JPH1099473A - Metal wood golf club head and manufacture thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a metal wood golf club having a high degree of reliability as to the joint of metal having a high specific weight, and which is mainteance- free and which has a low gravitational center, by metallurgically joining titanium or titanium alloy with high specific weight metal having a specified specific weith so as to form a composite sole plate. SOLUTION: Titanium 7 and stainless steel 8 which is high specific weigh metal having a specific weight higher than 7 are metallurgically joined 9 through explosive contact bonding so as to form a composite sole plate material 6a. This club head 1 is cut and formed into a sole shape of a club head 1, and is then attached to a sole part 5 of the head 1 with the stainless steel 8 facing outside. Further, a titanium layer part 7 of the composite sole plate material 6a is metallurically fixed to the club head body 1 at a position 10 by welding along the entire periphery TIG thereof. The soundness of the joint part can be conformed through nondestructive test such as liquid penetrant test, of the joint part, the swingability and a flying distance and the like can be enhanced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a metal wood club head made of titanium or a titanium alloy.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, many metal woods made of low specific gravity metal have been used. Metal wood clubs are made of low specific gravity metal and made of high rigidity material, so that the mass can be made relatively small, so that the freedom of club design is increased, the head volume can be increased, and the center of gravity can be deepened. It is widely used as a club where even a weak player can hit a ball with good flight distance and directionality.

The required characteristics of a golf club include a club that is easy to hit, a long flight distance, and good hitting direction. Conventionally, wooden club heads have been used, but the use of metal wood has made it possible to expand the sweet spot by increasing the head volume, swing without worrying about hitting or not hitting, and deepening the center of gravity, Although clubs have become more prominent in the direction of hit balls due to their greater distance, it is essential to lower the center of gravity in order to further improve these characteristics.

[0004] To lower the center of gravity, a wooden club head can be fixed by fixing a metal plate having a high specific gravity to the lower portion of the club with screws or the like. However, titanium, aluminum, magnesium and the like used for metal wood are used. Metal or their alloys cannot be welded or other metallurgical joints with dissimilar high specific gravity metals such as steel and stainless steel.
It is inevitable to adopt a screw fixing method or a fitting method as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 265470.

In order to obtain such a structure, as shown in FIG. 5, a concave portion 20 is formed in a sole plate 6a integrally joined to the club body 1, and a metal fitting 22 of the same quality as the head material is formed. Into the recess 20, and the metal fitting 22
In addition to this, it is necessary to fix the weight adjusting member 21 made of a metal having a high specific gravity, so that the structure has to be very troublesome. In addition, a gap is easily formed between the weight adjusting member 21 and the sole plate 6a. Easy to enter and maintenance is troublesome.

For this reason, many metal woods are composed of a head body 1 and a sole plate 6 as shown in FIG.
a is made of a homogeneous material and welded and joined, and a method of lowering the center of gravity adopts a method in which a weight adjusting member 21 composed of a main body and the same kind of metal piece is dispersedly arranged at the bottom of the inner surface of the structure and fixed by welding. At present, a sufficiently low center of gravity has not been achieved.

[0007]

In order to reduce the center of gravity of a club head made of a metal having a low specific gravity such as titanium or a titanium alloy, it is preferable to combine the club head with a metal having a high specific gravity. However, problems with the mounting structure and a sufficiently low center of gravity have not been achieved, and further improvements are desired.

According to the present invention, when a metal wood club head made of titanium or a titanium alloy having a low center of gravity is produced by combining a high specific gravity metal, the high specific gravity metal and titanium or a titanium alloy are metallurgically solidified on a sole portion. By bonding the composite material to the metal wood club head and welding the composite titanium to the metal wood club head body, the reliability of the high specific gravity metal bondability is higher than that of metal wood by the conventional bonding method. The aim is to provide maintenance-free, low center of gravity metal wood.

[0009]

The present invention has the following features to attain the above object. That is, a metal wood club head body (hereinafter simply referred to as a head body or a club head body) made of titanium or a titanium alloy is mixed with titanium or a titanium alloy (hereinafter simply referred to as titanium) and a high specific gravity metal having a specific gravity of 7 or more. A metal composite sole plate or sole cup (hereinafter referred to as a composite sole plate) formed by metallurgically bonding is disposed on the sole portion so that the high specific gravity metal is on the lower surface, and titanium or titanium of the head body and the composite sole plate is disposed. A metal wood club head characterized by being welded to an alloy and a method of manufacturing the same. The composite sole plate may be disposed so as to extend below the crown of the club head body, and may be welded to the club head body. Furthermore, in order to join the composite sole plate to the club head main body, it is particularly preferable to join the titanium layer forming the composite sole plate by means of welding or the like because the same kind of metal joining is performed, and the joining portion strength can be strengthened. . In addition, arranging the high specific gravity metal on the outer surface of the sole plate joined to the club head body not only lowers the center of gravity of the head body but also improves the wear resistance due to the characteristics of the metal used or by further plating. It becomes possible.

The high specific gravity metal used for the sole plate portion of the present invention includes steel, stainless steel, copper, nickel, cobalt, tantalum, molybdenum, tungsten, and the like.
It targets at least one of gold, silver, platinum and their alloys. In particular, steel is preferred in terms of material availability, workability, and price, and in addition, stainless steel is superior in corrosion resistance. In order to further reduce the center of gravity, it is preferable to use copper or a copper alloy having a large specific gravity.

The high specific gravity metal forms a composite sole plate by metallurgical bonding between titanium and dissimilar metals. There are various methods for metallurgical joining of dissimilar metals.For example, when joining titanium and stainless steel by ordinary fusion welding, a hard and brittle intermetallic compound is formed at the joint interface between the two metals. Can not maintain high joint performance. Also,
If the joining method is based on diffusion joining, such as resistance welding, the above-mentioned dissimilar metals can be joined in theory, but if the pressing force during welding is small, sufficient joining strength cannot be obtained, that is, Stable joint performance (joining strength) cannot be obtained with a pressing force at the level of a general resistance welding machine. The metallurgical bonding of the present invention is a solid-layer bonding and is intended for a stable bonding method, which includes an explosive pressure bonding method and a hot or cold rolling method. The explosive compression bonding method is a joining method that allows metals to collide with each other by the explosive energy of an explosive, and allows the metal to be instantaneously bonded cold without heating the material by high pressure generated at the time of the collision. As a feature, a wave pattern is generally formed at a bonding interface, and the bonding strength is stronger than that of a composite material bonded by being heated during manufacturing, and is the best among metallurgical bonding methods.

[0012] The joining by the rolling method is a method having the stability of the joint after the explosion bonding method, and is the same method as the resistance welding. However, since the diffusion joining is performed under a remarkably large pressing force, high joint performance is obtained. Can be secured. Further, a friction welding method or a diffusion bonding method performed under a large pressure can also be employed.

At the time of the above-mentioned joining, an intermediate layer is inserted between different kinds of metals, elements such as carbon and nitrogen diffuse into the joining interface, and the formation of carbides or nitrides and intermetallic compounds at the interface is prevented. A method for maintaining strength may be employed. The type of titanium or titanium alloy and the high specific gravity metal,
The distribution and the volume ratio can be arbitrarily set according to the target design mass of the head.

The composite sole plate thus formed by metallurgical bonding is formed by directly welding titanium or a titanium alloy, which is the metal of the club body, to the titanium layer of the composite sole plate to form an integral joint between the same metals. . Therefore, at the time of this welding, it is preferable to take measures such as disposing the high specific gravity metal at a position away from the welded joint so that the high specific gravity metal constituting the composite sole plate does not melt simultaneously with the titanium layer at the joint. Further, the composite sole plate can be joined to the club body not only at the sole portion below the club but also at a portion extending below the crown.

[0015] Thereby, high joining strength is obtained, and
The position of the center of gravity is relatively low, and the head body is directly welded and fixed, so that a gap generated at the boundary between the head body and the sole plate in the case of the screw fixing type can be eliminated.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0017]

【Example】

Example 1 As shown in FIG. 1, a club head body 1 composed of a crown portion 2, a crown lower portion 2a, a face portion 3, a hosel portion 4, and a base portion 4a thereof was integrally cast with titanium.

Separately, titanium (TP340) 7 and stainless steel (SUS31, 6L) 8, which is a high specific gravity metal, are metallurgically bonded 9 by explosion pressure bonding.
m, a composite sole plate material 6a having a thickness of 2 mm and a stainless steel thickness of 2 mm, and a total thickness of 3.5 mm, was cut and formed into the sole shape of the club head 1, and as shown in FIG. The steel layer 8 is disposed on the sole portion 5 such that the steel 8 is located on the outer surface.
Metallurgically fixed by IG welding.

Thereafter, the stainless steel portion 8 of the composite sole plate material 6a is cut while observing the balance of the club head, and finished in a final shape as shown in the sectional view of FIG. The depth of the center of gravity was set to be 34 mm from the face surface. Further, a shaft was attached to the hosel part 4 and a grip was attached thereto, thereby producing a No. 1 wood club usually called a driver.

The structure of the joint 10 is not limited, but will be described with reference to FIGS. 2B and 2C. FIG.
2B shows a portion B of FIG. 2A, that is, a joint portion 10 between the crown lower portion 2a of the club head body and the composite sole plate 6a, and shows the club head body (titanium) 1 and the titanium layer 7 of the composite sole plate 6a. Are joined 10 by the same kind of metal welding, and a cutout 11 is formed in the stainless steel layer 8 near the joint 10 so that fusion of the stainless steel at the joint 10 does not occur. FIG. 2C shows another example.
A case where a notch fitting portion 12 is provided in the club head main body 1 and joined 10 by the same metal welding of titanium and titanium is shown.

After the club is manufactured, 6000 test hits are performed at a speed of 48 m / sec by a testing machine, and the dissimilar metal bonding interface and the head body and the sole plate are bonded by a nondestructive inspection according to the JIS Z 2343 penetration test method and the JIS Z 2344 ultrasonic test method. When the soundness of the part was confirmed, no defect was found. In addition, the result of the test hit by a person was good, and the golf club was excellent in swing-through property, had a long trajectory, had a long flight distance, had good directivity, and had excellent durability.

Example 2 A copper alloy was used as the high specific gravity metal 8 of the composite material 6a for a sole plate shown in FIG. 1 and was explosively pressed with titanium 7 to 1.5 mm for titanium and 2 m for copper alloy.
m, a composite material for a sole plate having a total thickness of 3.5 mm was produced. This material is cut into the sole cross-sectional shape of the club head body 1, and the sole plate 6 a is arranged so that the outer side becomes the copper alloy 8 and the titanium 7 comes inside the sole plate 6 a.
And the titanium layer portion 7 of the sole plate 6a were metallurgically fixed at the position 10 by TIG welding all around. After that, the copper alloy 8 was cut while looking at the club head balance.
The final shape was finished so that the position of the center of gravity was 19 mm from the top edge and the depth of the center of gravity was 35 mm from the face surface. Further, a shaft was attached to the hosel portion 4 and a grip was attached, thereby producing a No. 1 wood club usually called a driver. .

After the club was made, 6000 test hits were performed at 48 m / s using a testing machine, and the dissimilar metal bonding interface and the head body and the sole plate were bonded by nondestructive inspection using the JIS Z 2343 penetration test method and the JIS Z 2344 ultrasonic test method. When the soundness of the part was confirmed, no defect was found. In addition, as a result of employing a copper alloy as the high specific gravity metal, a golf club having an excellent color balance and a high commercial value was obtained.

Embodiment 3 As shown in FIG. 3, a titanium alloy plate is formed to produce a crown portion 2, a face portion 3, a hosel portion 4 and a base portion 4a thereof, and the final shape is formed by welding, joining and polishing. Finished.

Separately, titanium (TP340) 7 and stainless steel (SUS316L) 8, which is a high specific gravity metal, are metallurgically bonded 9 by explosion pressure bonding.
A composite sole plate 6a (hereinafter referred to as a composite sole cup) material including a portion of the crown lower portion 2a having a stainless steel 8 of 2 mm and a total thickness of 3.5 mm was manufactured. This material is cut into the sole shape of the club head 1 to form a composite sole cup, and as shown in FIG. 3, the composite sole cup material 6a is made to protrude outward from the head body 1 with the stainless steel 8 as the outer surface. Then, the club head main body 1 and the titanium layer 7 of the composite sole cup material 6a were metallurgically fixed at the position 10 by TIG welding of titanium to the entire circumference at the position of the crown lower part 2a and the sole part 5.

Thereafter, the stainless steel portion 8 of the sole cup is cut with the club head balance being checked, and the center of gravity is 20 mm from the top edge and the center of gravity is 34 mm deep from the face. Attached, the No. 1 wood club usually called a driver was made.

After the club is manufactured, 6000 test hits are performed at a speed of 48 m / s by a testing machine, and the dissimilar metal bonding interface and the head body and the sole cup are bonded by a nondestructive inspection according to the JIS Z 2343 penetration test method and the JIS Z 2344 ultrasonic test method. After confirming the soundness of part 10,
No defects were found.

[0028]

As described above, the present invention makes it possible to easily design a low center of gravity by applying to a sole plate or a sole cup a composite material in which titanium or a titanium alloy and a high specific gravity metal are joined in a metallurgical manner in advance. It has made it possible to provide a metal wood club head with good manufacturability and good swingability during use, and further improved metal wood use performance. Since the ratio of the low specific gravity metal (titanium, titanium alloy) and the high specific gravity metal used in the composite sole member can be freely changed, it goes without saying that it can be applied from the driver to the fairway wood as a low center of gravity metal wood series. It is the perfect golf club for amateur golfers.

Further, since the head body and the sole plate or the sole cup are welded and fixed all around, there is no gap at the boundary between the head body and the sole plate as in the case of the screw fixing method, so that dust and the like are used during use. There is no intrusion and the maintenance is good. Furthermore, depending on the selection of the metal having a high specific gravity, it is possible to design a color scheme that is interesting in color and incorporates the color of the metal type.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a structural explanatory view of a club head in which a part to which a composite sole plate material of the present invention is attached has a cross section.

FIG. 2 (a) is a sectional explanatory view of a finished shape of the present invention,
(B) is an enlarged explanatory view of the portion B, and (c) is another example of the enlarged explanatory view of the portion B.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory sectional view of a club head to which a composite sole cup material of the present invention is attached.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a conventional metal wood as viewed from the bottom side of a club head.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional structural explanatory view of a club head in which a high-specific-gravity metal weight adjusting member is arranged and fixed in a concave portion provided in a part of a sole plate in a conventional metal wood.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: club head body 2: crown part 2a: crown part lower part 3: face part 4: hosel part 5: sole part 6: composite sole plate 6a: composite sole plate material 7: titanium (alloy) 8: high specific gravity metal 9: Joint 10: Weld joint 11: Notch fitting part

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Akihiko Kusano 2-6-3 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Inside Nippon Steel Corporation (72) Inventor Masaya Fukuda 2-6-3, Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Inside Nippon Steel Corporation (72) Inventor Takamitsu Takebayashi 4-22-4 Kichijoji Minamicho, Musashino City, Tokyo Inside Forteen Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kenichi Miyazawa 1-1-2 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Asahi Kasei Industrial Stock In-company (72) Inventor Eiji Kakimoto 5447 Oyama Yamachi, Chikushino-shi, Fukuoka Asahi Kasei Corporation

Claims (4)

[Claims] A composite sole plate formed by metallurgically joining titanium or a titanium alloy and a high specific gravity metal having a specific gravity of 7 or more to a head body of a metal wood club made of titanium or a titanium alloy, A metal wood club head comprising a head body and a titanium or titanium alloy of a composite sole plate welded to each other so as to be disposed on a sole portion such that the lower surface is located on a lower surface. 2. The metal wood club head according to claim 1, wherein the composite sole plate is disposed to extend below the crown of the club head body and is joined to the club head body. 3. A composite sole plate formed by metallurgically joining titanium or a titanium alloy and a high specific gravity metal having a specific gravity of 7 or more to a head body of a metal wood club made of titanium or a titanium alloy, A method for manufacturing a metal wood club head, comprising: disposing a head body and a titanium or titanium alloy of a composite sole plate by welding the head body and a titanium alloy of a composite sole plate. 4. The metal wood club head according to claim 4, wherein the composite sole plate is disposed to extend below the crown of the club head body and is joined to the club head body.