JPH08215354A - Production of golf club head made of metal base reinforced composite material - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a process for producing a golf club head having a face plate made of a metal base reinforced composite material having homogeneous quality and beautiful appearance. CONSTITUTION: A molding 41 meeting the shape of the face plate is molded of either of ceramic particles or ceramic short fibers. Next, at least one sheet of woven fabrics 42 formed of long fibers of a ceramic system or metallic system are prepd. These fabrics are superposed on the ball fitting surface side of this molding 41 and are preheated. Next, the molding 41 is set in metal molds for the face plate and the woven fabrics 42 are immovably held by the molding and the metal molds. Molten metal infiltrates the inside of the molding and the woven fabrics when die casting is executed in this state. The face plate made of the metal base reinforced and laminated composite material is cast. This face plate is joined to a separately cast golf club head body 2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a golf club head made of a metal-based composite material, and more particularly to a method for manufacturing a golf club head in which a face plate portion of a golf club head body is made of a metal-based composite material.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, a golf club head made of a metal-based composite material using ceramic-based short fibers, long fibers, whiskers, etc. has been proposed. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-12769 describes a golf club head in which mechanical strength is increased by using a metal-based reinforced composite material using these ceramic short fibers, whiskers, etc. on the face surface of the golf club head. There is. In order to manufacture the golf club head, a molded body (preform) for a face plate, which is made of short ceramic fibers or whiskers, is molded, and the core is covered or wound to form a casting metal for a golf club head. When the mold is set and the molten aluminum alloy is filled in the mold, the head body is cast and the molded body is impregnated with the melt, and the face portion is cast simultaneously with the head body. Therefore, a golf club head having an aluminum alloy face plate reinforced with short fibers or the like is manufactured. In addition, a biaxial woven fabric or the like may be used as a molded product alone or in combination with the above short fibers.

[0003]

However, when a woven cloth of ceramic long fibers is used as a preform, when the woven cloth is laminated and directly composite-cast with an aluminum alloy according to the shape of the product, the woven cloth is directly cast on the mold. Since it is difficult to attach the woven cloth, the woven cloth is likely to be deformed during the casting process, the welding of the long fiber woven cloth and the aluminum alloy is insufficient, and it becomes difficult to obtain a product of uniform quality. Or, the pattern of the woven fabric that appears on the face surface became uneven, impairing aesthetics.
As a method for suppressing the displacement and deformation of the woven cloth, it is possible to perform casting by low speed low pressure casting or the like, but this method requires time for casting, and there is a problem in terms of production efficiency, The infiltrating property to the molded product is also not good. Further, when short fibers are used as a preform, the appearance after casting is similar to that of an aluminum alloy, and there is a drawback that it lacks a design impact.

Therefore, the present invention maintains the excellent characteristics of the conventional metal-based reinforced composite material, and is uniform in quality without deformation such as bending of the woven fabric at the time of molding and appears on the face surface or the like. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a golf club head made of a metal-based composite material having a uniform pattern and high production efficiency.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is to cast a hollow golf club head main body with a light metal, and at least a face plate provided on the golf club head main body is reinforced with a metal-based composite. In a method of manufacturing a golf club head cast from a material,
A step of molding a molded body 41 conforming to the shape of the face plate with at least one of ceramic particles or ceramic short fibers, and a step of forming at least one woven cloth 42 with at least one of ceramic-based or metal-based long fibers A step of superposing the at least one woven cloth 42 on the molded body 41 to preheat, and preparing face plate molds 13 and 14, and at least one of the molded body 41 and the molded body being superposed on each other. The woven cloth 42 is placed so that the woven cloth 42 is fixed between the molded body 41 and the face plate mold 14, and the light metal melt is filled in the face plate mold. A process of die casting a face plate 4 made of a metal-based reinforced laminated composite material,
A metal base for separately casting the hollow golf club head body 2 with a mold for a golf club head body, and joining or adhering the face plate 4 made of the metal-based reinforced laminated composite material to the cast golf club head body 2. A method of manufacturing a reinforced composite golf club head is provided.

The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing a golf club head, in which a hollow golf club head body is cast from a light metal, and at least a face plate provided on the golf club head body is cast from a metal matrix reinforced composite material. A step of forming a molded body 41 that matches the shape of the face plate with at least one of ceramic particles or ceramic short fibers, and a step of forming at least one woven cloth 42 with at least one of ceramic-based or metal-based long fibers And a step of preheating by superimposing the at least one woven cloth 42 on the molded body 41,
Face plate molds 13 and 14 are prepared, the molded body 41 and the at least one woven cloth 42 superposed on the molded body, and the woven cloth 42 is the molded body 41 and the face plate mold. 14 and the like, and a step of die-casting a face plate 4 made of a metal-based reinforced composite material by filling the face metal mold with a molten light metal and fixing it to the golf club head main body. Manufacture of a golf club head made of a metal-based reinforced composite material, which comprises a step of installing the face plate 4 made of the metal-based reinforced laminated composite material cast in a mold and casting the golf club head body with a light metal integrally with the face plate. Provide a way.

The present invention further provides a method for manufacturing a golf club head, wherein a hollow golf club head body is cast from a light metal, and at least a face plate provided on the golf club head body is cast from a metal-based composite material. A step of molding a molded body 41 conforming to the shape of the face plate with at least one of ceramic particles or ceramic short fibers, and a step of forming at least one woven cloth 42 with at least one of ceramic-based or metal-based long fibers A step of superposing the at least one woven cloth 42 on the molded body 41 and preheating, preparing a mold for a golf club head and a core, and molding the molded body 41.
And the at least one woven fabric 4 superposed on the molded body
2 is installed between the mold and the core, the mold for the golf club head is filled with molten metal and the golf club head main body and the face plate are integrally die-cast at the same time. A method of manufacturing a composite golf club head is provided.

[0008]

According to the method of manufacturing a golf club head made of a metal-based reinforced composite material of the present invention having the above structure, a molded body having the same shape as the face plate is prepared, and at least one woven fabric is prepared separately from the molded body. Then, the woven cloth is preheated and fixed to one surface side of the molded body. When this state is maintained and set in the mold and the light metal melt is filled by the die casting method, the light metal melt infiltrates the pores of the molded body and the woven fabric, and the face plate is made of a metal-based composite material. Becomes At this time,
When the light metal melt infiltrates into the formed body and reaches the woven fabric, it is compounded by an appropriate casting pressure that does not cause deformation or displacement of the woven fabric, so the woven fabric filled with the melt is fixed in the mold. It is fixed in position, the woven fabric is not deformed or displaced, the reinforced composite material becomes homogeneous, and the texture of the woven fabric appears as it is, thus providing a golf club head with a beautiful appearance. . Further, since the casting can be performed by the die casting method, the casting speed is high and the productivity is improved.

[0009]

EXAMPLE A golf club head made of a metal-based composite material according to an example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The golf club head 1 has a hollow head body 2 having a face surface 3 and a face plate 4 integrally provided on the face surface 3. The head body 2 is an aluminum alloy, specifically, JIS AC4C
H-, ADC5, ADC6, ADC10, ADC12, and other Al-Si alloys, Al-Mg alloys, and the like. The face plate 4 is made of a metal-based laminated composite material. The metal-based reinforced composite material is a composite of ceramic-based short fibers, for example, alumina short fibers, and a woven fabric, using the aluminum alloy as a matrix. Metal short fibers, metal or ceramic particles, whiskers, etc. may be used in place of the ceramic short fibers, and these may be used alone or in combination of two or more. As the material of the woven fabric, ceramic-based or metal-based long fibers may be used alone or in combination of two or more.
Specifically, any one of stainless steel long fiber, carbon long fiber, alumina long fiber, SiC long fiber, and Si—Ti—C—O long fiber is used. Woven fabrics include plain weave, twill weave, double twill weave, satin weave, plain plain weave, leno weave, and the like. One or a plurality of woven fabrics are stacked and positioned on the ball striking face side of the face plate 4. Here, a uniform texture pattern of the woven cloth appears on the ball striking surface of the face plate 4.

Next, a first embodiment of a method of manufacturing a golf club head made of a metal-based composite material according to the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. First, a short fiber of alumina is subjected to a defibration process, a stirring process, and a drainage process to form a molded body 41 having the same shape as the face plate 4. Next, a plurality of woven cloths 42 are prepared, and they are preheated by overlapping them on the ball striking surface side of the molded body 41. The size of the molded body 41 is changed according to the type and number of woven fabrics 41. By applying the preheating, the matrix alloy easily infiltrates the molded body and the woven fabric. Next, after the molded body 41 with the woven cloth 42 stacked thereon is attached to the face plate mold 13, the mold 14 is closed. next,
The molten aluminum alloy is slowly filled into the mold cavity using a die casting machine, so that the molten metal is filled into the pores of the molded body 41 and the woven fabric to form a composite (FIG. 4). Woven cloth 4
2 is fixed evenly and without a gap between the molded body 41 and the mold 14, and the molded body 41 is also held by the mold 13, so that the molded body 41 and the woven cloth 42 are securely held in the mold. Fixed to. Therefore, the woven cloth 42 is not deformed or displaced with respect to the mold, and the molten metal is uniformly infiltrated into the texture of the woven cloth. Further, since the molded body 41 and the woven cloth 42 are securely held in the mold, casting can be performed by a die casting machine, and productivity can be improved. By stacking the molded body and at least one piece of woven fabric and casting with a molten metal, the face plate portion is made of a metal-based laminated composite material instead of a simple metal-based reinforced composite material.

Next, the cast face plate portion 4 is joined or adhered to a separately cast hollow golf club head body to manufacture a golf club head in which the face plate portion 4 is made of a metal matrix reinforced composite material. When casting the golf club head body, a core is placed in the mold to make the body 2 hollow. The metal used for casting the main body may be the same as the matrix metal used for casting the face plate portion 4 or may be a different metal.

Next, a second embodiment of a method of manufacturing a golf club head made of a metal-based composite material will be described. In the second embodiment, the step of casting the face plate portion 4 is the same as the step of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, but when casting the golf club head body, the cast face This is different from the first embodiment in that the main body portion and the face plate portion 4 are integrated by placing the plate portion 4 in the golf club head casting die and filling the die with molten metal. Also in the second embodiment, the casting process of the face plate portion 4 is the same as that in the first embodiment, so
The same effect as the embodiment can be obtained. When casting the golf club head body as in the first embodiment, the body 2
A core is used to make the hollow. The metal used when casting the golf club head body may be the same as the matrix metal used when casting the face plate portion 4, or may be a different metal.

Next, a third embodiment of a method for manufacturing a golf club head made of a metal-based composite material will be described. In the third embodiment, unlike the first and second embodiments, there is no step of casting the face plate portion 4 alone, but casting of the face plate portion 4 and casting of the golf club head body 2 are performed simultaneously. . That is, the molded body 4 is formed in the same manner as the first embodiment.
1 is molded, and a desired number of woven fabrics 42 are overlapped on the ball striking face side of the molded body 41 to give preheating (FIG. 2). By applying the preheating, the matrix alloy is easily infiltrated into the molded body and the woven fabric. Next, the molded body 41 on which the woven cloth 42 is set is set on the core set in the mold for the golf club head. At this time, since the molded body 41 is supported by the core and the woven cloth 42 is supported by the mold cavity surface,
The woven cloth 42 is securely fixed in the mold so as not to move.

Next, the cavity of the golf club head mold is slowly filled with the molten aluminum alloy by using a die casting machine to cast a hollow golf club head body, and at the same time form the formed body 41 and the holes of the woven cloth. The molten metal is filled in and compounded. Here, since the woven cloth 42 is lined by the molded body 41 and is securely held between the mold and the core, the woven cloth 42 is not deformed and the woven cloth is not displaced with respect to the mold, and the molten metal is not melted. Is infiltrated into the molded body and is evenly infiltrated into the texture of the woven cloth.

In the above manufacturing method, high-quality alumina long fibers are used for the outer woven fabric, carbon fiber is inexpensive for the inner woven fabric close to the molded product, and titanium is inexpensive for the molded product. By using acid potassium whiskers, relatively low grade alumina short fibers with many chips, SiC particles, etc.,
It is possible to produce a golf club head made of a metal-based reinforced material that is excellent in design and inexpensive in cost.

Next, a specific example of the face plate 4 made of the metal matrix reinforced composite material according to the present invention will be described.

Concrete Example 1 First, a molded body 41 having the same shape as the face plate 4 is formed from alumina short fibers. Specifically, alumina short fibers and 50 times by weight of water are put into a defibration treatment device to perform defibration treatment, and 200% by weight of acetic acid-based alumina sol is added thereto, and stirring treatment is performed under wet conditions. After that, it was drained and molded into the same shape as the face plate 4. Then, the formed body was dried at 105 ° C. for about 10 hours and fired at 1200 ° C. for 3 hours to provide a formed body 41. Next, a plurality of woven cloths 42 made of stainless steel long fibers were prepared, and were superposed on the ball striking surface side of the molded body 41 and preheated at 300 ° C. for 0.5 hours.

After mounting the molded body 41 on which the woven cloth 42 is superposed on the mold 13, the mold 14 is closed to form the molded body 4
A woven cloth 42 was fixed between 1 and the mold 14. Then, a die cavity was slowly filled with a molten aluminum alloy (JIS AC4CH) by a die casting machine. The casting conditions were as follows. Molten metal temperature 610 ° C. to 800 ° C. Mold preheating temperature 100 ° C. to 850 ° C. Mold temperature 100 ° C. to 400 ° C. Injection speed 0.05 to 0.30 m / s FIG. 5 is an enlarged photograph of the face surface. The woven pattern appears evenly. Here, (A) is a magnification of 7.
5 times, (B) is 10 times magnification. In these photographs, the black part is the long fiber overlaid with aluminum, and the white part is aluminum.

Concrete Example 2 A plain woven cloth 42 made of carbon long fibers was laid on the surface of a molded body 41 manufactured under the same materials and conditions as in Concrete Example 1. After preheating as in Example 1, the woven cloth 42 was fixed between the molded body 41 and the mold 14 by closing the mold 14 attached to the mold. After that, aluminum alloy (JIS AC4C
H) The mold cavity was slowly filled with the molten metal. The casting conditions were the same as in Concrete Example 1.

FIG. 6 is a magnified photograph of the face surface at a magnification of 20 times, and the pattern of the woven cloth is evenly shown on the face surface. In the photograph, the black part is the part where the long fibers are overlaid with aluminum, and the white part is the aluminum.

Concrete Example 3 Although the woven fabric is different from the concrete examples 1 and 2 in that it is made of alumina long fibers, the material of the molded body 41, the manufacturing conditions thereof, and the casting conditions using the molded body and the woven fabric are concrete example 1. Was similar to 2. FIG. 7 is a magnified photograph of the face surface at a magnification of 15 times, and the woven pattern is evenly shown on the face surface. In the photograph, the black part is the part where the long fibers are overlaid with aluminum, and the white part is the aluminum.

Comparative Example 1 A woven fabric of stainless steel long fibers was set in a mold and die cast under the following conditions. It should be noted that the molded body as in the above specific example was not used. Molten metal temperature 610 ° C. to 800 ° C. Mold preheating temperature 100 ° C. to 850 ° C. Mold temperature 100 ° C. to 400 ° C. Injection speed 1 m / s A metallographic photograph of the face surface of the golf club head manufactured by this method at a magnification of 15 times is illustrated. 8 shows. In the photograph, the black part is the part where the long fibers are overlaid with aluminum, and the white part is the aluminum. In the comparative example, after the matrix alloy was infiltrated into the woven fabric, the fibers were moved to cause bending and the like, resulting in an uneven pattern, and the woven fabric pattern before infiltration was not retained.

[0024]

According to the method of manufacturing a golf club head made of a metal-based reinforced composite material of the present invention described above, a metal-based reinforced composite material having a uniform quality and a matrix alloy uniformly invaded in the composite material. Since the face plate part made of woven fabric is provided and the woven fabric is cast while being surely supported by the molded body, the possibility of deformation or displacement of the woven fabric is reduced,
It is possible to provide a golf club head in which the woven cloth appears uniformly on the face surface and has an excellent appearance. Further, since the casting can be performed by the die casting method, the casting cycle time is shortened and the productivity is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a golf club head made of a metal-based composite material according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a combination of a face plate molded body and a woven fabric in one embodiment of a method for manufacturing a metal-based composite golf club head according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a step of casting a face plate portion in one embodiment of the method for manufacturing a golf club head made of a metal-based composite material according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a cast face plate portion in an embodiment of a method for manufacturing a golf club head made of a metal-based composite material according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a metallographic photograph showing a specific example of a face plate obtained by the method for manufacturing a golf club head made of a metal-based composite material according to the present invention, in which (A) shows a magnification of 7.
It is 5 times and (B) is 10 times the magnification.

FIG. 6 is a metallographic photograph showing a second specific example of a face plate obtained by the method for producing a golf club head made of a metal-based composite material according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a metallographic photograph showing a third specific example of the face plate obtained by the method for manufacturing a golf club head made of a metal-based composite material according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a metallographic photograph showing a face plate obtained by a conventional method of manufacturing a golf club head made of a metal-based composite material.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Golf Club Head 2 Golf Club Head Body 4 Face Plate Part 41 Molded Body 42 Woven Cloth

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A method of manufacturing a golf club head, wherein a hollow golf club head body is cast from a light metal, and at least a face plate provided on the golf club head body is cast from a metal-based composite material. Or a step of forming a molded body that matches the shape of the face plate with at least one of ceramic short fibers; a step of forming at least one woven fabric with at least one of ceramic-based or metal-based long fibers; A step of superposing a sheet of woven fabric on the molded body and preheating, preparing a face plate mold, and forming the molded body and the at least one woven fabric laminated on the molded body, It is installed so as to be fixed between the molded body and the face plate mold, and molten light metal is applied to the face plate. And a die-casting of a face plate made of the metal-based reinforced laminated composite material, and the hollow golf club head main body is separately cast by the mold for golf club head main body and cast. A method for manufacturing a golf club head made of a metal-based composite material, comprising bonding or adhering the face plate made of a metal-based composite material to a golf club head body. 2. A method for manufacturing a golf club head, wherein a hollow golf club head body is cast from a light metal, and at least a face plate provided on the golf club head body is cast from a metal-based composite material. Or a step of forming a molded body that matches the shape of the face plate with at least one of ceramic short fibers; a step of forming at least one woven fabric with at least one of ceramic-based or metal-based long fibers; A step of superposing a sheet of woven fabric on the molded body and preheating, preparing a face plate mold, and forming the molded body and the at least one woven fabric laminated on the molded body, It is installed so as to be fixed between the molded body and the face plate mold, and molten light metal is applied to the face plate. A die for casting a metal-based reinforced laminated composite material into a mold for a golf club, and a face plate made of the reinforced metal-based laminated composite material cast in the mold for a golf club head body is installed. A method of manufacturing a golf club head made of a metal-based reinforced composite material, which comprises integrally casting a golf club head body with a light metal integrally with the face plate. 3. A method of manufacturing a golf club head, wherein a hollow golf club head body is cast from a light metal, and at least a face plate provided on the golf club head body is cast from a metal-based composite material. Or a step of forming a molded body that matches the shape of the face plate with at least one of ceramic short fibers; a step of forming at least one woven fabric with at least one of ceramic-based or metal-based long fibers; A step of superposing a sheet of woven fabric on the molded body and preheating, preparing a mold for a golf club head and a core, and forming the molded body and the at least one woven fabric laminated on the molded body. The golf club head is installed between the mold and the core, and the mold for the golf club head is filled with molten metal of light metal. Method for producing a metal matrix reinforced composite material golf club head characterized by having a step of die casting to integrally a body and the face plate at the same time. [0001]