, and a stainless alloy for the sole member 4, and the specific gravity of the metal member is relatively increased in this order. . In the present invention, the divided metal members of the head made of metal are combined with a frame member 5 made of fiber reinforced resin as a bonding material.

  Next, the frame member 5 constituting one of the main forms of the present invention will be described. As described above, the frame member 5 does not appear on the appearance of the head 1 of the metal hollow golf club, and supports and supports the metal members inside. The material of the frame member 5 is made of non-metal, but in the present embodiment, it is a fiber reinforced resin (FRP), which is a glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) or a carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP).

  Therefore, since this frame member 5 is a fiber reinforced resin, it is a lightweight member, and is a member configured as a joining member for the purpose of joining each metal member. The frame member 5 is positioned at the edge of each metal member to be bonded, and is overlapped with each metal member and joined by an adhesive. The frame member 5 is a fiber reinforced resin as described above, but is manufactured by molding from a raw material sheet 12 that is a raw material prepreg. Moreover, an epoxy resin adhesive is used as the adhesive. Various adhesives are targeted, but epoxy adhesives are preferred in terms of adhesive strength.

  The material sheet 12 is a sheet-like material obtained by impregnating a cloth made of reinforcing fibers with an epoxy resin, and is generally called a prepreg. This prepreg is a fiber reinforced plastic that is reinforced with glass fiber or carbon fiber as a reinforcing material, and is impregnated with an epoxy resin that is a thermosetting resin. Next, a method for manufacturing the frame member 5 will be described. 4 is a mold for forming the frame member 5, and FIG. 3 is an external view of the frame member 5 formed by the mold. The mold shown in FIG. 4 includes an upper mold 7 and a lower mold 8, and can be separated by a parting line 9.

  4 shows a cross-sectional view of a state in which the mold is closed but the frame member 5 is formed in the mold. The inner shape of the mold is a mold shape 10 obtained by removing the dimension S corresponding to the thickness of each metal member with respect to the completed outer shape of the head 1. Further, in the mold in which the metal members are joined to each other, the mold shape of the middle part of the part where the frame member 5 is formed constitutes the recess 11. A material sheet (prepreg) 12 serving as a base of the frame member 5 is blanked in this mold and is placed and pasted at a predetermined position.

  The material sheet 12 is a flat sheet without irregularities, and is in a strip shape. This is pasted in the mold so as to be in the shape of a frame member to form the shape of the frame member 5. FIG. 5 shows a state in which it is arranged near the concave portion 11 in the mold. That is, the laminated material sheet 12 is brought into close contact with the mold to form the frame member 5. There are various methods for forming the material sheet 12 into the shape of the frame member 5. For example, after the mold is closed, air is introduced and the material sheet 12 is pressed against the mold using the air pressure. Since the method of bonding and deforming the material sheet 12 itself is known, a detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, a core 13 is formed in accordance with the mold shape in the mold, and the material pasted on the molds 7 and 8 on the outer shape of the core 13 is formed. The inside of the sheet 12 is brought into contact. This material sheet 12 is impregnated with an epoxy resin adhesive and is called a prepreg as described above. What cut | disconnected this prepreg is the raw material sheet 12 used as the raw material of this frame member 5, Comprising: The epoxy resin is included in the whole.

  Therefore, it has adhesiveness in any cut part. The frame member 5 is obtained by cutting the material sheet 12 into the shape of the frame member 5 or by cutting and pasting a strip-shaped material into the shape of the frame member 5. The core 13 supports the material sheet 12 attached in the mold from the inside. The core 13 is inserted into a mold in which the material sheet 12 is adhered, and when the molds 7 and 8 are closed, they are heated and pressed as indicated by arrows.

  This heating method is carried out by baking in a heating furnace or an autoclave. The material sheet 12 is heated and cured by heating the whole. At this time, the separate material sheets 12 separately attached to the upper mold 7 and the lower mold 8 are bonded and integrated. At this time, part of the epoxy resin oozes out and penetrates into the concave portion 11 of the mold, and the raw material sheet 12 forms a convex portion in accordance with the shape of the concave portion 11 and is cured in the process of deforming into the frame member 5. An autoclave is a device that can make the inside low pressure or vacuum. When this apparatus is used, the permeability of the adhesive and the curing reaction can be promoted.

  Thus, by closing the molds 7 and 8 and heating and pressing, the material sheet 12 is cured and becomes the frame member 5. That is, in the process of heat-pressing the material sheet 12, a part of the adhesive sticks out and hardens into the recesses 11 of the molds 7 and 8 as shown in FIG. Thereby, in the frame member 5 after curing, this portion constitutes a stepped portion 5a, and the central portion becomes the convex portion 5b, which becomes a butting portion for joining each metal member. Each metal member is superimposed on the stepped portion 5a so as to abut against the convex portion 5b. Thereby, each metal member is accurately positioned and joined to the frame member 5.

  At this time, the material sheet 12 is the frame member 5 and is wound around the core 13. When the molds 7 and 8 are opened after curing, the frame member 5 is wound integrally with the core 13, so that the core 13 with the frame member 5 attached is taken out, and then the core 13 is removed. The frame member 5 is separated from the frame. In this case, it is preferable that silicon or the like is applied between the frame member 5 and the core 13 or between the frame member and the mold to facilitate peeling.

  Although the frame member 5 is a resin body although it is cured, it can be easily removed from the core 13 with some elasticity and bending. However, when the undercut shape is large, the core 13 may be divided into split cores and taken out. In this way, the frame member 5 shown in FIG. 3 is manufactured. In the figure, the space part of the frame member 5 is such that the A part is the face member 2 a attachment side, the B part is the sole member 4 attachment side, and the C part is the crown member 3 attachment side.

  In this example, in the product having the hollow portion, in this example, the molding method using the core 13 is described. However, as another method, the material sheet 12 bonded to a predetermined position in the mold is attached to the metal sheet 12. A method may be used in which after the molds 7 and 8 are closed, the hollow portion is pressurized so as to overlap sheets or pradas that are not air permeable, the sheet is expanded, the material sheet 12 is pressed against the inner wall of the mold, and is heated and cured. In any case, it is a known means, and any method may be applied.

  In this way, the material sheet 12 is formed into the shape of the frame member 5, and the body member body 2, the crown member 3 and the metal member of the sole member 4 are attached to the frame member 5 as shown in FIG. The head 1 is manufactured by sandwiching the convex portion 5b with the stepped portion 5a, which is the joint portion of the frame member 5, facing each other, but abutting both metal members, applying an adhesive, joining, and curing by heating. As a pretreatment for the joining, the stepped portion 5a of the frame member 5 and the edge of each metal member to be joined are roughened to improve the adhesion.

  Application of the adhesive is required to have a uniform thickness. When bonding, a part of the adhesive protrudes outward from the convex portion 5b of the frame member 5 and is cured. Since the depth dimension S of the concave portion 11 of the mold is made to match the thickness of each metal member, when each metal member is bonded to the frame member 5 to form the head 1, the convex portion 5 b of the frame member 5. The top of each metal member and the surface of each metal member are theoretically consistent and flat.

  The joining of each metal member to the frame member 5 completes the head 1 by applying an adhesive to the stepped portion 5a that is the joining portion of the frame member 5, and then manually pressing the metal member to cure the adhesive. However, since especially the crown member 3 and the sole member 4 are thin metal plates, there is a risk of distortion when they are bonded. Careful bonding work is required to solve this problem. However, when a large number of industrial productions are involved, the efficiency is lowered. Therefore, the second mold 14 can be used.

  Next, an example of this case will be described as another embodiment. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration. In this case, the frame member 5 is attached to the core 15. The crown member 3 and the sole member 4 are attached to the step portion 5a of the frame member 5 with an adhesive. This is inserted into two upper and lower second molds 14 whose inner mold shape matches the outer shape of the head 1, and the second molds 14 are closed and heat cured to obtain the state shown in the figure.

  In this case, if the outer portion of the core 15 is partially within the range of the portion 15a having the same height as the surface of the step portion 5a of the frame member 5, when the second mold 14 is closed, Since it comes in the form which contacts and supports, it is preferable when supporting the crown member 3 and the sole member 4 stably. Moreover, although the shape was demonstrated as a core shape, the structure which supports only a required part may be sufficient without being limited to this shape. Next, the second mold 14 is opened, and the frame member 5 with the crown member 3 and the sole member 4 joined thereto is taken out while being held by the core 15.

  Subsequently, when the core 15 is removed, an unfinished cup-shaped head having a space portion is obtained. Next, the body member main body 2 is adhesively bonded to the step portion 5a on the face side of the frame member 5 in this state by hand. Since the body member body 2 has rigidity, there is no risk of distortion, and the body member body 2 can be smoothly joined in this state. By doing so, the thin plate-like crown member 3 and sole member 4 can be uniformly joined without being deformed, and a metal head having a stable configuration can be manufactured.

  As mentioned above, although the joining method of the body member main body 2, the crown member 3, and the sole member 4 was demonstrated with respect to the frame member 5, it is not limited to these joining examples, and it cannot be overemphasized that what kind of method may be sufficient. Nor. When the body member main body 2 has a single configuration of the face member 2a and the hosel portion 2b, the face member 2a is joined to the frame member 5. After being manufactured as the frame member 5 in this way, when each metal member is joined to the joint portion, the excess portion of the adhesive is cured at the joint portion, and sagging, burrs, etc. protrude, so this Finish to remove.

  This finishing is performed by machining such as cutting, grinding, and cutting. Although burrs and the like are also generated in the head 1, finishing may be performed only on the surface. The hardened portion of the adhesive protruding by this finishing is flattened along the shape of the metal member, and the head becomes a smooth surface. Further, when the core 13 is used, the surface of the frame member 5 after completion may be provided with unevenness in order to facilitate peeling.

  By heat-bonding each metal member to the frame member 5 manufactured by such molding with an adhesive, the head becomes a lightweight metal head without distortion. Thus, the head joined with the metal member via the non-metallic frame member constitutes a non-metallic joined portion, so that the head can be easily bent and a golf club head having high resilience can be obtained. it can. In addition, the flight distance can be increased by being easily bent.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Golf club head 2 ... Body member main body 3 ... Crown member 4 ... Sole member 5 ... Frame member 7 ... Upper metal mold 8 ... Lower metal mold 9 ... Parting line 11 ... Recessed part 12 ... Material sheet

Claims (5)

A metal face member (2a) having a striking surface for striking a golf ball;
A hosel part (2b) to which the shaft is connected;
A metal crown member (3) constituting the upper surface;
A metal hollow golf club head (1) comprising a metal sole member (4) constituting a lower surface,
A non-metallic frame member (5) whose edges are joined along the outer shape of the metallic face member (2a), the metallic crown member (3), and the metallic sole member (4);
It is formed on the non-metallic frame member (5), and the metallic face member (2a), the metallic crown member (3), and the metallic sole member (4) are integrated with each other. A golf club head comprising: joint portions (5a, 5b) joined by an adhesive. The golf club head according to claim 1,
The non-metallic frame member (5) is made of glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) or carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). The golf club head according to claim 1 or 2,
The metal face member (2a), the metal crown member (3), and the metal sole member (4) are made of different metals, and the metal crown member (3) and the metal face member (2a) ), And a specific gravity increases in the order of the metal sole member (4). The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein
The metallic face member (2a), the metallic crown member (3), and the metallic sole member (4) are joined to the joint portions (5a, 5b) of the non-metallic frame member (5). A golf club head provided with a step portion (5a). A golf club head manufacturing method for manufacturing a head in which a metal and a non-metallic frame member made of fiber reinforced plastic are joined,
Processing a metal face member (2a) having a striking surface for forging or press-molding a metal material to strike a golf ball;
Processing the hosel part (2b) to which the shaft is connected;
Blanking the first metal plate and press forming it into a metal crown member (3) shape;
Blanking the second metal plate and press forming it into a metal sole member (4) shape;
Cutting the prepreg before firing constituting the fiber reinforced plastic to form a sheet material (12);
The sheet material (12) is made of gold so that the edge portion becomes a joint portion along the outer shape of the metal face member (2a), the metal crown member (3), and the metal sole member (4). Placing in the mold (7, 8);
A step of thermoforming the sheet material (12) and firing the non-metallic frame member (5);
The joint portions (5a, 5b) of the non-metallic frame member (5), the metal face member (2a), the metal crown member (3), and the joint edge portions of the metal sole member (4). Roughening the surface and applying an adhesive;
The metal face member (2a), the metal crown member (3), and the metal sole member (4) are pasted along the joints (5a, 5b) of the non-metallic frame member (5). Bonding and forming the head (1) shape;
A method of manufacturing a golf club head comprising the step of surface finishing the head (1).

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