JP4615347B2 - Golf club head - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a golf club head.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a golf club head is formed with a hollow head body having an opening at the top and a head body in order to lower the center of gravity of the golf club head and set an SS (sweet spot) at the bottom of the face. And a crown part as a covering member that is formed of a material having a specific gravity smaller than that of the material and closes the opening of the head body. Various methods have been proposed for attaching the crown part to the head body. For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a golf club head in which a crown part is attached to the head body in a state where the crown part is in surface contact over the entire upper surface of the head body. Patent Documents 3 to 11 disclose golf club heads in which the peripheral part of the crown part is joined to the head body by overlap joining.

As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, in the golf club head 41 disclosed in Patent Document 10, a crown 43, each side 44, and a back 45 are configured by a crown part 42, and an open end of the head main body 46. A strip-shaped receiving portion 47 is formed at the edge. When the crown part 42 is attached to the head main body 46, the peripheral part of the crown part 42 and the receiving part 47 are joined via the adhesive layer 48. Patent Documents 12 and 13 disclose golf club heads in which crown parts are tightly bonded to the head body by inflation of an air bag disposed in the head body. Patent Document 14 discloses a golf club head in which a crown part is attached to a head body with screws.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-97665 JP-A-2-21882 JP 2002-165902 A JP 2003-199848 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-245381 JP 2003-245382 A JP 2004-159854 A JP 2003-205055 A JP 2003-339920 A JP 2004-195214 A JP 2004-283543 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-213655 JP 2002-336389 A JP 2004-65810 A

  Main performances required for a golf club head including a head body and a covering member include: (1) Easy weight reduction of the entire golf club head, that is, a member necessary for mounting the covering member to the head body (2) The attachment strength of the covering member to the head main body is high, and (3) The attachment of the covering member to the head main body is easy. However, the golf club heads of Patent Documents 1 to 14 do not sufficiently satisfy these performances at the same time, and leave room for improvement.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems existing in the prior art. An object of the present invention is to provide a golf club head in which the weight of the entire golf club head is reduced and the covering member is easily attached to the head body, and the covering member has a high attachment strength to the head body.

In order to achieve the above object, a golf club head according to a first aspect of the present invention is a hollow golf club head, wherein the golf club head is configured to close a head body having an opening and the opening. And a cover member attached to the head body, and an opening end edge of the head body is provided with a first flange extending inward of the head body, and a peripheral edge of the cover member is provided with the first flange. When the cover member is attached to the head body, the inward movement of the head body is restricted by the contact of the first and second flanges, and the first and second The gist is that it is attached to the head body by joining the flanges.

  A golf club head according to a second aspect of the present invention is the golf club head according to the first aspect, wherein the opening is provided in an upper portion of the head main body, and the covering member has a specific gravity smaller than a material forming the head main body. The gist is that it is made of a material.

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 first flange has a first joint surface and a second joint surface that are substantially orthogonal to each other. In addition, a third joint surface that connects the two joint surfaces is formed between the first and second joint surfaces, and a surface that contacts the third joint surface is formed on the second flange. It is a summary.

  A golf club head according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the golf club head according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the first flange has a joint surface that joins the second flange. The gist is that the joint surface is arranged so that the whole surface can be viewed from one direction.

  A golf club head according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the invention according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, a notch is formed in the second flange. .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a golf club head in which the entire golf club head is reduced in weight and the covering member can be easily attached to the head body, and the covering member has a high attachment strength to the head body.

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is embodied in a wood type golf club head will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the wood type golf club head 11 (hereinafter simply referred to as the head 11) reduces the head mass with respect to a certain head volume, thereby reducing the weight of the head 11. For the purpose of illustration, it is formed hollow. Specifically, the head 11 constitutes a front surface of the head 11, a face 12 for hitting a golf ball, a crown 13 constituting an upper surface of the head 11, a sole 14 constituting a bottom surface of the head 11, the head 11. These are formed by a pair of side 15 constituting both side surfaces of the head and a back 16 constituting the back surface of the head 11. A bozel 17 for connecting the head 11 to a golf shaft (not shown) is formed on the heel side 15 of the pair of sides 15. The head 11 includes a head main body 21 and a covering member 31 attached to the head main body 21.

  As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the head main body 21 constitutes a face 12, a front half of the crown 13, a sole 14, lower portions of the front half and rear half of each side 15, and a lower portion of the back 16. is doing. The head main body 21 is formed of, for example, a metal material. Specific examples of the metal material forming the head main body 21 include titanium and a titanium alloy having a specific gravity of about 4.5 to 5.1, and a specific gravity of about 2.7. Examples include aluminum alloys and carbon steel and stainless steel having a specific gravity of about 7.9. The thickness of the head body 21 is set to 0.8 to 3.5 mm, for example.

  Openings 22 are formed from the top to the side and back of the head body 21. The opening 22 is defined by an upper peripheral edge 22a that extends across the crown 13 to the pair of sides 15 and a lower peripheral edge 22b that extends across the back 16 to the pair of sides 15 and continues to the upper peripheral edge 22a. As shown in FIGS. 1B and 2A, a first flange 23 is formed on the entire opening edge of the head body 21. A second flange 32 is formed on the covering member 31, and the second flange 32 is joined to the first flange 23 when the covering member 31 is attached to the head body 21. The first flange 23 is formed so as to extend inward of the head body 21 and is formed integrally with the head body 21.

  The width of the first flange 23, that is, the distance from the inner surface of the head main body 21 to the tip of the first flange 23 is set to 2 to 15 mm. If the width of the first flange 23 is less than 2 mm, the bonding area of the first and second flanges 23 and 32 is small, so the attachment strength (bonding strength) of the covering member 31 to the head body 21 may be reduced. is there. On the other hand, if the width of the first flange 23 exceeds 15 mm, the mass of the head main body 21 increases, which may make it difficult to reduce the weight of the entire head 11. The width of the first flange 23 is set to be equal over the entire opening edge of the head body 21.

  The outer surface of the first flange 23 constitutes a joint surface 24 that joins the second flange 32. The joint surface 24 is disposed so that the entire surface can be viewed from one direction. Specifically, the bonding surface 24 has a first bonding surface 24a extending along the upper peripheral edge 22a of the opening 22 and a second bonding surface 24b extending along the lower peripheral edge 22b. As shown in FIG. 2B, the first bonding surface 24a is located on the first virtual plane 25 extending in substantially the same direction as the face 12, and the second bonding surface 24b is the first bonding surface 24b. It is located on a second virtual plane 26 that intersects the virtual plane 25. The intersection angle α between the first and second virtual planes 25 and 26 is set to 90 degrees, for example.

  Between the first and second bonding surfaces 24a and 24b, a third bonding surface 24c having a curved surface for connecting both the bonding surfaces 24a and 24b is formed. The first to third joint surfaces 24a, 24b, and 24c are simultaneously visible from the outside on the surface including the bisector of the intersection angle α, as indicated by arrows in FIG. The first bonding surface 24a is closer to the face 12 than the second and third bonding surfaces 24b and 24c. The second joint surface 24 b extends substantially in parallel with the sole 14.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, on the third joint surface 24c, the first flange 23 is inclined toward the inside of the head main body 21 to position the covering member 31 with respect to the head main body 21. The positioning means is configured. The degree of inclination of the third joint surface 24c is maximum at the center portion of the third joint surface 24c, and gradually decreases from the center portion toward the first or second joint surfaces 24a, 24b. .

  As shown in FIG. 1B, the head body 21 has an opening 27 corresponding to the face 12. A plate-like face member 28 is fitted into the opening 27, and the face member 28 is fixed to the head body 21 by welding, for example.

  As shown in FIGS. 1B and 3, the covering member 31 constitutes the rear half of the crown 13, the upper half of each side 15, and the upper part of the back 16. The covering member 31 is formed of a material having a specific gravity smaller than that of the material forming the head main body 21 so as to lower the center of gravity of the head 11 and set the SS at the lower part of the face 12 so as to close the opening 22. Attached to the head body 21. Specific examples of the material forming the covering member 31 include a magnesium alloy having a specific gravity of about 1.8, a metal material such as an aluminum alloy having a specific gravity of about 2.7, and a carbon fiber having a specific gravity of about 1.6. Examples include reinforced plastics; synthetic resin materials such as thermoplastic resins having a specific gravity of about 1 to 2, such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resin and polycarbonate. The thickness of the covering member 31 is set to 1.0 mm, for example.

  A second flange 32 corresponding to the first flange 23 is formed on the entire periphery of the covering member 31. The second flange 32 is formed so as to extend inward of the covering member 31 and is formed integrally with the covering member 31. The width of the second flange 32, that is, the distance from the inner surface of the covering member 31 to the tip of the second flange 32 is set to be the same as that of the first flange 23. A part of the second flange 32 facing the third joint surface 24c is inclined outward and constitutes the positioning means together with the third joint surface 24c. The degree of inclination of the second flange 32 is set so as to be aligned with the third joint surface 24 c of the first flange 23.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the head 11 will be described. The head 11 is manufactured through a first step of individually manufacturing the head main body 21 and the covering member 31 and a second step of attaching the covering member 31 to the head main body 21.

  In the first step, the head body 21 is cast using a metal material. A separately formed face member 28 is fitted into the opening 27 of the head main body 21, and the face member 28 is fixed to the head main body 21 by, for example, welding. On the other hand, in the first step, the covering member 31 is formed by, for example, a press forming method using carbon fiber reinforced plastic or an internal pressure manufacturing method.

  In the second step, first, an adhesive is applied onto the joint surface 24 of the first flange 23, and then the covering member 31 is attached to the head main body 21 so as to close the opening 22. At this time, as shown in FIG. 1B, the covering member 31 is restricted from moving inwardly of the head body 21 by the engagement of the first and second flanges 23 and 32, so The outer surface and the outer surface of the covering member 31 are disposed flush with each other. At the same time, the covering member 31 is positioned with respect to the head main body 21 by the engagement between the third joint surface 24 c of the first flange 23 and the outer surface of the second flange 32. Specific examples of the adhesive include an epoxy adhesive.

  Then, as shown by an arrow A in FIG. 4, the covering member 31 is pressed against the head body 21 from the outside on the surface including the bisector of the intersecting angle α. At this time, since the entire joining surface 24 can be visually recognized from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 4, the second flange 32 is pressed against the first flange 23 over the entire joining surface 24 by pressing only from the same direction. . Subsequently, the covering member 31 is fixed to the head body 21 by curing the adhesive. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5B, the second flange 32 is joined to the first flange 23 via the adhesive layer 33.

The effects exhibited by the above embodiment will be described below.
The covering member 31 according to this embodiment is attached to the head main body 21 by joining the first and second flanges 23 and 32. Here, when the golf ball is hit, the attachment position of the covering member 31 to the head main body 21, that is, the tensile force and the compressive force applied to the first and second flanges 23 and 32 are mainly from the direction orthogonal to the face 12. And increases as the face 12 is approached. The first bonding surface 24 a closer to the face 12 than the second and third bonding surfaces 24 b and 24 c is located on a first virtual plane 25 that extends in substantially the same direction as the face 12. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the adhesive layer 33 on the first bonding surface 24 a extends in substantially the same direction as the face 12. Therefore, the tensile force and the compressive force are applied to the adhesive layer 33 along the thickness direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 5B).

  At this time, since the adhesive layer 33 extends in substantially the same direction as the face 12, the tensile force and the compressive force can be uniformly received over the entire adhesive layer 33, and shear stress is applied to the end of the adhesive layer 33. Concentration of stress such as can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of the breakage of the adhesive layer 33 due to the stress concentration. Further, the rigidity of the opening edge of the head body 21 is higher than that of the head not provided with the first flange 23 due to the increase in the moment of inertia of the opening edge of the head body 21 due to the first flange 23. Easily increases. Therefore, the amount of strain of the adhesive layer 33 caused by the impact received by the adhesive layer 33 on the bonding surface 24 when hitting a golf ball can be easily reduced compared to a head that does not include the first flange 23. Can do. Therefore, the attachment strength of the covering member 31 to the head body 21 can be increased.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the conventional crown part 42 is attached to the head main body 46 by, for example, superposition joining such as a single wrap. Specifically, a band-shaped receiving portion 47 is formed at the opening edge of the conventional head body 46 so as to extend from the opening end of the head body 46 along the peripheral wall of the head body 46. When the crown part 42 is attached to the head main body 46, the peripheral part of the crown part 42 and the receiving part 47 are joined via the adhesive layer 48. Therefore, the adhesive layer 48 at a location close to the face 49 in the conventional head 41 is located on one plane substantially orthogonal to the face 49. Therefore, the tensile force and the compressive force are applied to the adhesive layer 48 along the width direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 8B).

  At this time, since the adhesive layer 48 is located on a single plane having a predetermined width and substantially orthogonal to the face 49, the adhesive layer 48 receives a tensile force and a compressive force along the width direction of the adhesive layer 48. Since the tensile elastic modulus or compressive elastic modulus of the crown part 42 and the head main body 46 and the tensile elastic modulus or compressive elastic modulus of the adhesive are greatly different, stress such as shear stress is easily applied to both side edges of the adhesive layer 48. concentrate. For this reason, in the conventional head 41, the adhesive layer 48 is easily broken, and the attachment strength of the crown part 42 to the head body 46 is lower than that of the head 11 of the present embodiment.

  Further, in a head in which the crown part is attached to the head body with a screw, the screw is easily broken due to a tensile force, a compressive force, and an impact when the golf ball is hit. Therefore, compared with the head 11 of this embodiment, the attachment strength of the crown part to the head body is low.

  The head 11 of this embodiment is formed in a hollow shape, and the covering member 31 is attached to the head main body 21 by joining the first and second flanges 23 and 32. Therefore, the mass of the member necessary for attaching the covering member 31 to the head main body 21 can be reduced, and the weight of the entire head 11 can be easily reduced.

  On the other hand, the conventional head in which the crown part is attached to the head main body in a state where the crown part is in surface contact over the entire upper surface of the head main body is compared with the head 11 of the present embodiment. The mass of a member required for attachment to the head is large, and it is difficult to reduce the weight of the entire head. Further, in the head in which the crown part is tightly bonded to the head body by the expansion of the air bag, it is difficult to adjust the thickness of the crown part. Further, the inflation of the airbag cannot follow the shape of the part where the shape changes rapidly, and the part tends to have a surplus. Therefore, it is difficult to reduce the weight of the entire head as compared to the head 11 of this embodiment. Further, in the head in which the crown part is attached to the head main body by the screw, the mass of a member necessary for the mechanism for attaching the crown part to the head main body using the screw is large, and the head is larger than the head 11 of the present embodiment. It is difficult to reduce the overall weight.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, the covering member 31 of the present embodiment is inward of the head main body 21 due to the engagement of the first and second flanges 23 and 32 when attached to the head main body 21. The movement to is regulated. Therefore, the covering member 31 can be easily positioned with respect to the head main body 21, and the covering member 31 can be easily attached to the head main body 21.

  In the present embodiment, the opening 22 is formed from the upper part of the head main body 21 to the side part and the back part, and the covering member 31 is made of a material having a specific gravity smaller than that of the material forming the head main body 21. Therefore, the center of gravity of the head 11 can be lowered and the SS can be easily set at the lower part of the face 12.

  When the covering member 31 is attached to the head main body 21, the movement in the direction parallel to the face 12 is restricted by the engagement between the third joint surface 24 c and the outer surface of the second flange 32. . Therefore, positioning of the covering member 31 with respect to the head main body 21 can be performed more easily.

  -Since the whole joining surface 24 of this embodiment can be visually recognized from one direction, the 2nd flange 32 is easily pressed by the 1st flange 23 over the whole joining surface 24 by the press from only the same direction. Therefore, in order to press the covering member 31 against the head main body 21, pressing from multiple directions is not required, and the covering member 31 can be easily attached to the head main body 21.

  On the other hand, in the conventional head 41 shown in FIG. 8A, the crown 43 forms the crown 43, each side 44, and the back 45, and the receiving portion 47 is formed on the peripheral edge of the head body 46. . Therefore, when the crown part 42 is attached to the head main body 46, it is necessary to press the crown part 42 against the receiving portion 47 from multiple directions, and the crown part 42 is attached to the head main body 46 as compared with the head 11 of this embodiment. Is complicated. Furthermore, when automating the attachment, the manufacturing apparatus becomes larger than that of the present embodiment.

  The rigidity of the head main body 21 of this embodiment is enhanced by the first flange 23. Therefore, while increasing the frequency of the hitting sound of the golf ball, the non-resonant sound can be reduced, and the hitting sound can be a clear high tone preferred by the user.

In addition, this embodiment can also be changed and embodied as follows.
As shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of notches 34 may be formed in the second flange 32 at a predetermined interval. In such a configuration, when the covering member 31 is manufactured, even when the size and shape of the second flange 32 vary, the second pressing force applied to the covering member 31 against the head main body 21 is increased by the second pressing force. Since the deformation of the flange 32 is allowed by the notch 34, the first and second flanges 23 and 32 can be firmly joined to each other.

  -As shown to Fig.7 (a) and (b), you may affix the joining material 35 on the joining location of the 1st and 2nd flanges 23 and 32 from the outside. The bonding material 35 is bonded to the outer surfaces of the head main body 21 and the covering member 31. A specific example of the bonding material 35 is a carbon tape. When configured in this way, the attachment strength of the covering member 31 to the head main body 21 can be further increased by bonding the bonding material 35 to the head main body 21 and the covering member 31.

  The widths of the first and second flanges 23 and 32 may be shortened as the distance from the face 12 increases. When configured in this manner, the weight of the entire head 11 can be further reduced without reducing the attachment strength of the covering member 31 to the head main body 21.

  -The inclination of the third joint surface 24c may be omitted. At this time, in order to easily position the covering member 31 with respect to the head main body 21, the first and second flanges 23 and 32 are provided with a convex portion and a concave portion that constitute positioning means and engage with each other. preferable.

  The opening 22 may be formed only in the upper part of the head body 21, for example. In other words, the covering member 31 may constitute only the crown 13, or may constitute only the upper portion of the crown 13 and the back 16, but at least the crown is set in order to set the SS at the lower portion of the face 12. 13 is preferably configured. When the covering member 31 constitutes only the crown 13, the first flange 23 is inclined outwardly from the inner edge toward the outer edge, and the second flange 32 is aligned with the first flange 23. In addition, it is formed so as to incline inwardly from the inner edge toward the outer edge. In this case, when the covering member 31 is attached to the head main body 21, the inward movement of the head main body 21 is restricted by the engagement of the first and second flanges 23 and 32.

  The head main body 21 and the covering member 31 may be formed of the same alloy material. In this case, the thickness of the covering member 31 is changed to the thickness of the head main body 21 in order to reduce the weight of the covering member 31. It is preferable to form it thinner.

(A) is a top view which shows the head of this embodiment, (b) is sectional drawing in the bb line of Fig.1 (a). (A) is a perspective view which shows a head main body, (b) is a side view which shows a head main body. The perspective view which shows a coating | coated member. The side view which shows a head. (A) And (b) is an expanded sectional view which shows the 1st and 2nd flange. The perspective view which shows another example of a coating | coated member. (A) is a disassembled perspective view which shows another example of a head, (b) is an expanded sectional view which shows the 1st and 2nd flange. (A) is a disassembled perspective view which shows the conventional head, (b) is an expanded sectional view which shows the conventional head.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Head, 21 ... Head main body, 22 ... Opening, 23 ... 1st flange, 24 ... Joining surface, 24c ... 3rd joining surface which comprises a positioning means, 31 ... Covering member, 32 ... 2nd flange, 34 ... Notch.

Claims (5)

A hollow golf club head, the golf club head comprising: a head body having an opening; and a covering member attached to the head body so as to close the opening;
The opening edge of the head body is provided with a first flange extending inward of the head body,
A second flange corresponding to the first flange is provided on a peripheral edge of the covering member, and the covering member is attached to the head main body by contact of the first and second flanges when the cover member is attached to the head main body. A golf club head characterized in that it is attached to the head main body by joining the first and second flanges, and is restricted in movement toward the direction. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the opening is provided in an upper portion of the head body, and the covering member is formed of a material having a specific gravity smaller than that of the material forming the head body. The first flange has a first joint surface and a second joint surface that are substantially orthogonal to each other, and a third joint surface that connects the joint surfaces is provided between the first and second joint surfaces. Formed,
3. The golf club head according to claim 1 , wherein a surface that contacts the third joint surface is formed on the second flange . The said 1st flange has a joint surface joined with a 2nd flange, This joint surface is arrange | positioned so that the whole can be visually recognized from one direction. The golf club head according to item. The golf club head according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second flange is formed with a notch.

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