US20130344989A1 - Multi-material golf club - Google Patents
Multi-material golf club Download PDFInfo
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- US20130344989A1 US20130344989A1 US13/532,068 US201213532068A US2013344989A1 US 20130344989 A1 US20130344989 A1 US 20130344989A1 US 201213532068 A US201213532068 A US 201213532068A US 2013344989 A1 US2013344989 A1 US 2013344989A1
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- golf club
- club head
- interface
- constructed
- mass
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B53/00—Golf clubs
- A63B53/04—Heads
- A63B53/047—Heads iron-type
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B60/00—Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
- A63B60/02—Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B53/00—Golf clubs
- A63B53/04—Heads
- A63B2053/0491—Heads with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B53/00—Golf clubs
- A63B53/04—Heads
- A63B53/0433—Heads with special sole configurations
Definitions
- This invention generally relates to golf clubs, and more specifically to a golf club head having a multi-material construction.
- Typical iron club heads are solid with flat hitting faces and generally configured as either muscle back or cavity back clubs.
- all irons were configured as muscle back clubs, which are smooth at the back with low offset, a thin topline and a thin sole.
- Cavity back irons have a hollowed out back and the club head mass is redistributed to the sole and the perimeter of the club head, which moves the center of gravity lower to the ground and rearward. The weight distribution makes the iron launch the ball higher and increases rotational moment of inertia thereby lowering its tendency to rotate on mis-hits and enlarging the sweet spot.
- Some muscle back irons have an interior hollow section, such that the club resembles a muscle back on the outside but the interior hollow section alters the club's mass characteristics.
- U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,207 to Teramoto et al. discloses a set of iron golf clubs in which the iron club is cast by the lost wax method, and the back member is welded at the back of the face member to form a hollow section between the back and face members. As the club changes from a longer iron to a shorter iron, the hollow section is gradually decreased to zero and the sole width is gradually decreased.
- each one-piece club head includes a hollow section behind the striking face.
- Each of the club heads is made of a stainless steel by, for example, a lost wax casting process. The material of each of the face portions of the club heads is then annealed.
- the present invention is directed to iron-type golf clubs.
- the inventive iron-type golf club provides a club head that improves the ability to concentrate discretionary mass placement. As a result, it increases ability to optimize the club head moment of inertia and the center of gravity location.
- an iron-type golf club head in an embodiment, includes a body member, a mass member and an interface.
- the body member includes a hosel and a face and is constructed of a first material that includes a base element.
- the mass member is constructed of a second material that includes a base element and the specific gravity of the second material is greater than the specific gravity of the first material.
- the interface is interposed between the body member and the mass member.
- the interface is constructed of a third material that is an alloy of the base element of the second material and the interface is metallurgically bonded to the mass member and coupled to the body member.
- an iron-type golf club head in another embodiment, includes a body member and an elongate weight member.
- the body member includes a hosel and a face and is constructed of a first material that includes a base element.
- the elongate weight member includes a mass member and an interface.
- the mass member is constructed of a second material that includes a base element and the specific gravity of the second material is greater than the specific gravity of the first material.
- the interface is clad to the mass member and constructed of a third material that is an alloy of the base element of the second material.
- FIG. 1 is a rear view of an iron-type golf club head in accordance with the present invention
- FIG. 2 is an exploded rear view of the golf club head of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 3 is a perspective rear view of weight members of the golf club head of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 4 is an exploded rear view of the weight members of FIG. 3 ;
- FIG. 5 is a rear view of an iron-type golf club head in accordance with the present invention.
- FIG. 6 is a perspective rear view of a weight member of the golf club head of FIG. 5 ;
- FIG. 7 is an exploded rear view of the weight member of FIG. 6 ;
- FIGS. 8-11 are perspective views illustrating the steps in a method of construction of the weight member of FIG. 3 ;
- FIG. 12-16 are perspective views illustrating the steps in a method of construction of the elongate weight member of FIG. 6 ;
- FIG. 17 is a perspective rear view of weight members that may be used in the golf club head of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 18 - 18 , shown in FIG. 17 ;
- FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 19 - 19 , shown in FIG. 17 .
- the present invention is directed to golf clubs having heads that include multi-material construction.
- the inventive construction utilizes golf club heads constructed of multiple materials, with one of the materials interposed and forming an interface between two others.
- a golf head 10 comprises club head body member 12 , a muscle back shell 14 and a plurality of multi-material weight members 16 .
- Body member 12 generally includes a face 18 , an upper perimeter weight portion 19 and a hosel 20 .
- Face 18 defines a front, ball-striking surface and a rear surface 22 .
- Face 18 extends between a top line 24 , a leading edge 26 , a heel portion 28 and a toe portion 30 .
- Perimeter weight portion 19 includes a top rail 21 , a toe rail 23 , a heel rail 25 , and a central rail 27 .
- Perimeter weight portion 19 extends rearward away from rear surface 22 of face 18 and defines an upper cavity 29 .
- Top rail 21 extends rearward away from an upper edge of face 18 and forms a portion of top line 24 of club head 10 .
- Toe rail 23 extends rearward away from a toe side of face 18 along the perimeter of face 18 and between top rail 21 and central rail 27 .
- Heel rail 25 extends rearward away from a heel side of face 18 between top rail 21 and central rail 27 and is joined with face 18 and hosel 20 .
- a sole 32 of club head 10 extends between leading edge 26 and a trailing edge 34 in a fore/aft direction and between the heel and toe of club head 10 .
- sole 32 is constructed by a combination of portions of body member 12 , muscle back shell 14 , and weight members 16 .
- leading edge 26 of body member 12 forms a front edge of sole 32 that generally extends between heel portion 28 and toe portion 30 .
- a lower surface 36 of muscle back shell 14 forms a central portion of sole 32 .
- Lower surfaces 38 of weight members 16 form heel and toe portions of sole 32 .
- Weight members 16 are disposed at the heel and toe ends of club head 10 .
- Each of weight members 16 is constructed as a multi-material component.
- each weight member 16 includes a mass member 40 and an interface 42 that are constructed from different materials.
- Mass member 40 provides the majority of the mass of weight member 16 and is coupled to interface 42 .
- Preferably mass member 40 is coupled to interface 42 by a metallurgical bond.
- a metallurgical bond is a coupling wherein two materials are in intimate contact so that they share electrons between the two materials, there is preferably no porosity or gaps at the interface and no intermediate bonding material, such as brazing material or solder, is used.
- Some porosity may be present even with a metallurgical bond as a result of the particular process.
- powder metallurgy may result in some porosity within the mated parts.
- Methods of creating the metallurgical bond include cladding, diffusion bonding, cold-rolling, co-forging and co-molding or co-sintering.
- Interface 42 provides a portion of weight member 16 that is constructed with a shape and material that may be easily coupled to body member 12 and muscle back shell 14 .
- the mass member and the body member are constructed of materials that have different base elements, such as a mass member with tungsten as a base element and a body member with iron as a base element.
- mass member 40 is constructed from a high specific gravity tungsten-nickel alloy
- interface 42 is constructed from a lower specific gravity tungsten-alloy that is capable of being welded to a steel body member 12 and a steel muscle back shell 14 .
- weight members 16 are preferably coupled by a metallurgical bond.
- a pre-form of interface 42 is constructed by compressing the interface material, in powder form, into a pre-form 43 that receives a pre-form 41 of mass member 40 .
- the pre-form of mass member 40 is similarly constructed by compressing the mass member material, in powder form, into the desired pre-form shape.
- Pre-forms of interface 42 and mass member 40 are illustrated in FIG. 4 prior to their coupling.
- the interface pre-form 43 defines a receptacle 45 that is shaped to receive the mass member pre-form 41 .
- the pre-forms are fit together to form a combined pre-form that is then compressed and heated until the pre-forms fuse together into weight member 16 .
- the pre-forms are constructed with larger dimensions than the final dimensions of each of those parts after being fused to allow for dimensional changes during the fusing process, i.e., the dimensions are selected to provide for shrinkage caused by sintering powder metallurgy parts.
- Muscle back shell 14 is a thin metallic member that attaches to body member 12 .
- muscle back shell 14 includes a heel 44 , a toe 46 and a sole 48 that are coupled to body member 12 .
- Muscle back shell 14 is coupled to the lower portion of body member 12 and to central rail 27 of perimeter weight portion 19 .
- Muscle back shell 14 includes a heel step 50 and a toe step 52 that, when combined with body member 12 , form heel and toe receptacles for weight members 16 .
- the receptacles may be open to a lower cavity of golf club head 10 or muscle back shell 14 may include walled recesses that close one or both receptacles from the lower cavity.
- the receptacles are open to the lower cavity and weight members 16 are coupled to body member 12 and muscle back shell 14 by coupling interface 42 to the perimeter of the receptacle such as by welding.
- additional material may be included in muscle back shell 14 and/or interface 42 and the extra material may be used as weld material.
- the extra material may be incorporated by including ridges on the outer surfaces of shell 14 and/or interface 42 adjacent the boundary between the parts. The extra material may then be heated by an energy source, such as a laser, and melted so that it flows into the space between muscle back shell 14 and weight member 16 and forms a weld providing a mechanical coupling between the parts.
- a golf club head 70 includes a body member 72 and a multi-material weight member 74 .
- Body member 72 is generally constructed as a cavity back iron that includes an upper cavity portion and a lower muscle back portion.
- Body member 72 includes a face 76 , a perimeter weight portion 78 , a muscle portion 80 , and a hosel 82 .
- Face 76 defines a front, ball-striking surface and a rear surface 77 .
- Face 76 extends between a top line 84 , a leading edge 86 , a heel 88 and a toe 90 .
- Perimeter weight portion 78 extends rearward away from rear surface 77 and defines an upper cavity 79 .
- Perimeter weight portion 78 includes a top rail 92 , a toe rail 94 and a heel rail 96 .
- Top rail 92 extends rearward from face 76 and forms a portion of top line 84 of club head 70 .
- Toe rail 94 extends rearward from a toe portion 98 of face 76 and along the perimeter of face 76 .
- Heel rail 96 extends rearward from a heel portion 100 of face 76 , generally along the perimeter of face 76 , and merges with a lower portion of hosel 82 .
- Toe rail 94 and heel rail 96 also extend between top line 84 and muscle portion 80 .
- Muscle portion 80 forms a lower portion of body member 72 and is an elongate portion of golf club head 70 that extends from heel to toe.
- muscle portion 80 , face 76 , perimeter weight portion 78 and hosel 82 are constructed as a monolithic body, such as by forging or casting a metallic material, such as a steel or titanium alloy.
- Muscle portion 80 includes a receptacle 102 that extends into muscle portion 80 from a lower surface of muscle portion 80 and is shaped and sized to receive, and to be coupled to, weight member 74 .
- Weight member 74 includes an interface 104 and a mass member 106 .
- interface 104 and mass member 106 are both elongate members and are coupled together to form weight member 74 .
- Interface 104 provides a portion of weight member 74 that is constructed with a shape and material that may be easily coupled to body member 72 in receptacle 102 .
- Interface 104 extends between a heel end 108 and a toe end 110 .
- the thickness of interface 104 between an inner surface 112 and an outer surface 114 is generally constant.
- the width of interface 104 between a leading edge 116 and a trailing edge 118 , may vary between heel end 108 and toe end 110 .
- the width of interface 104 is generally selected to match a desired width of mass member 106 .
- interface 104 is constructed from a material that is capable of being welded to a steel body member 72 .
- Mass member 106 provides the majority of the mass of weight member 74 and is coupled to interface 104 by a metallurgical bond. Mass member 106 has a varying thickness and includes heel portion 120 and toe portion 122 that have greater thickness than a central portion 124 . In an example, mass member 106 is constructed from a high density tungsten-nickel alloy, and interface 104 is constructed from a lower density tungsten-nickel alloy that is capable of being welded to a steel body member 72 .
- a pre-form of interface 104 is constructed by compressing the interface material, in powder form, into a pre-form.
- the pre-form is generally shaped the same as the final configuration of interface 104 , but it is dimensionally larger to allow shrinkage during steps of compression and fusing.
- a pre-form of mass member 106 is constructed by compressing the mass member material, in powder form, into a pre-form and the pre-form of mass member 106 is also dimensionally larger than the final mass member 106 to provide for shrinkage during forming.
- the pre-forms of interface 104 and mass member 106 are stacked in a mold and the stacked pre-forms are compressed and heated until they become fused together.
- Golf club head body member 72 is preferably made from a lower density material than mass member 106 , and preferably is made from a lower density material than interface 104 .
- body member 72 has a density in the range of about 4 g/cm 3 to about 8 g/cm 3
- interface 104 has a density in the range of about 4 g/cm 3 to about 12 g/cm 3
- mass member 106 has a density in the range of about 12 g/cm 3 to about 19 g/cm 3 .
- Suitable materials for club head body member 72 include, but are not limited to, aluminum, stainless steel or titanium and alloys thereof.
- Suitable materials for interface 104 include, but are not limited to materials having a base element of aluminum, iron, copper, nickel, zinc, tin, titanium, lead, tungsten, tantalum, gold, platinum or silver and alloys thereof.
- Suitable materials for mass member include, but are not limited to, materials having a base element of lead, tungsten, tantalum, gold, platinum, molybdenum, hafnium, niobium or silver and alloys thereof. These material alternatives are applicable to all of the embodiments described herein.
- first members 140 are formed, by forging, casting, pressing, machining, etc. into a desired shape.
- first members 140 are generally shaped as blocks having a trapezoidal cross-sectional shape.
- a second member 142 is constructed to have a plurality of cavities that are shaped to receive the first members 140 .
- First members 140 are constructed from the material of mass member 40 and second member 142 is constructed from the material of interface 42 .
- the materials have different densities and the material of interface 42 has properties that allow it to be easily coupled to the material of body member 12 .
- the first members 140 are inserted into the second member 142 and the combination is subjected to a joining process.
- the members may be rolled together, co-forged, or diffusion bonded so that first members 140 form a metallurgical bond with second member 142 .
- the coupling process results in a weight member pre-form 144 , as shown in FIG. 9 .
- the dimensions of both first members 140 and second member 142 have been altered by the coupling process, but the plurality of members are coupled so that they combine to form a single integral unit.
- tantalum may be used for the first members 140 and steel or titanium is used for the second member 142 .
- Tantalum is generally soft and malleable at room temperature and has a very good affinity for titanium and steels, which makes it a good candidate for bonding with golf club heads that are constructed of either steel (e.g, irons) or titanium (e.g., metalwoods).
- tantalum metal has a density of about 16.6 g/cc which is significantly greater than steel and titanium, which makes it a suitable weight material.
- the first members may be inserted into cavities of the second member and the combined members may be heated and co-forged.
- the metal-to-metal contact and elevated temperatures shear any oxide layer that has developed on either component and provides a fresh metal-to-metal contact thereby creating a good metallurgical bond. Additionally, in some embodiments further heat treatment may increase the level of diffusion of the forged component, for example, beta annealing forged titanium alloys.
- tantalum first members 140 are press fit into a steel or titanium second member 142 . Then the combined members are rolled under high pressure so that the components metallurgically bond to each other. The pieces may be heated prior to rolling and/or as a subsequent heat treatment.
- a weight member may be constructed with first members 140 welded to second member 142 . Tantalum provides an advantage for weight members because its density is high relative to titanium and it may be welded to titanium. As a result, first members 140 constructed of tantalum may be welded to a second member 142 constructed of titanium. Then the second member, acting as an interface, may be welded to a titanium club head body. By including the second member as an interface, the manufacturing of the weight is simplified because it is easier to manipulate and fixture the first and second members separate from an entire golf club head body. It is also possible to weld a tantalum weight member directly to a titanium golf club head.
- weight member blank 146 is a component that is constructed from a portion of first member 140 and a portion of second member 142 .
- weight member blank 146 is a rectangular block having a multi-material construction. The shape of weight member blank 146 is altered, such as by machining, to create a weight member 16 having a desired shape for the final assembly with body member 12 and muscle back shell 14 .
- weight member 74 may be constructed using a process such as cladding, in which two materials are metallurgically bonded using a rolling process.
- a tantalum alloy sheet 150 and a steel sheet 152 may be rolled together by a roller system 154 so that pressure and heat is created between the sheets and they become metallurgically bonded, as shown in FIG. 12 .
- the rolling process couples the two sheets into an integrated sheet 156 in which the different materials are bonded together without requiring an adhesive or brazing material, shown in FIG. 13 .
- the integrated sheet 156 may be formed so that it has an intermediate shape, as shown in FIG. 14 .
- the integrated sheet 156 is partitioned into pieces more similar to the final size of weight member 74 so that a plurality of weight member blanks 158 is formed.
- blank 158 is machined to the final configuration of weight member 74 .
- a central portion of blank 158 may be removed so that the mass is more concentrated at the ends of the blank.
- the mass will be more concentrated on heel and toe ends of weight member 74 .
- each of weight members 160 is constructed as a multi-material component.
- each weight member 160 includes a mass member 162 and an interface 164 that are constructed from different materials, and in the present embodiment, interface 164 forms a shell over a majority of the outer surface of mass member 162 .
- Mass member 162 provides the majority of the mass of weight member 160 and is coupled to interface 164 .
- Preferably mass member 162 is coupled to interface 164 by a metallurgical bond.
- Interface 164 provides an outer shell portion of weight member 160 that is constructed with a material that may be easily coupled to the golf club body member and the muscle back shell.
- mass member 162 is constructed from a high density tungsten-nickel alloy
- interface 164 is constructed from a lower density tungsten-nickel alloy that is capable of being welded to a steel body member and a steel muscle back shell, such as a 10 g/cc tungsten nickel alloy.
- mass member 162 is constructed by compressing the high density material, in powder form, into a selected shape.
- mass member 162 may include features that position it within a secondary mold for the interface material.
- those positioning features may include projections 166 that extend from one or more surfaces of mass member 162 .
- projections 166 are included on portions of mass member 162 that are directed to the interior of the completed golf club head, so that if interface material does not fully cover the projections, they will not form any part of the outer surface of the complete golf club head.
- Interface 164 may be formed in a mold that receives mass member 162 prior to the insertion of interface material.
- mass member 162 may be inserted into the mold and centered in the mold by projections 166 .
- a powder form of the interface material may then be introduced into the mold around mass member 162 and the combination compressed and heated, preferably in a ceramic mold, to form interface 164 around mass member 162 and to fuse the two materials.
- the components of the weight members may be constructed independently or together.
- each component may be formed using powder metallurgy separately and then the two parts combined and further compressed and heated together so that they bond.
- a first component is created, such as by casting, forging or powder metallurgy, and placed in a mold.
- the material of a second component, in powder form is placed in the mold around a portion or all of the first component and the combination is compressed and heated.
- two or more materials in powder form are located in a mold relative to each other as desired in the final weight member, and the combined powders are compressed and heated.
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Abstract
Description
- This invention generally relates to golf clubs, and more specifically to a golf club head having a multi-material construction.
- Typical iron club heads are solid with flat hitting faces and generally configured as either muscle back or cavity back clubs. Traditionally, all irons were configured as muscle back clubs, which are smooth at the back with low offset, a thin topline and a thin sole. Cavity back irons have a hollowed out back and the club head mass is redistributed to the sole and the perimeter of the club head, which moves the center of gravity lower to the ground and rearward. The weight distribution makes the iron launch the ball higher and increases rotational moment of inertia thereby lowering its tendency to rotate on mis-hits and enlarging the sweet spot.
- Some muscle back irons have an interior hollow section, such that the club resembles a muscle back on the outside but the interior hollow section alters the club's mass characteristics. One example is U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,207 to Teramoto et al. The Teramoto patent discloses a set of iron golf clubs in which the iron club is cast by the lost wax method, and the back member is welded at the back of the face member to form a hollow section between the back and face members. As the club changes from a longer iron to a shorter iron, the hollow section is gradually decreased to zero and the sole width is gradually decreased.
- Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,969 to Kobayashi. The Kobayashi patent discloses a set of golf clubs wherein each one-piece club head includes a hollow section behind the striking face. Each of the club heads is made of a stainless steel by, for example, a lost wax casting process. The material of each of the face portions of the club heads is then annealed.
- Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 7,126,339 to Nagai et al., which discloses utility golf clubs, which generally include a hollow interior.
- There remains a need in the art for an improved iron-type golf club. In particular, there is a need for an iron-type golf club that provides a construction that allows more concentrated placement of discretionary mass.
- The present invention is directed to iron-type golf clubs. The inventive iron-type golf club provides a club head that improves the ability to concentrate discretionary mass placement. As a result, it increases ability to optimize the club head moment of inertia and the center of gravity location.
- In an embodiment, an iron-type golf club head includes a body member, a mass member and an interface. The body member includes a hosel and a face and is constructed of a first material that includes a base element. The mass member is constructed of a second material that includes a base element and the specific gravity of the second material is greater than the specific gravity of the first material. The interface is interposed between the body member and the mass member. The interface is constructed of a third material that is an alloy of the base element of the second material and the interface is metallurgically bonded to the mass member and coupled to the body member.
- In another embodiment, an iron-type golf club head includes a body member and an elongate weight member. The body member includes a hosel and a face and is constructed of a first material that includes a base element. The elongate weight member includes a mass member and an interface. The mass member is constructed of a second material that includes a base element and the specific gravity of the second material is greater than the specific gravity of the first material. The interface is clad to the mass member and constructed of a third material that is an alloy of the base element of the second material.
- In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the specification and are to be read in conjunction therewith and in which like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts in the various views:
-
FIG. 1 is a rear view of an iron-type golf club head in accordance with the present invention, -
FIG. 2 is an exploded rear view of the golf club head ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 3 is a perspective rear view of weight members of the golf club head ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 4 is an exploded rear view of the weight members ofFIG. 3 ; -
FIG. 5 is a rear view of an iron-type golf club head in accordance with the present invention; -
FIG. 6 is a perspective rear view of a weight member of the golf club head ofFIG. 5 ; -
FIG. 7 is an exploded rear view of the weight member ofFIG. 6 ; -
FIGS. 8-11 are perspective views illustrating the steps in a method of construction of the weight member ofFIG. 3 ; -
FIG. 12-16 are perspective views illustrating the steps in a method of construction of the elongate weight member ofFIG. 6 ; -
FIG. 17 is a perspective rear view of weight members that may be used in the golf club head ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 18-18, shown inFIG. 17 ; and -
FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 19-19, shown inFIG. 17 . - The present invention is directed to golf clubs having heads that include multi-material construction. The inventive construction utilizes golf club heads constructed of multiple materials, with one of the materials interposed and forming an interface between two others. Several embodiments of the present invention are described below.
- Other than in the operating examples, or unless otherwise expressly specified, all of the numerical ranges, amounts, values and percentages such as those for amounts of materials, moments of inertias, center of gravity locations, loft and draft angles, and others in the following portion of the specification may be read as if prefaced by the word “about” even though the term “about” may not expressly appear with the value, amount, or range. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification and attached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the present invention. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques.
- Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the invention are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. Any numerical value, however, inherently contains certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements. Furthermore, when numerical ranges of varying scope are set forth herein, it is contemplated that any combination of these values inclusive of the recited values may be used.
- Referring to
FIGS. 1-4 , agolf head 10 comprises clubhead body member 12, amuscle back shell 14 and a plurality ofmulti-material weight members 16.Body member 12 generally includes aface 18, an upperperimeter weight portion 19 and ahosel 20.Face 18 defines a front, ball-striking surface and arear surface 22. Face 18 extends between atop line 24, a leadingedge 26, aheel portion 28 and atoe portion 30. -
Perimeter weight portion 19 includes atop rail 21, atoe rail 23, aheel rail 25, and acentral rail 27.Perimeter weight portion 19 extends rearward away fromrear surface 22 offace 18 and defines an upper cavity 29.Top rail 21 extends rearward away from an upper edge offace 18 and forms a portion oftop line 24 ofclub head 10.Toe rail 23 extends rearward away from a toe side offace 18 along the perimeter offace 18 and betweentop rail 21 andcentral rail 27.Heel rail 25 extends rearward away from a heel side offace 18 betweentop rail 21 andcentral rail 27 and is joined withface 18 andhosel 20. - A sole 32 of
club head 10 extends between leadingedge 26 and a trailingedge 34 in a fore/aft direction and between the heel and toe ofclub head 10. In the present embodiment, sole 32 is constructed by a combination of portions ofbody member 12, muscle backshell 14, andweight members 16. In particular, leadingedge 26 ofbody member 12 forms a front edge of sole 32 that generally extends betweenheel portion 28 andtoe portion 30. Alower surface 36 of muscle backshell 14 forms a central portion of sole 32.Lower surfaces 38 ofweight members 16 form heel and toe portions of sole 32. -
Weight members 16 are disposed at the heel and toe ends ofclub head 10. Each ofweight members 16 is constructed as a multi-material component. For example, eachweight member 16 includes amass member 40 and aninterface 42 that are constructed from different materials.Mass member 40 provides the majority of the mass ofweight member 16 and is coupled tointerface 42. Preferablymass member 40 is coupled to interface 42 by a metallurgical bond. As used herein, a metallurgical bond is a coupling wherein two materials are in intimate contact so that they share electrons between the two materials, there is preferably no porosity or gaps at the interface and no intermediate bonding material, such as brazing material or solder, is used. Some porosity, however, may be present even with a metallurgical bond as a result of the particular process. For example, powder metallurgy may result in some porosity within the mated parts. Methods of creating the metallurgical bond include cladding, diffusion bonding, cold-rolling, co-forging and co-molding or co-sintering. -
Interface 42 provides a portion ofweight member 16 that is constructed with a shape and material that may be easily coupled tobody member 12 and muscle backshell 14. Preferably, the mass member and the body member are constructed of materials that have different base elements, such as a mass member with tungsten as a base element and a body member with iron as a base element. In an example,mass member 40 is constructed from a high specific gravity tungsten-nickel alloy, andinterface 42 is constructed from a lower specific gravity tungsten-alloy that is capable of being welded to asteel body member 12 and a steel muscle backshell 14. - The components of
weight members 16 are preferably coupled by a metallurgical bond. In an example, a pre-form ofinterface 42 is constructed by compressing the interface material, in powder form, into a pre-form 43 that receives a pre-form 41 ofmass member 40. The pre-form ofmass member 40 is similarly constructed by compressing the mass member material, in powder form, into the desired pre-form shape. Pre-forms ofinterface 42 andmass member 40 are illustrated inFIG. 4 prior to their coupling. Theinterface pre-form 43 defines areceptacle 45 that is shaped to receive themass member pre-form 41. The pre-forms are fit together to form a combined pre-form that is then compressed and heated until the pre-forms fuse together intoweight member 16. Generally, the pre-forms are constructed with larger dimensions than the final dimensions of each of those parts after being fused to allow for dimensional changes during the fusing process, i.e., the dimensions are selected to provide for shrinkage caused by sintering powder metallurgy parts. - Muscle back
shell 14 is a thin metallic member that attaches tobody member 12. In particular, muscle backshell 14 includes a heel 44, atoe 46 and a sole 48 that are coupled tobody member 12. Muscle backshell 14 is coupled to the lower portion ofbody member 12 and tocentral rail 27 ofperimeter weight portion 19. Muscle backshell 14 includes aheel step 50 and atoe step 52 that, when combined withbody member 12, form heel and toe receptacles forweight members 16. The receptacles may be open to a lower cavity ofgolf club head 10 or muscle backshell 14 may include walled recesses that close one or both receptacles from the lower cavity. In the present embodiment, the receptacles are open to the lower cavity andweight members 16 are coupled tobody member 12 and muscle backshell 14 by couplinginterface 42 to the perimeter of the receptacle such as by welding. - As an alternative, additional material may be included in muscle back
shell 14 and/orinterface 42 and the extra material may be used as weld material. As an example, the extra material may be incorporated by including ridges on the outer surfaces ofshell 14 and/orinterface 42 adjacent the boundary between the parts. The extra material may then be heated by an energy source, such as a laser, and melted so that it flows into the space between muscle backshell 14 andweight member 16 and forms a weld providing a mechanical coupling between the parts. - In another embodiment, shown in
FIGS. 5-7 , a golf club head 70 includes abody member 72 and a multi-material weight member 74.Body member 72 is generally constructed as a cavity back iron that includes an upper cavity portion and a lower muscle back portion.Body member 72 includes aface 76, aperimeter weight portion 78, amuscle portion 80, and ahosel 82.Face 76 defines a front, ball-striking surface and a rear surface 77.Face 76 extends between atop line 84, a leadingedge 86, aheel 88 and a toe 90. -
Perimeter weight portion 78 extends rearward away from rear surface 77 and defines anupper cavity 79.Perimeter weight portion 78 includes atop rail 92, atoe rail 94 and aheel rail 96.Top rail 92 extends rearward fromface 76 and forms a portion oftop line 84 of club head 70.Toe rail 94 extends rearward from atoe portion 98 offace 76 and along the perimeter offace 76.Heel rail 96 extends rearward from aheel portion 100 offace 76, generally along the perimeter offace 76, and merges with a lower portion ofhosel 82.Toe rail 94 andheel rail 96 also extend betweentop line 84 andmuscle portion 80. -
Muscle portion 80 forms a lower portion ofbody member 72 and is an elongate portion of golf club head 70 that extends from heel to toe. Preferably,muscle portion 80,face 76,perimeter weight portion 78 andhosel 82 are constructed as a monolithic body, such as by forging or casting a metallic material, such as a steel or titanium alloy.Muscle portion 80 includes areceptacle 102 that extends intomuscle portion 80 from a lower surface ofmuscle portion 80 and is shaped and sized to receive, and to be coupled to, weight member 74. - Weight member 74 includes an
interface 104 and amass member 106. In weight member 74,interface 104 andmass member 106 are both elongate members and are coupled together to form weight member 74.Interface 104 provides a portion of weight member 74 that is constructed with a shape and material that may be easily coupled tobody member 72 inreceptacle 102.Interface 104 extends between aheel end 108 and atoe end 110. In the present embodiment, the thickness ofinterface 104 between aninner surface 112 and anouter surface 114 is generally constant. The width ofinterface 104, between aleading edge 116 and a trailingedge 118, may vary betweenheel end 108 andtoe end 110. The width ofinterface 104 is generally selected to match a desired width ofmass member 106. Preferably,interface 104 is constructed from a material that is capable of being welded to asteel body member 72. -
Mass member 106 provides the majority of the mass of weight member 74 and is coupled to interface 104 by a metallurgical bond.Mass member 106 has a varying thickness and includesheel portion 120 andtoe portion 122 that have greater thickness than acentral portion 124. In an example,mass member 106 is constructed from a high density tungsten-nickel alloy, andinterface 104 is constructed from a lower density tungsten-nickel alloy that is capable of being welded to asteel body member 72. - In an example, a pre-form of
interface 104 is constructed by compressing the interface material, in powder form, into a pre-form. The pre-form is generally shaped the same as the final configuration ofinterface 104, but it is dimensionally larger to allow shrinkage during steps of compression and fusing. Similarly, a pre-form ofmass member 106 is constructed by compressing the mass member material, in powder form, into a pre-form and the pre-form ofmass member 106 is also dimensionally larger than thefinal mass member 106 to provide for shrinkage during forming. In the present embodiment, the pre-forms ofinterface 104 andmass member 106 are stacked in a mold and the stacked pre-forms are compressed and heated until they become fused together. - Golf club
head body member 72 is preferably made from a lower density material thanmass member 106, and preferably is made from a lower density material thaninterface 104. Preferably,body member 72 has a density in the range of about 4 g/cm3 to about 8 g/cm3,interface 104 has a density in the range of about 4 g/cm3 to about 12 g/cm3, andmass member 106 has a density in the range of about 12 g/cm3 to about 19 g/cm3. Suitable materials for clubhead body member 72 include, but are not limited to, aluminum, stainless steel or titanium and alloys thereof. Suitable materials forinterface 104 include, but are not limited to materials having a base element of aluminum, iron, copper, nickel, zinc, tin, titanium, lead, tungsten, tantalum, gold, platinum or silver and alloys thereof. Suitable materials for mass member include, but are not limited to, materials having a base element of lead, tungsten, tantalum, gold, platinum, molybdenum, hafnium, niobium or silver and alloys thereof. These material alternatives are applicable to all of the embodiments described herein. - Referring to
FIGS. 8-11 , the steps in a process of constructing another example ofweight member 16 will be described. In a first step, a plurality offirst members 140 are formed, by forging, casting, pressing, machining, etc. into a desired shape. In the present embodiment,first members 140 are generally shaped as blocks having a trapezoidal cross-sectional shape. Asecond member 142 is constructed to have a plurality of cavities that are shaped to receive thefirst members 140.First members 140 are constructed from the material ofmass member 40 andsecond member 142 is constructed from the material ofinterface 42. Preferably, the materials have different densities and the material ofinterface 42 has properties that allow it to be easily coupled to the material ofbody member 12. - The
first members 140 are inserted into thesecond member 142 and the combination is subjected to a joining process. The members may be rolled together, co-forged, or diffusion bonded so thatfirst members 140 form a metallurgical bond withsecond member 142. The coupling process results in aweight member pre-form 144, as shown inFIG. 9 . In the pre-form, the dimensions of bothfirst members 140 andsecond member 142 have been altered by the coupling process, but the plurality of members are coupled so that they combine to form a single integral unit. - In an example, tantalum may be used for the
first members 140 and steel or titanium is used for thesecond member 142. Tantalum is generally soft and malleable at room temperature and has a very good affinity for titanium and steels, which makes it a good candidate for bonding with golf club heads that are constructed of either steel (e.g, irons) or titanium (e.g., metalwoods). Further, tantalum metal has a density of about 16.6 g/cc which is significantly greater than steel and titanium, which makes it a suitable weight material. The first members may be inserted into cavities of the second member and the combined members may be heated and co-forged. The metal-to-metal contact and elevated temperatures shear any oxide layer that has developed on either component and provides a fresh metal-to-metal contact thereby creating a good metallurgical bond. Additionally, in some embodiments further heat treatment may increase the level of diffusion of the forged component, for example, beta annealing forged titanium alloys. - In another example, tantalum
first members 140 are press fit into a steel or titaniumsecond member 142. Then the combined members are rolled under high pressure so that the components metallurgically bond to each other. The pieces may be heated prior to rolling and/or as a subsequent heat treatment. - As a still further option, a weight member may be constructed with
first members 140 welded tosecond member 142. Tantalum provides an advantage for weight members because its density is high relative to titanium and it may be welded to titanium. As a result,first members 140 constructed of tantalum may be welded to asecond member 142 constructed of titanium. Then the second member, acting as an interface, may be welded to a titanium club head body. By including the second member as an interface, the manufacturing of the weight is simplified because it is easier to manipulate and fixture the first and second members separate from an entire golf club head body. It is also possible to weld a tantalum weight member directly to a titanium golf club head. - After the pre-form 144 is created, a piece is cut away from the pre-form 144 to create a
weight member blank 146. Theweight member blank 146 is a component that is constructed from a portion offirst member 140 and a portion ofsecond member 142. In the present embodiment,weight member blank 146 is a rectangular block having a multi-material construction. The shape ofweight member blank 146 is altered, such as by machining, to create aweight member 16 having a desired shape for the final assembly withbody member 12 and muscle backshell 14. - Referring now to
FIGS. 12-16 , the steps in another exemplary process of constructing weight member 74 will be described. For example, weight member 74 may be constructed using a process such as cladding, in which two materials are metallurgically bonded using a rolling process. For example, atantalum alloy sheet 150 and asteel sheet 152 may be rolled together by aroller system 154 so that pressure and heat is created between the sheets and they become metallurgically bonded, as shown inFIG. 12 . The rolling process couples the two sheets into anintegrated sheet 156 in which the different materials are bonded together without requiring an adhesive or brazing material, shown inFIG. 13 . - After the different materials are coupled, the
integrated sheet 156 may be formed so that it has an intermediate shape, as shown inFIG. 14 . After theintegrated sheet 156 has been partially formed, it is partitioned into pieces more similar to the final size of weight member 74 so that a plurality ofweight member blanks 158 is formed. Finally, blank 158 is machined to the final configuration of weight member 74. For example, and as shown inFIG. 16 , a central portion of blank 158 may be removed so that the mass is more concentrated at the ends of the blank. As a result, in the final weight member 74 the mass will be more concentrated on heel and toe ends of weight member 74. - Another embodiment of weight members that may be included in
golf club head 10 are illustrated inFIGS. 17-19 . Each ofweight members 160 is constructed as a multi-material component. For example, eachweight member 160 includes amass member 162 and aninterface 164 that are constructed from different materials, and in the present embodiment,interface 164 forms a shell over a majority of the outer surface ofmass member 162.Mass member 162 provides the majority of the mass ofweight member 160 and is coupled tointerface 164. Preferablymass member 162 is coupled to interface 164 by a metallurgical bond.Interface 164 provides an outer shell portion ofweight member 160 that is constructed with a material that may be easily coupled to the golf club body member and the muscle back shell. In an example,mass member 162 is constructed from a high density tungsten-nickel alloy, andinterface 164 is constructed from a lower density tungsten-nickel alloy that is capable of being welded to a steel body member and a steel muscle back shell, such as a 10 g/cc tungsten nickel alloy. - The components of
weight members 160 are preferably coupled by a metallurgical bond. In an example,mass member 162 is constructed by compressing the high density material, in powder form, into a selected shape. As shown inFIGS. 18 and 19 ,mass member 162 may include features that position it within a secondary mold for the interface material. In particular, those positioning features may include projections 166 that extend from one or more surfaces ofmass member 162. Preferably, projections 166 are included on portions ofmass member 162 that are directed to the interior of the completed golf club head, so that if interface material does not fully cover the projections, they will not form any part of the outer surface of the complete golf club head. -
Interface 164 may be formed in a mold that receivesmass member 162 prior to the insertion of interface material. For example,mass member 162 may be inserted into the mold and centered in the mold by projections 166. A powder form of the interface material may then be introduced into the mold aroundmass member 162 and the combination compressed and heated, preferably in a ceramic mold, to forminterface 164 aroundmass member 162 and to fuse the two materials. - As described, the components of the weight members may be constructed independently or together. For example, each component may be formed using powder metallurgy separately and then the two parts combined and further compressed and heated together so that they bond. In another example, a first component is created, such as by casting, forging or powder metallurgy, and placed in a mold. The material of a second component, in powder form, is placed in the mold around a portion or all of the first component and the combination is compressed and heated. In a still further example, two or more materials in powder form are located in a mold relative to each other as desired in the final weight member, and the combined powders are compressed and heated.
- While it is apparent that the illustrative embodiments of the invention disclosed herein fulfill the objectives stated above, it is appreciated that numerous modifications and other embodiments may be devised by those skilled in the art. Therefore, it will be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and embodiments, which would come within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Claims (16)
Priority Applications (4)
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JP2013131217A JP6199624B2 (en) | 2012-06-25 | 2013-06-24 | Iron type golf club |
CN201310384170.XA CN103505856B (en) | 2012-06-25 | 2013-06-25 | Many material golf clubs |
US14/694,921 US20150297958A1 (en) | 2012-06-25 | 2015-04-23 | Multi-material golf club |
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US13/532,068 US20130344989A1 (en) | 2012-06-25 | 2012-06-25 | Multi-material golf club |
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CN103505856A (en) | 2014-01-15 |
US20150297958A1 (en) | 2015-10-22 |
JP2014004367A (en) | 2014-01-16 |
JP6199624B2 (en) | 2017-09-20 |
CN103505856B (en) | 2016-08-10 |
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