Golf Club Head Composite Crown Insert for Stress Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing golf club heads face challenges in achieving a lightweight and durable construction, particularly at larger sizes, due to the limitations of materials like titanium and steel alloys, and composite materials suffer from durability and high manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
A golf club head design incorporating a composite material insert within a metal body, with precise dimensional tolerances at the junctions to ensure uniformity and consistency, minimizing stress concentrations and manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If titanium alloy is used for club head construction, then lightweight and strong properties are achieved, but manufacturing cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite construction combining titanium alloy for the crown portion and steel alloy for the sole and face portions. This allows the club head to achieve lightweight properties from the titanium crown while using more cost-effective steel for the remaining structure, resolving the contradiction between lightweight construction and manufacturing cost.
2Ease of manufacture
If steel alloy is used for club head construction, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but club head size is limited to maintain weight and durability
Solution Approach 1:
By combining titanium and steel alloys in a composite structure, the patent enables larger club head volumes than would be possible with steel alone, while maintaining acceptable weight and cost. The titanium portion provides lightweight properties that compensate for the additional volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different material qualities to different portions of the club head - titanium alloy for the crown and steel alloy for the sole and face. This local differentiation allows optimization of both cost and volume by using the lighter, more expensive material only where weight reduction is most beneficial.
3Weight of moving object
If composite material is used for club head construction, then lightweight properties are achieved, but durability and acoustic properties deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a hybrid composite approach combining metal alloys (titanium and steel) rather than traditional non-metallic composites. This metal-to-metal composite construction maintains superior durability and acoustic properties while achieving lightweight properties, resolving the contradiction between weight reduction and reliability.
4Reliability
If precise dimensional tolerances are enforced at junctions, then stress concentrations are minimized, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies enhanced dimensional tolerances and surface finish requirements specifically at the junction regions where different materials meet, rather than uniformly across the entire club head. This localized approach to quality control minimizes stress concentrations at critical interfaces while avoiding unnecessary manufacturing complexity in non-critical areas.
Data Source
AI summary
A golf club head including a crown defining the top surface of the club head and including a crown portion, a crown recess region formed in the crown portion and defined by a crown ledge and a bonding wall, and a crown insert disposed at least partially within the crown recess region. The size and uniformity of the junction between the crown insert and the bonding wall may be determined by measuring the dimensions of the junction at critical points on the club head.